Post on 12-Jun-2020
R&D to lead innovation
Friday, 6th April 2007
Dr. Eiji TAKEDAVice President & Executive OfficerGeneral Manager of the Research & Development GroupHitachi, Ltd.
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 2© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 2
R&D to lead innovation
1. Introduction2. R&D’s position as the base for
Group management3. High reliability & low cost
MONOZUKURI technology4. Strategy for the global market5. R&D for growing business areas
Contents
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 3
● Contribute to customer satisfaction, and the prosperity and safety of society, through “technology”and “cooperative creation”.
● New growth potential for the Hitachi Group through R&D on superior/advantage technology
● Initiate paradigm shifts in society and industry through unique approaches and the correct interpretation of social trends
1-1. Hitachi Group R&D philosophy
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 4
■ Fortify social innovation business■ Maximize synergy with infrastructure technology/products■ Profit-focused innovation
Social Innovation Business
Social infrastructure business
Industrial infrastructure business
Life infrastructure business
Power systemsRailway systemsGovt. systems
Automotive equipment systemsIndustrial systemsFinancial systems
Urban systemsHome ICT systemsMedical systems
Information Infrastructure Business
IT platforms System solutions
Infrastructure Technology/ProductsSemiconductors
MaterialsMotors/Inverters Hard disk drives
Panels
1-2. Cooperative creation & revenue management
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 5
R&D structure R&D structure serving as a hubserving as a hub
Serving a global marketServing a global marketHighly reliableHighly reliable・・low costlow cost
MONOZUKURIMONOZUKURItechnologytechnology
Technology platforms across the Hitachi GroupTransferring core technologies for business developmentRotation of human resources
Generate innovation
in the Hitachi Group
Generate innovation
in the Hitachi Group
Strengthen collaboration with overseas R&DGlobal development of superior technology
Strengthen basic manufacturing technologiesVertical collaboration within the GroupAddress environmental issues
1-3. R&D strategy to lead social innovation
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 6
1. Introduction2. R&D’s position as the base for
Group management3. High reliability & low cost
MONOZUKURI technology4. Strategy for the global market5. R&D for growing business areas
Contents
R&D to lead innovation
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 6
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 7
Combined management of corporate R&D and Group R&D
PresidentPresident
Research & Development Gr.Research & Development Gr.
Central Research LaboratoryCentral Research Laboratory
Advanced Research LaboratoryAdvanced Research Laboratory
Hitachi Research LaboratoryHitachi Research Laboratory
Systems Development Lab.Systems Development Lab.
Mechanical Eng. Research Lab.Mechanical Eng. Research Lab.
Production Eng. Research Lab.Production Eng. Research Lab.
Design DivisionDesign Division
Intellectual Property Gr.Intellectual Property Gr.
R&D Laboratory / DivisionR&D Laboratory / Division
BusinessDivisionBusinessDivision
Development Cntr.
Dev. & Design Sectn.
Development Cntr.
Dev. & Design Sectn.
Technology Platforms across
the Hitachi G
roupTechnology Platform
s acrossTechnology Platform
s acrossthe H
itachi Group
the Hitachi G
roup
Business groupsBusiness groupsOverseas R&D facilitiesOverseas R&D facilities
R&D personnel: 5,951
Hitachi Group R&D Labs(30 labs)
Hitachi Group R&D Labs(30 labs)
(as at 1st April 2007)
Group CTOGroup CTO
2-1. R&D as a Hitachi Group hub
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 8
Mechanical & Electrical Electronics InformationFostering No.1 technologyImprove business competitiveness
Improve product competitiveness
Improve productivity
Development of service businesses
Reform of solution operations
Tech
nolo
gy P
latf
orm
Tech
nolo
gy P
latf
orm
ElectronicsEnvironment & EnergyNew materialsMedical &
BiotechnologyNanotechnology
OutsourcingEA*/SoA**/Initial stage consultingApplication of advantage
technology and devicesNew Service Methodologies
Group wide enhancement & fusion of common key technology and personnel development
Service Science
Electron beam-based measurement
Non-destructive measurement
Product design support Optimal motor
development
Solution LSIsEfficient systems developmt.PlatformingProject managementOptimal inverter
development
Embedded SystemsDigital EngineeringMaterials
’05.03
Coop
erat
ive
Crea
tion
with
Cus
tom
ers
(Lab.
