23 July 1998: Japan“s largest sheet glass maker, Asahi Glass Co., is reportedly aiming at becoming the world“s leader in the fields of fluorine chemistry and liquid crystal displays, President Shiny…
23 July 1998: Japan“s largest sheet glass maker, Asahi Glass Co., is reportedly aiming at becoming the world“s leader in the fields of fluorine chemistry and liquid crystal displays, President Shinya Ishizu told the Japanese press. The company plans to increase investment in and place top priority on these two core areas, while also strengthening its mainstay glass operations, Ishizu said. Asahi Glass, which also holds a large stake in the global glass market, has recently been working hard to expand overseas operations through its footholds in 18 countries, in light of the domestic market“s growing saturation, said Ishizu, who was named to the presidency late last month. Despite its active overseas expansion, however, the company expects declines in both profit and sales in parent-only earnings for the current business year through March 1999, as Japan“s prolonged economic stagnation is taking its toll on domestic glass operations. The firm must implement a “shrink and grow” method of restructuring its glass and chemicals divisions, cutting what is unnecessary and expanding what is important, Ishizu said. The company is expected to cut down various costs for producing multi-purpose glass, but must simultaneously step up sales and marketing for a wide range of high value-added glass products, he said. Such reforms must be conducted in conjunction with increasing investment in core areas and developing new operations to have the greatest effect, Ishizu said. Ishizu added that Japan“s glass market is completely open and international, brushing aside claims by the United States that it is still closed to foreign competition.