※Position at time of interview

Creating the Future through Surface Treatment Technology

Since its establishment in 1968 as a joint venture between Ebara Corporation, EBARA-Infilco, and U.S.-base Udylite Corporation, the JCU Group has contributed to industries such as the automotive and electronics sectors by providing a wide range of surface treatment chemicals and equipment with a focus on plating technology. As an R&D-oriented company, we are committed to continue to create and provide new products for the future.

In 2017, our 50th anniversary year, we set our new corporate philosophy "Creating the Future through Surface Treatment Technology." This corporate philosophy embodies our employees' awareness of contributing to society and their determination to use their past knowledge and imagination to create the future.

We at the JCU Group will contribute to society by playing a supporting role, providing the materials needed to manufacture automobiles and various electronic devices that are indispensable in our lives.

Looking Back at "Next 50 Innovation 2^nd"

During the period of our Medium-term Management Plan "Next 50 Innovation 2^nd," which ended last fiscal year, market conditions recovered as economic activity normalized as the COVID-19 pandemic subsided. However, we were not able to achieve the targets set out in the Medium-term Management Plan in its final year due to a decrease in demand for platedparts due to changes in design trends in the automotive parts market and a slump in global semiconductor-related markets.

"Next 50 Innovation 2^nd" has set "Reinforce Core Businesses" and "Management with Emphasis on ESG" as its basic policies, and the results achieved in the process of carrying out these policies steadily contributed to the growth of our company's businesses.

In "Reinforce Core Businesses", we expanded our lineup of products with smaller environmental impact in the decorative and functional fields, improved the performance of our main products in the electronics field—acid copper plating chemicals and etching chemicals—and launched our new brand the "TIPHARES" series.

In "Management with Emphasis on ESG", we achieved our target of reducing total CO₂ emissions at domestic business locations by 20% (compared to the fiscal year ending March 2014) one year ahead of schedule. We have also declared our support for the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), and continue to achieve results, such as receiving a B score in the "Climate Change 2023" survey conducted by CDP, an international environmental non-profit organization (NGO). The global average score for Asia was C. In terms of human resource development, we have established a new overseas training system, creating opportunities for young employees to not only work but also experience the culture and environment of other countries.

We have identified issues that were not fully addressed in the previous Medium-term Management Plan and positioned them as our challenges. We will continue to address these challenges in the new Medium-term Management Plan in order to achieve sustainable growth.

JCU VISION 2035｜Guidelines and Goals

Long-term vision: JCU VISION 2035

In this plan, we announced "JCU VISION 2035," our Long-term vision looking 10 years ahead. We place importance on ensuring that management and employees are on the same page by showing them our long-term direction. As such, our Medium-term Management Plan is formulated through backcasting based on a Long-term vision.

In the process of deciding on our direction, we defined our corporate vision for 2035 as becoming a "A global organization that continuously grows with society by fully utilizing distinctive strengths and making contributions to society and protecting the environment." and the elements that we need to achieve this vision were identified as "Technologies that no other company can match", "Services that earn the trust of customers" and "A highly transparent corporate culture". In our new Medium-term Management Plan, "JCU VISION 2035 – 1^st stage –" we plan to implement initiatives to build a foundation that will serve as a stepping stone to realizing our vision for the next 10 years.

Strategy and Vision for Growth

We plan to actively invest in growth sectors over the three years starting in the fiscal year ending March 2025. The start of operations at the Kumamoto Facility—one of our targets of investment—will strengthen our R&D capabilities, which are essential for our company's growth. In addition, by strengthening sales expansion aimed at establishing the TIPHARES series in the market, we will achieve results over the next three years and leverage these results to create new products and added value. Beyond that, we are structured to aim for growth with our sights on creating new businesses.

Our business does not end with the sale of our products. It is critical that we provide ongoing support to our customers to ensure that they do not have to stop their production lines when they manufacture their products. We spend a considerable amount of time on testing because defective products can cause production line stoppages and create losses for our customers. What is more, to ensure that our products perform at their best, our sales staff must also be highly knowledgeable and be able to address our customers’ concerns much like how doctors interact with their patients. By building close relationships with our customers, we always keep in mind that 1+1 is not 2 but can be even 3 or more, and aim for sustainable growth together with our customers.

Basic Policy of JCU VISION 2035－1^st stage－

In "JCU VISION 2035 – 1^st stage –" we have formulated six basic policies to balance our offensive and defensive initiatives, and improve the quality of our business operations.

First, our basic offensive policy is centered around three pillars: "Big investments in growing markets" centered on advanced semiconductor packaging and semiconductor package substrates; "Strengthening the management foundation" to improve compliance and capital efficiency; and "Utilization of data through the promotion of DX" with the aim of streamlining business activities and enhancing our R&D capabilities. In particular, the Kumamoto Facility, which is scheduled for completion in December 2025, is a specific example of our active investment in growth sectors, and we believe that the facilities and human resources enabled by this investment will have a huge impact. In terms of products, we have unveiled a new brand of surface treatment chemical for semiconductors called "TIPHARES," and plan to launch several additional products under the brand going forward.

In addition, our basic defensive policy is centered around three pillars: "Higher profitability in current markets" by sharing information and knowledge obtained among our global offices and strengthening the foundations of our business activities; "promoting sustainability management" to address various social needs, including implementing measures to address our own key challenges; and "Utilization of human capital, intellectual property, and intangible assets" in alignment with the external environment and our corporate strategies. In particular, CO₂ countermeasures are the main focus of our "Sustainability management" as we place great importance on our social responsibilities. Our management goal is to reduce net CO₂ emissions from domestic business locations by 46% (compared to the fiscal year ending March 2014) by the fiscal year ending March 2031, and our Niigata Plant aims to achieve zero net CO₂ emissions by the fiscal year ending March 2031. Reducing CO₂ emissions to as close to zero as possible is one of the essential requirements of the Kumamoto Facility, and the Facility will also work towards achieving zero water discharge operations to protect the environment of its surrounding areas.

JCU VISION 2035｜Our Scenario for Growth

JCU VISION 2035｜Our Vision for Medium/Long-term Growth

JCU VISION 2035 －1^st stage－｜Basic Policy