Olympus 2015 Annual Report Download - page 25

Intellectual Property Activities
R&D Activities
China
United States
Japan
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
2011/3 2012/3 2013/3 2014/3 2015/3
Number of Patent Applications Published in Japan in
Core Competence Areas
(Number of published patent applications)
Number of Patent Applications Published Overseas in
Core Competence Areas
(Number of published patent applications)
Number of Patents Held by Country
(Number of patents)
Share of Patent Applications by Business Portfolio
Medical Business
39%
Imaging Business
28%
Others Business
5%
Scientific Solutions
Business
28%
Biomechanical
and Biological
Fundamental
Technologies
Precision
Technologies
Electronic
and Imaging
Technologies
Optical Technologies
0
200
400
600
800
646 514
661
595
524
459
213
110
505
702
261
255
376
112
583
543
305
138
131
206
2011/3 2012/3 2013/3 2014/3 2015/3
Biomechanical
and Biological
Fundamental
Technologies
Precision
Technologies
Electronic
and
Imaging
Technologies
Optical
Technologies
0
100
200
400
300
160 195
356
380 403
404
230
257
117
62
57 64
116
53
253
322
64
47
68
27
2011/3 2012/3 2013/3 2014/3 2015/3
Overview of Intellectual Property Strategies
Intellectual Property Strategies Linked to Business
Strategies
Olympus formulated its intellectual property strategies in
conjunction with the medium-term vision (corporate strategic
plan), and is advancing intellectual property activities that
facilitate its management and business activities.
In accordance with the basic policies of the Company’s
intellectual property strategies, each business unit clearly
defines the core technologies for which it requires a strong
patent base, and formulates its patent portfolio accordingly.
In Companywide core competence areas, intellectual
property activities are being strengthened from a long-term
perspective and on an organization-wide basis that encom-
passes business units and R&D divisions. In this manner,
we are working to maximize Companywide efficiency and
intellectual property value.
Overview of R&D Activities
Olympus is proactively advancing R&D activities utilizing its
core competencies, which include its optical technologies,
digital imaging technologies, and microscopic processing
technologies. These activities will be continued going forward
to further strengthen the Company’s technological foundation.
R&D activities are conducted in a strategic manner focused
on creating technologies that directly benefit our three core
businesses, with the Medical Business receiving a particularly
large allocation of management resources. We carried out
R&D activities based on this approach in fiscal 2015, resulting
in a massive year-on-year rise of 26.0% in R&D expenditures
conducted in the Medical Business. This business is expected
to account for an increasingly large portion of total R&D expen-
ditures in the future.
Total R&D expenditures increased 10.9% year on year,
to ¥74.1 billion, and the ratio of R&D expenditures rose 0.3
percentage point, to 9.7%.
R&D Investments for Creating New Businesses
In the Others Business, aggressive R&D investments will be
conducted for creating new businesses. The Business Devel-
opment Office, which was established as part of the shift to
the new organizational structure commenced in April 2015,
will play a central role in this undertaking.
Target business fields will include the imaging field,
where we will expand the business-to-business (BtoB) opera-
tions that were previously invested in as part of the Imaging
Business, as well as the medical field, where we will leverage
the strengths of the Medical Business to explore fields that
are peripheral to this business.
Medical Field
Olympus has continued to push forward with R&D activities
in fields that are peripheral to the Medical Business and pres-
ent significant potential for synergies. We are now accelerating
investments in such fields with the aim of developing them into
full-fledged businesses.
Olympus plans to explore advanced fields that contribute
to the realization of minimally invasive therapies, one of the
core values provided by the Medical Business. Specific target
fields include orthopedics and regenerative medicine.
Imaging Field
The BtoB operations previously developed as part of the
Imaging Business will be strengthened in the future as one
facet of our investments in new business fields. Olympus has
forged highly sophisticated optical and image processing
technologies through fierce competition in the camera market.
We anticipate that these technologies will be an invaluable
asset in creating products for the BtoB market, where cus-
tomers demand the utmost levels of quality. Currently, we are
developing operations dealing in such items as factory auto-
mation cameras, which are used in factory production lines,
and automobile-mounted cameras, which are becoming
increasingly more standard in vehicles. At the moment,
these operations are being expanded with the aim of
achieving profitability.
Over the long term, we will continue to explore potential
in other product areas that we can utilize Olympus’ imaging
technologies, seeking out feasible businesses in a wide
range of fields.
Business Contributions from Intellectual Property
Intellectual Property Activities Matched to Business
Portfolio and Expansion Initiatives
As our business activities grow more global, we have defined
the policy of increasing the number of patents held overseas,
and are advancing patent acquisition efforts accordingly.
Looking at patent holdings of individual businesses,
approximately 40% of the Company’s patents are
associated with inventions related to the Medical Business,
which is the central pillar supporting the expansion of
Olympus’ earnings and business. Of the remainder, nearly
30% is associated with Scientific Solutions Business
inventions and roughly the same amount is accounted for
byImaging Business inventions (as of March 31, 2015).
Intellectual Property Activities in Core Competence Areas
Number of Patent Applications Published in Japan and
Overseas in Core Competence Areas
Due to our implementation of the above-mentioned policy of
increasing overseas patents, the number of patent applications
published in core competence areas is decreasing in Japan
and rising overseas. In the future, we will continue to bolster
our global patent portfolio by submitting applications in the
United States, China, and other countries.
R&D Expenditures by Business Segment Millions of yen
2014/3 2015/3 Change
Medical Business 34,380 43,324 26.0%
Scientic Solutions
Business 9,276 9,407 1.4%
Imaging Business 8,672 8,229 (5.1%)
Others / Corporate 14,468 13,141 (9.2%)
Total 66,796 74,101 10.9%
New business goals Main target markets and fields
Medical eld Exploring peripheral fields that are highly compatible with the Medical Business Orthopedics field,
regenerative medicine field, etc.
Imaging eld Leveraging Imaging Business technologies to provide BtoB solutions Manufacturing market,
automotive market, etc.
0
3
6
9
12
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
2013/3 2014/3 2015/3
74,101
9.7
9.4
8.5
66,796
63,379
R&D Expenditures / Ratio of R&D Expenditures to Net Sales
(¥ Million) (%)
Medical Business Scientific Solutions Business
Imaging Business Others / Corporate
Ratio of R&D Expenditures to Net Sales (right)
2015/3
47
OLYMPUS Annual Report 2015
46 OLYMPUS Annual Report 2015
Performance and Strategies by Business