Nikon 2011 Annual Report Download - page 14

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The Precision Equipment Company plans
to boost sales and achieve a sharp rise in
earnings by enhancing the capabilities of
the NSR-S620D ArF immersion scanner that
is used for double patterning* to expand
market share, and by increasing sales of
products for small to medium-sized high-
precision panels.
Priority Measures for the
Medium Term Management Plan
• Increase the competitiveness of ArF
immersion scanners to expand market share
• Develop LCD steppers and scanners that
satisfy requirements for higher resolution
capabilities
• Enhance profitability through shorter
manufacturing lead times and cost
reductions
• Develop new technologies and pursue
expansion into new businesses
Review of the Fiscal Year Ended March 2011
Unit sales of IC and LCD steppers and scanners
increased during the fiscal year ended March 2011,
with segment sales amounting to ¥208,614 million
(up 39.0% year on year). A significant reduction in
losses from write-downs and inventory disposal,
which had been close to ¥40,000 million in the
previous fiscal year, helped us to achieve our goal
of reversing that year’s operating loss, while
operating income also improved
by more than ¥60,000 million, to
¥2,712 million.
The market for IC steppers
and scanners recovered strongly
as chipmakers increased their
capital spending. Nikon recorded a sharp rise in unit
sales to 57 units in the subject fiscal year, compared
to 36 in the previous fiscal year. Unit sales of ArF
immersion scanners, including the latest model
NSR-S620D system, nearly doubled to 28 units
from 15 in the previous fiscal year.
LCD steppers and scanners unit sales also
increased to 57 units in the subject fiscal year from
45 in the previous fiscal year. Sales of five units
were delayed until the fiscal year ending March
2012, due to temporary interruption of operations
at one of our manufacturing plants following the
* Double patterning is a lithography technique in which a single,
dense circuit pattern is split into two coarser patterns that can be
exposed separately. The two patterns can then be overlaid on a
wafer, providing a final, dense circuit pattern.
12 Review of Operations