Toshiba 2006 Annual Report Download - page 33

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Front In Drum, drum type
washing machine-dryer
We commercialized two models
of this innovative drum-type
washing machine-dryer. The “TW-
150VC” can wash 9kg of laundry,
or wash and dry a 6kg load. The
new S-DD engine makes this the
industry’s quietest home laundry,
while improving washing and dry-
ing performance and overall oper-
ability. The second model, “TW-
150SVC”, is a slim home laundry,
only 585mm deep, yet it can han-
dle a 6.5kg laundry load or wash
and dry 4kg of clothes.
“Neo Ball” Lamps
The “Neo Ball Z Real” series of flu-
orescent lamps realizes a form and
performance close to standard
bulbs. The night-light type is the
first in the industry to incorporate
a second light source, an LED
lamp, which is integrated into the
globe of the lamp. The slim ver-
sion, which has an outside diame-
ter of 38mm, offers a compact car-
tridge and brings new moods to
space lighting.
“Dai Sei Kai” room air-condi-
tioner
Consumer-friendly features of
these advanced air-conditioners
include “filter cleaning” that auto-
matically cleans dust from the
indoor filter and discharges it out-
side, and a “fully automatic air-con-
ditioner cleaner” that removes fun-
gus and cleans the inside of the air
conditioner—“fungus-removing
plasma cleaning” that combines
drying with a low concentration
of ozone during cleaning. Thanks
to this function, the inside of unit
is kept clean, without any need for
physical cleaning, for 12 years of
actual use. This innovative function
also improves power consumption
by as much as 35% by preventing
performance degradation and
energy waste that results from dirt
inside the air-conditioner.
Home Appliances Segment
In FY2005, solid performances in washing machines and LCD back-
light “Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp” contributed to consolidated
sales of 687.5 billion yen, an increase of 26.5 billion yen from the pre-
vious term. Consolidated operating profit climbed to 2.7 billion yen,
up by 6.0 billion yen from the previous term.
Further growth will be supported by measures that included the
creation of excellent products, improvements in profitability through
thorough control of fixed costs, lower production costs from the
transfer of manufacturing to China, and the provision of added
value, including services supporting the emergence of networked
home appliances.
Toshiba Consumer Marketing Corporation
Home Appliances business
Sales of high added value products grew
in FY2005, centering on the drum type
washing machine-dryer incorporating the
S-DD (Super Direct Drive) engine, the
industry No. 1 in terms of speed, low
noise and low energy consumption, and a
microwave oven that uses steam during
cooking, to reduce fat and salt content.
Delays in launching new products com-
bined with other factors, including rising
material costs, underlined the severity of
the refrigerator and vacuum cleaner mar-
ket. At the end of 2005, we launched a
new series of refrigerators, “Okechau Big”
that achieves a rated volume of 451 liters
in a refrigerator size in the 400 liter
class—a 40 liter increase. We also
launched new vacuum cleaners integrat-
ing the “typhoon robo system”, which
improves separation of dust and air and
incorporates an easy-care robo filter.
Differentiated products like these are
expected to drive sales increases. In air-
conditioners, the exports of medium-
sized air-conditioners to Europe
remained robust for a second year.
Construction of a global manufacturing
system is making progress through two
projects in China: manufacturing and
sales of refrigerators and washing
machines with TCL Corporation and
manufacturing of air-conditioners and
parts with GD Midea Holding Co., Ltd.
We will reduce costs by accelerating the
pace of global manufacturing and over-
seas procurement.
Lighting Business
FY2005 saw positive advances in the
Lighting Business, particularly in
LCD backlighting, where the fast
growing market for LCD TVs stimulat-
ed demand for our “Cold Cathode
Fluorescent Lamp”. We are responding
to the promise of further growth in this
area: in July 2005, we decided to boost
manufacturing capacity from 16 million
units to 22 million units a month.
Harison Toshiba Lighting Corporation,
which manufactures and sells the lamps,
is the world No. 1 in production output
and market share, and aims to secure this
position with the capacity expansion.