2019_4q_omron_e

24/39 IAB: 3 Products Showing Strong Growth

These are the 3 products that have acted as door openers for OMRON in doing business with European auto and auto parts makers. All three are selling very well and contributing to overall sales growth. From the left, we have the AXI, a leading-edge X-ray substrate inspection machine; in the middle is a mobile robot; and on the right, a cobot or collaborative robot. We are seeing particularly dramatic growth in sales of the AXI, the X-ray substrate inspection equipment. Sales rose a hefty 73% Y/Y. Today, I will talk about the AXI as a product that epitomizes our efforts to give form to the innovative-automation concept, and is thus driving strong growth as a product capable of self-driven growth. The highly competitive auto industry is now facing a 1-in-a-100 year revolution. This has led to active investments in ADAS and EV technologies. Within the manufacturing processes for EVs, the most important from the standpoint of product quality is the inspection process for electronic substrates. Electronic substrates are a key element of control. We are seeing a continued trend toward ever-smaller form factors and higher density mounting. In addition, the number of substrates per vehicle continues to increase rapidly. Currently, the number of substrates per vehicle is said to be over 300. What this means is that a defect in an electronic substrate can directly lead to a loss of control for a vehicle, with the potential risk of a loss of life. Given this, ensuring the quality of electronic substrates has fast become a priority. OMRON’s AXI is rated very highly by its customers for the important function of inspecting electronic substrates. On the next slide, I will talk about the specific technological features that are highly rated by our customers. Please turn to slide 25.