Sharp 2010 Annual Report Download - page 7

The business climate in fiscal 2009 (ended March 31, 2010)
was marked by recovery in China and continuing difficulty in
Japan, Europe and the United States. In Japan, signs of eco-
nomic recovery emerged as a raft of measures including the
Eco-Point Program took effect, but persistent high unemploy-
ment and other factors meant that conditions remained tough.
Outside of Japan, China’s economy recovered thanks to aggres-
sive economic stimulus measures focused on internal demand;
but Europe and the United States saw a limited recovery
affected by continuing difficulty in the employment situation.
Amid these conditions, Sharp made steady progress with
its recovery plan. This included activities to cut total expenses
company-wide, with the goal of building a framework capable
of securing profits even in a harsh business environment. We
also introduced a new business model to innovate the way we
do business. Specifically, we worked to strengthen coopera-
tion with prominent local companies that are involved with
LCD panels and solar cells in our effort to promote local pro-
duction for local consumption.
Turning to our core businesses, in LCDs, we started pro-
duction of LCD panels incorporating our proprietary UV2A
photo-alignment technology at our LCD panel plant at GREEN
FRONT SAKAI, which uses 10th generation glass substrates,
the largest in the world. In LCD TVs, we launched our LED
AQUOS product featuring high image quality with low power
consumption. In mobile phones, we worked to expand sales
of our unique products that have built-in solar cells and high-
definition CCD cameras. In health and environmental products,
we expanded our lineups for new products incorporating
Plasmacluster Ion technology and LED lights. In solar cells, we
started operation of our solar cell plant at GREEN FRONT
SAKAI in March 2010 to meet increasing worldwide demand,
mainly for use in large-scale photovoltaic power generation.
Sharp formulated two business visions for its 2012 centen-
nial anniversary: “Contribute to the world with environment
and health conscious business, focusing on energy-saving and
energy-creating products,” and “Contribute to ubiquitous
society with one-of-a-kind LCDs.” At the same time, Sharp
aims to realize its corporate vision of becoming an Eco-Positive
Company, and is working to contribute to the environment as
well as to pursue economic activity through electronics.
The business conditions in fiscal 2010 will probably remain
harsh with economic instability in Europe and high prices for
resources. We will work to improve investment efficiency and
profitability not only by expanding sales in our main busi-
nesses, but also by further promoting local production for local
consumption, establishing a value chain in each region and
efficiently allocating our management resources, thereby
minimizing business risks, including those associated with
exchange rate fluctuations. At the same time, we will work to
raise our corporate value by taking steps to expand our CSR
activities group-wide, including enhancing and strengthening
our corporate governance, helping to preserve the global envi-
ronment and enforcing compliance in business management.
We ask all our shareholders for even greater support and
encouragement going forward.
July 2010
Chairman President
Message to Our Shareholders
Annual Report 2010 05