Message from the President Oct.2009

Six month has passed since we entered a crisis of low utilization ratio since April. As you are aware from the recent downward revision of the company’s performance forecast for the interim period, we have not been able to improve our performance in a form of higher utilization ratio. There may be many things that we should consider when such crisis is continuing. But I think there are tow things which are most important. One is not to be too pessimistic, and the other is not to be too optimistic.

Not to be too pessimistic means that we should believe that we can over come the crisis with our own abilities and efforts. This believes should be build upon not only on spiritual sense but by facing the reality. Realities here are that our customers are always on the move day to day. Six month ago, the market itself looked like it was going down to the bottomless　darkness. And the most of our customers are only concentrating their effort to protect their own company. We could not feel any “offensive R&D” from them.
But now, as the time pass by, we started to feel that some of our customers are searching for next step as they have completed their offensives measures such as adjustment of the stocks, decided on what to select and concentrate on in their business and financial counter measures.

We now started to hear that some customers are asking how particular engineer, who ended their contract with them in March, are doing even though they were saying, until a few month ago, that no matter how many time our sales people visited them, they have no intention to increase the number of the engineers. Such changes are not yet have become major trend in entire industry. But we need to consider the fact that number of customers are seeking to move forward. It is important to grasp the information of how the customers are trying to move and where they are going to put budget and engineer before anyone else. If we give up our effort as just because the customers said that “we will never use dispatched engineers again”, we will loose our strength to over come the crisis.

Not to be too optimistic means that we should not get used to the current crisis situations. Excuses such as “Our company is in bad situation, but others are in much worst condition, so since everyone is in bad situation, we can’t help ourselves” or “we will get over someday if we just be patient” are the typical thought. It is true that there are many companies who could not protect the employment or keep the payroll level. And we have been able to avoid such situation for now. But being in deficit means that the financial position we have built over many years would deteriorate gradually. It is fact that without the Government Subsidies for Employment Adjustment, our financial condition could be in lower position. So we should concern the situations which other companies are in as it was our own. We shouldn’t give up trying just because the situation is not good. We have to be aware of what we need to do during a crisis, and need to take necessary action. And you can find a way out of crisis only from there. What you need to be aware is whether if your work is contributing to over come the crisis. If it is, I would like you to concentrate your effort on it. If you have doubt about your work, discuss it with your colleague and superior to improve. Priority among jobs become different under a crisis situation compared to the normal condition. Let us review our jobs to confront the crisis.

Under any circumstances, carrying out our job with pride would make us a professional.