Omron 2014 Annual Report Download - page 19

*1 Common, Module, Option
Special Feature 2 More Advanced
Omron founder Kazuma Tateishi believed that true managers were those who determined what the
future would be like. He believed that a company’s management required two attributes: the
creative ingenuity to evolve technologies and the ability to predict the future. Omron strives to
equate its name with technology and to quickly identify the needs of the future society. To aid this
endeavor, in 1970 Omron developed its own predictive theory, called the SINIC theory, as its
compass for determining the direction of management.
During VG2020’s EARTH STAGE, Omron will
identify social needs related to sustainability of
the global environment. Specifically, we will con-
duct eco-friendly businesses that help combat
issues like global warming, resource depletion,
and energy problems. In addition, we will enter
new businesses that respond to various social
needs, such as the desire for safer social infra-
structure, particularly with regard to aged bridg-
es and tunnels, and growing healthcare demand
resulting from the aging of the population.
To support progress in this management
strategy, we will strengthen capabilities in 10
areas of technology, which include Omron’s core
technologies, to maximize performance and cost
efficiency. In addition, equipment must be easy
to use while also being capable of recognizing
people and their actions and responding accord-
ingly. To grant these abilities, we have installed
the new concept of
“Think” into our core tech-
nologies. This combination allows for the need-
ed data to be extracted from a range of informa-
tion and processed in a more intelligent way to
create greater value.
Sensors do not just measure physical quantity;
Technology Investment Guided by Predictions of the Future Technologies Supporting the Achievement of VG2020
Guided by the SINIC theory, Omron has pursued its mission of standing at the forefront of innovation,
consistently creating the products and markets necessary to each coming era by predicting social
trends and changes. Over the years, we have continued to allocate a certain portion of revenues to
research and development, without being influenced by the operating environment. This is how
Omron has evolved its
“Sensing and Control” technologies (see diagram below).
they present some sort of
“meaning” to be
derived using our knowledge. For example, the
big data collected from sensors on bridges or
buildings can be combined with our knowledge
to evaluate their condition and determine the
appropriate maintenance timing. Similarly, con-
trollers do not merely perform systematic mo-
tions with high speed and precision. Rather,
they can be used to strategically manipulate
equipment setups, processing routes, and ma-
chinery actions to improve efficiency. At manu-
facturing sites, our controllers realize optimal
operating balance with the elimination of
tradeoffs through control that adds an element
of ecology to the commonly pursued benefits of
quality, cost, and delivery (QCD).
Omron is creating an
“Optimization Society”
that maintains harmony while creating an opti-
mal balance between people and machines,
nature, and society. For the coming
“Autono-
mous Society,” Omron is evolving its “Sensing &
Control + Think” technologies to provide new
value in the areas of safety, security,
healthcare, and the environment.
Seed
Innovation
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Cyclic Evolution
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Society
Technology
Science
Innovation
Need
Seed
Progress-
oriented
motivation
Impetus
SINIC DIAGRAM
Seed-Innovation to Need-Impetus Cyclic Evolution
経営の羅針盤― 理論
理論では、科学と技術と社会との間には円環論的な関係があり、次のつの方向から相互にインパクトを与え合っているとしています。つの方向は、
新しい科学が新しい技術を生み、それが社会へのインパクトとなって変貌を促すというもの。もう つの方向は、逆に社会のニーズが新しい技術の開発を促
し、それが新しい科学への期待となるというもの。この つの方向が相関関係により、お互いが原因となり結果となって社会が発展していくという理論です。
Industry
Society
Lifestyles
Safety and
Security
Health
Environ-
ment
Human will
and thoughts
Human body data
Specified data
of a person or
an object
Natural
environment
value
Sensing
&
Control
information
IN OUT
Gathers only the
required data
Converts
into value
Optimal
Efficient
Highly
Reliable
EasyFastSmall
Location and
conditions of
a person or
an object
10 Areas of Technology Advancement
Compass Determining
the Direction of Omron’s
ManagementThe
SINIC Theory
1. Sensing Technology
3. Control Technology
2. Power electronics Technology
4. Systems Intelligence Technology
Extracting needed data from a range of information and processing this data in a more intelligent
way to create greater value
■ “Sensing & Control + Think” technologies
7. Materials and Methods 8. Equipment and Processes
Methodology and facilities designed to realize greater productivity
■ Methodology and facility technologies
5. Network Technology 6. Embedded Technology
Creating technological innovations through collaborative development utilizing original technologies and
open technologies while conducting ongoing R&D ventures pertaining to widely applicable technologies
■ Utilization of open technologies
9. Digital Engineering 10. CMO*1 Method and Development Processes
Through development process innovation, we aim to greatly enhance technology development
efficiency in order to be able to create new products with overwhelming speed
■ Development efficiency enhancement
“Sensing & Control
+ Think”
Sensing: Physical quantity
Control: Operational quantity
● Understand intent
of motion
● Decipher human will
● Predict future
● Enable easy configuration
● Facilitate human actions
● Eliminate tradeoffs
Meaning
Sensing
Thought-
based
Control
According to the SINIC theory,
science, technology, and society
share a cyclical relationship,
mutually impacting and
influencing each other in two
distinct ways. In one direction,
scientific breakthroughs yield new
technologies that help society to
advance. In the other direction,
social needs spur on technological
development and expectations for
new scientific advancement.
Thus, both of these factors affect
each other in a cyclical manner,
propelling further social evolution.
About Omron Where We’re Headed Corporate Value Initiatives Corporate Value Foundation Financial Section
34 Omron Corporation Integrated Report 2014 35