Nikon 2014 Annual Report Download - page 33

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 33 of the 2014 Nikon annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 88

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88

What is the role of the Business Development
Division?
Our mission is to generate and nurture new businesses; however,
we support new developments in existing businesses as well.
To generate new ventures, we look for business seeds,
considering such megatrends as global warming or the supply
of energy and food for a growing population. From these possi-
bilities, we then pick and choose ideas that fall within the range
of our expertise in optical and precision technologies and that
complement our brand with the aim to develop these ideas into
useful businesses.
If an idea is particularly attractive, we do not insist on our
brand familiarity, and if our own technology is not broad enough,
we resort to open innovation and do our part to develop the idea
into a business.
Can you give an example of one of your
developments?
From March 2014, we started experiments with Tohoku
University toward the practical development of magnesium
smelting using solar heat.
Although magnesium is light, strong, and an abundant
material on earth, its high fl ammability makes it diffi cult to
handle. Until now, the usual heat source for smelting has been
coal, which emits a considerable amount of CO2. Thus, to con-
duct experimental tests we constructed a solar furnace. We
concentrated sunlight directly on magnesium compounds, with
the solar furnace reaching temperatures between 1,200°C and
1,500°C to reduce the compounds, which eliminated the CO2
emissions problem. Our technical staff has been placed in the
area to follow this concept through to a practical end.
What can you tell us about the future
direction of the business?
The watchwords at the Business Development Division are
“speedy,” “steady,” and “strategic.” Although speed is important
for developing business in a rapidly changing world, steadiness
and strategic effort are indispensable, as fl edgling ventures are
known to have a low rate of success.
Developing a project into a business takes at least two or
three years, and fi ve years may be necessary if the project starts
from fundamental development. To maintain such a schedule
requires gatekeeping to check progress at every step toward
previously set goals. The gatekeeper’s criteria depend on the
project, but the basis of judgment should at least include the
elements of meeting technical requirements and business
appeal. Even when a project is disbanded, this does not mean
that the entire effort has been wasted. More than a few technical
applications have resulted from projects such as these, so we
are always searching for lateral spread.
Given that each project director concentrates on one project
to the point of being oblivious to other fi elds of application, I see
my role as objectively overseeing the efforts of project directors,
connecting points together into lines, and joining lines together
into a surface. In fi nding
additional seeds to sow while
constantly managing multiple
projects, I work to develop
projects into full-scale
businesses.
By balancing an emphasis on speed to keep pace with
changes in the business environment with steadiness
and strategy, we are sowing many seeds to develop
useful and full-fl edged businesses.
Kazuyuki Kazami
Corporate Vice President
General Manager of Business Development Division
Solar furnace for experimental tests
Business Development Division
31
NIKON REPORT 2014