Nikon 2013 Annual Report Download - page 21

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efficiency of this process. Our BioStation
CT system allows for the stable cultivation
of cells, along with automated observation
and recording. The system is widely used in the
world’s leading research laboratories, including
Kyoto University’s Center for iPS Cell Research
and Application, headed by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka,
who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine in 2012.
We plan to further accelerate development
of live cell imaging technologies beyond simply
observing through imaging, and to achieve
technological innovations in automated processes for
measurement, analysis and determination. We will
pioneer new areas of business, such as support for
drug development and medicine, and expand into the
markets for diagnostic and laboratory instruments.
In addition, we intend to improve earnings by
expanding the scope of our business, from simple
hardware sales to such system products as software
and services. To this end, we will strengthen that part
of our structure related to the direct sale of advanced
research products.
In the area of products for general research and
clinical use, we will broaden our sales channels in
Japan and emerging markets, enhancing Nikon’s
competitiveness through cost reductions right from
the design and production stages.
Hastening Advance of Live Cell Imaging,
Other Leading Bioscience Technologies
The bioscience market in the fiscal year ended
March 2013 was severely affected by shrinking public
spending and project delays, mainly in Japan and
the United States. However, we expect a shift in the
market to gentle growth in the fiscal year ending March
2014. We plan to take full advantage of this opportunity
to expand our market share, mainly in Japan and China;
increase revenues; improve our operating income
by lowering production costs; and effectively utilize
resources to bring down the SG&A ratio.
Specifically, we will prioritize development spending
for products with growth potential, while fully utilizing
existing personnel and expanding our workforce in
China and other promising growth markets.
Currently attracting attention in the bioscience
market are uses to which induced pluripotent stem
(iPS) cells and embryonic stem (ES) cells might be
put. An important aspect of developing potential
uses is the cultivation and observation of living
cells. This requires advanced techniques that make
possible the stable cultivation of cells, and the
accurate determination of which cells are true and
which are bad quality iPS cell colonies.
We believe that Nikon’s live cell imaging technology
will make a substantial contribution to enhancing the
Metrology-CT System
MCT225 HA
19
NIKON CORPORATION A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 13
48%
52%
2011 2012
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
56,000
57,451
53%
47%
2013
53,877
51%
49%
■ Bioscience
■ Industrial Instruments
(Millions of yen)
70,000
Sales by Category
Years ended March 31