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Biological microscopes, industrial microscopes, stereoscopic microscopes, measuring instruments, semiconductor inspection equipment
In the bioscience field, we anticipate stable growth in the microscope market, but as the performance requirements for instruments expand year by year, we expect competition for product technology development to become increasingly fierce. In the industrial instruments field, we anticipate that conditions will remain harsh as a result of such factors as the curbs on capital expenditures that have followed the deterioration of conditions in the semiconductor-related market.
Source : Estimated number of Nikon
| * | Measuring instruments include profile projectors, measuring microscopes and CNC video measuring systems. |
| Shipment amounts=domestic shipment amounts+export amounts (domestic manufacturers only) |
| Q1: | What were Nikon’s activities in the Instrumensts Business during the year ended March 2009? |
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| A1: | In the bioscience field, the Company concentrated on increasing sales of high-end system products launched in the fiscal year ended March 2008, such as the inverted research microscope ECLIPSE Ti, as well as such as the confocal microscope A1. We also revised the sales organization at sales subsidiaries. In the industrial instruments field, we worked to promote sales in a variety of areas, including the launch in October 2008 of the inverted metallurgical microscope ECLIPSE MA200 for visual inspection of metals, ceramics and other materials. |
| Q2: | What is Nikon doing in the bioscience field, and how is it faring? |
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| A2: | Research using live cells is the focus of development for biological microscopes. The ECLIPSE Ti and A1 series have been recognized in particular for their high speed, high resolution, and stability. The dedicated NIS-Elements imaging software accentuates the hardware's capabilities, earning these system products a strong reputation for their all-around system performance. As applications also have become increasingly important, Nikon is further expanding its lineup of related applications by drawing on its many years of experience with technologies such as precision control and image processing. Through these efforts, we are establishing Nikon as a premium brand in the bioscience field and seeking to gain a commanding lead over our competitors for high-end products.
The BioStation series includes the BioStation CT (Cell Tracking), a cell culture observation system that simplifies stable cultivation and quality control for live cells, as well as the BioStation IM (cell IMaging), a time-lapse imaging system that captures images of live cells at fixed intervals, and combines them to allow for observation of the cell as a moving image. Both of these systems provide for highly reliable data management and we have worked to promote sales since the fiscal year ended March 2008. The BioStation CT in particular, due to its ability to observe the cultivation of numerous samples without a change in environment, enjoys high expectations for use in such cutting-edge fields as iPS cell (induced pluripotent stem cell) research, and pharmaceutical development. |
| Q3: | What are your strategies for boosting Nikon’s market share in the industrial instruments field? |
| A3: | Of the three main product groups in the industrial instruments field (industrial microscopes, semiconductor inspection equipment, and measuring instruments), Nikon is focusing particularly on expanding sales of measuring instruments. Nikon’s measuring instruments for electronic components and similar products already enjoy a large share of the market in Japan and other areas of Asia. Looking ahead, we aim to broaden our business domain and earnings base through expansion into measuring instruments for a variety of industries. As one part of this strategy, we made a friendly takeover bid for the Belgian measurement equipment manufacturer Metris NV, and added the company as a subsidiary in August 2009. Metris possesses advanced technology and products in the market for non-contact, three-dimensional measurement systems, and its business lines will neatly complement those of Nikon. Along with the broadening of product lines, Metris’s close relationship with the automotive and aerospace industries will also reinforce our customer base. Through this action, we will focus on expanding sales activities to increase the market share for Mertris products in the measuring instruments field. |
| Q4: | What are you doing to meet increasingly sophisticated and diverse market needs? |
| A4: | In June 2008 Nikon established the Sales Division to strengthen its sales structure, and formulated a strategy to systematically address customer needs.
At the same time, we upgraded our training structure. Both sales skills and product knowledge are essential to sell biological microscopes, a field in which a hundred researchers will use the product in a hundred different ways. We therefore established a program to enhance sales skills and product knowledge in six months or one-year stages. We also have a similar program for sales representatives in the industrial instruments field. The Instruments Company is making a concerted effort to train personnel able to address the complex and sophisticated needs of its customers. Nikon also creates opportunities for employees to talk and discuss work issues at all levels of the organization, including development, production and sales. We believe that the exchange of opinions and better sharing of information will help foster an open and lively corporate culture, continually generate products that exceed customer expectations, and place the Instruments Company alongside the Precision Equipment Company and Imaging Company as the third pillar of the Nikon Group. |
