CSR

Recently, lifestyles have changed dramatically, as have the value we place on cars and the general concept of the automobile. On top of these changes, the global spread of COVID-19 since the start of 2020 has affected our lives, possibly forever. The society that we live in continues to evolve, and we embrace the fact that there is no turning back. As values and the times change, what we view as normal now may not be the case in ten years. With this understanding, companies must also change their business models. Companies that are unable to stay ahead of the curve may not survive.

The automotive industry is currently undergoing an immense transformation on the back of technological innovations, such as CASE, or connected cars, autonomous driving, and shared and electric vehicles, as well as mobility as a service (MaaS). Although the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the global economy and our business is expected to be huge, G-TEKT will continue taking a bold approach to R&D to help create lightweight, highly rigid, cost-competitive auto bodies. One change we made (in April 2020) to bring this approach closer to reality was to transform our previous Development Department, then within the Engineering Operations, into an independent organization: the R&D Operations. By further improving on our R&D strengths, we intend to design the kind of high-performance auto bodies that have never been seen before.

On the other hand, no matter how the times change, we cannot say that we have a sustainable society unless we are in a world that is friendly to people and the global environment. The way people have come together to tackle the pandemic, though, gives us hope and courage. Similarly, it is people who are the cornerstone of a company’s growth and the source of innovative technology. Let’s not forget that people always play the leading part. In times of uncertainty, it’s important to look to people who have a strong desire and a passion for solving problems and carving a way forward. We view the development of human resources as one of the key issues (materiality) that we face. I am committed to help nurture employees infused with the unique G-TEKT mindset and who have the skills and enthusiasm to play an active role on the global stage.

For our environmental initiatives, we have set up a specialized department and the in-house Central Environmental Promotion Committee that are focused on enabling environmentally friendly management Group-wide. We have decided to introduce a greenhouse gas reduction target that complies with the Science Based Target (SBT) initiative, or the aim to limit global warming to “well below 2 degrees Celsius.” We are currently preparing to disclose information on this and other environmental initiatives.

In closing, I would like to express my sincerest appreciation to our stakeholders, who have provided their support over the years and helped us reach our ten-year milestone.

G-TEKT intends to keep growing and evolving sustainably, using our technological expertise and exceptional human resources, and we will proactively seek to resolve the issues facing society through our core business operations.

We would like to ask for the continued support of all our stakeholders for our future endeavors.