Challenges to Address
As part of our growth strategy, G-TEKT aims to achieve net sales of 300 billion yen and operating income of 20 billion yen in the fiscal year ending March 2022.
To ensure we achieve these management targets and boost orders given the upcoming era of electric vehicles, we will address six challenges: quality control, production structure improvements, technological developments, global sales strategy, human resource development, and promoting diversity.
Improving the Quality Control System
Quality is absolutely vital when it comes to forming relationships of trust with customers. We strive to create a global quality control system to guarantee the quality demanded by customers, as well as for producing and supplying the products and services that meet the safety- and quality-related laws and regulations of every country and region by improving our quality control.
Production Structure Improvements
In North America, the Company recognized an impairment loss in business assets at Jefferson Southern Corporation in the fiscal year ended March 2019 due to a decline in profitability. We are therefore implementing fundamental reforms of our safety, quality, cost, and delivery (SQCD) systems at our North American subsidiaries.
To build a highly profitable production system, we will optimize local production in line with conditions in every region by reviewing production line concepts, work methods, and production allocation.
In addition, we will work to reduce costs by promoting a project to enhance productivity and by taking a labor-saving approach that uses digital and image analysis technologies.
Technological Developments
We are accelerating the development of next-generation lightweight, highly rigid automobile bodies by focusing on technological trends and market needs at G-TEKT TOKYO LAB (GTL), our R&D facility in Japan, based on information gathered by our research bases in Germany, China, and the United States.
In the development area, GTL will conduct new R&D in such areas as technology for composite materials, analytical technology for automobile body performance, and fundamental technology for aluminum battery cases for electric vehicles.
In the production technology area, we will further refine our existing technologies, including ultra-high tensile steel plate pressing and processing technologies and hot stamp technologies that take full advantage of the potential of steel.
Global Sales Strategy
Deepening ties with BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, and other luxury automakers in Europe through mass production technology for aluminum body parts will lead to more orders in the Chinese market, which is now focusing on the shift to electric vehicles.
In addition, we will work to increase orders from Honda, a core customer, as well as from other companies around the world, by primarily proposing next-generation lightweight, highly rigid automobile bodies.
Human Resource Development
G-TEKT has begun using a personnel system based on fairness and performance and a human resource development system that provides a career model for employees to follow. We will create global managers, mainly through an overseas study program for new employees, language exams for mid-career employees, as well as experience living and working overseas. We will work hard to develop next-generation managers by providing managerial experience at an overseas subsidiary and through the training of candidates for top management positions.
Promoting Diversity
To survive in this era of change, it is imperative for the organization to maximize strengths by having everyone working at the G-TEKT Group mutually respect the diverse experience, perspectives, sensitivities, and skills of everyone else.
We will establish a diversity promotion committee chaired by the executive officer in charge of human resources, and we will promote diversity, which includes gender issues, as well as becoming a global organization.
