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HISAO IZAWA
Operating Officer
President of Instruments Company
on the automotive industry in order to strengthen
our earnings base and broaden our business scale,
and striving to expand sales of the NEXIV series
of CNC video measuring systems for use in vari-
ous inspection processes in automotive industry.
Nikon’s measuring systems are non-contact, and
are distinctive in their ability to measure height
as well as surface area. We are currently devel-
oping instruments to measure automotive and
other components in short periods of time. These
devices utilize optical sensor and image process-
ing technology to determine whether components
have been produced to the exact precision of the
design. Such high speed and precision in compo-
nent inspection will allow Nikon to make strong
entries into fields other than automotive, and
achieve significant earnings growth.
Semiconductor inspection equipment is mainly
for examining wafers after exposure, but with
increasing device shrinkage the industry has begun
pattern inspection of cutting-edge semiconductors
at 40 nm node. Surveying of the entire wafer allows
for a high capture rate of problem areas and close
examination with scanning electron microscopes
(SEMs) is increasingly becoming the standard
method. Nikon’s automatic macro inspection sys-
tems (AMI series) and automated pattern profile
monitoring systems (APM series) shorten the time
required to find problem areas, and help improve
semiconductor manufacturer yields.
Sharpening Skills with Sales Training
Microscopes today are controlled by computer,
while biological microscopes required special-
ized knowledge in bioscience and familiarity
with IT. Nikon hires persons with professional
backgrounds, and trains sales specialists by creat-
ing skill maps that show the level of proficiency
of sales personnel, and provides them with the
appropriate training.
Stable Growth and Business Expansion
Operating in Tandem
The Instruments Company will further develop
and expand sales in the major markets of biosci-
ence and industrial instruments. In biosciencewe
will focus on products with new functions like
the BioStation series while seeking stable growth,
while in industrial instruments we will add to our
lineup of products to expand our business fields.
18 Nikon Annual Report 2008