Since its inception, Nihon Parkerizing has handed down its corporate philosophy "to contribute to the effective use of limited resources on planet Earth, creating new value of resources through surface modification of all kinds of materials, preserving the global environment, and realizing an affluent society" to succeeding generations. This philosophy is the origin of our sustainable management. Nihon Parkerizing's surface modification technology plays a significant role in conserving resources and reducing the environmental load by strengthening metals, preventing wear, and dramatically increasing the useful life of materials and objects by improving their durability. Our business activities support the creation of a convenient and prosperous lifestyle for society.

Awareness of sustainability has heightened globally in recent years, accelerating each year. By tackling a number of issues in society, including global environmental problems, head-on and making an even more significant contribution to the development of society and the resolution of problems, we can also enhance the competitiveness of our company. To achieve this, we must prevent our core technology in surface modification from becoming obsolete, actively incorporating new knowledge and establishing a technical development structure that anticipates societal trends. Accordingly, our company policy for this fiscal year is "Challenge for Change". With our new Central Research Laboratories to be completed in December 2024 as a base, we will take up the challenge of developing new fields and revolutionizing business processes without being bound by preconceived ideas and customs. More specifically, we will promote the development of surface treatment technology that contributes to the decarbonization of society, including technology and applications not only for EVs but also for the hydrogen society envisioned in the near future. The company's policy is to focus even more on environment-related research and development to find solutions to societal issues through our surface treatment technology.

What is essential to putting these initiatives into practice is the Nihon Parkerizing Group workforce. Every employee will be aware of the need for change and will proactively and positively take on the challenge of solving social issues and creating social value through our business. The smiles and the meaning that this process brings will bear fruit. My mission as a manager is to strongly encourage this chain of events and widely distribute the results to stakeholders and society. I will do my best to lead the way so that we can realize the vision of the Nihon Parkerizing Group.

I look forward to your continuing support.