Ope
n D
ays)
’02 ~
uVAL
UE
Inno
vatio
n Ce
nter
’05.10
Embe
dded
Sys
tem
s Pl
atfo
rm T
echn
olog
y La
bora
tory
’05.04
Mat
eria
ls R
esea
rch
Labo
rato
ry
’04.04 ’04.04
*EA: Enterprise Architecture**SoA: Service Oriented Architecture
Details
Mec
hani
cal
Inno
vatio
n Ce
nter
Mec
hani
cal
Inno
vatio
n Ce
nter
Adva
nced
Si
mul
atio
n Ce
nter
Mot
or I
nnov
atio
n Ce
nter
’05.10
Purpose
Inve
rter
In
nova
tion
Cent
er
’06.04
Adv.
Mea
sure
men
t &
Ana
lysi
s Ce
nter
2-2. Technology Platforms across the Hitachi Group
’04.04
Industry - academia cooperationIndustry Industry -- academia cooperationacademia cooperation
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved. 9
Acoustics Research Lab.
Location: Hitachi-Naka-shi, IbarakiPersonnel: 380 (MERL*) Building: 3 storiesFloor space: 6,720m2
Strengthening mechanical & electrical research platforms
Collaboration with business divisions in the Hitachi-Naka region
(1) Power & Industrial Systems Gr. (2) Urban Planning & Development Systems Gr. (3) Automotive Systems Gr. (4) Renesas Technology Corp. (5) Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Hitachi Appliances, Inc.*MERL: Mechanical Engineering Research Lab.
• World-class Acoustics Research Laboratory & wind-tunnel experimental labs
• Comfortable energy-conservation research area• Advanced mechatronics research area
(automobile, robot, information technology)• MEMS manufacturing process research• Fundamental mechanics related technology
research area
Mechanical Innovation CenterMechanical Innovation Center
①
④
⑤ ②③
(Est. March 2005)
Katsuta Station
MERL*MERL*
Low-noise Wind-tunnel
2-3. Mechanical Innovation Center
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.10
■ Directly contribute to uVALUE business creation activities(Laboratories as the hub for technological synergy and business creation)
■ Methodology to transform tacit knowledge & experience on business generation, to explicit organizational knowledge
Example: Research themesExample: Business areas established
RFID related solutions (June 2006)Solution for the reorganization of
corporate governance (Nov. 2006)
Visualization of intangible valuesModeling method for creating services
New business generation
Establish methodology to generate new business
・ Apply methodology・ Utilize the knowledge-base
・ Revise methodology・ Accumulate experience
Business model design
Marketing know-howMarketing know-how
Analysis toolsAnalysis tools
Service evaluation
Service design
2-4. uVALUE Innovation Center
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.11
『『Fortifying organizational alliance with Fortifying organizational alliance with universitiesuniversities』』
Hokkaido Univ.
Univ. of TokyoTokyo Univ. of
Agriculture & Technology
Keio UniversityThe Univ. of
Electro-Communications
Waseda UniversityUniv. of TsukubaYokohama National
Univ.
Osaka Univ.
■Topics
TsinghuaUniversity
Kyoto Univ.
RitsumeikanUniv.
Kyushu Univ.
Tohoku Univ.
Organizational level cooperation
One-way coupled simulation of computational fluid dynamics, structural and acoustical analyses
(Univ. of Tokyo)• Developed noise
prediction tool & applied to products
(March 2007)• Employed the
“Earth Simulator”Result of simulated acoustical radiation
from multistage centrifugal pump
*Hitachi GST: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, Inc.
Feb. 2007 Awarded 53rd
Okochi Memorial Production Prize (joint award with Hitachi GST)
Hitachi joined the ASET project sponsored by NEDO, to develop the technology as part of an industry -academia - government research alliance with Tohoku University
May 2006 Product launch of highly reliable 2.5”HDD equipment by Hitachi GST*
Perpendicular magnetic recording tech. (Tohoku Univ.)
Jan. 2007 Awarded NikkanKogyo Shimbun, Ltd. 49th Best Ten New Products Award (joint award with Hitachi GST)
• Across the board matching of corporate needs with university technological seed to promote effective joint research and larger projects
• Active interaction between personnel, support education
2-5. Industry-Academia Cooperation
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.12
■ Motor/Inverter
Motor Innovation CenterInverter Innovation CenterMotor Innovation Center
Inverter Innovation Center
Motor Power Systems DivisionMotor Power
Systems Division
• SystemsElevators, escalators, industrial machines, railways, automobiles
• Component materialsCoils, magnets
Products
■ Shock absorber
For vehicular suspensionFor vehicular suspension
Double actionsuspension
ドラム
600mm
5 layer fluid balancer
Drum-type washer/dryer“Big Drum”
Drum
Low vibration/noise suppressiondrum-type tumble drying
washing machine
(Nov. 2006)
Hitachi Appliances, Inc.Hitachi Appliances, Inc.
2-6. Business based on advantage technologies (1)
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.13
Terrestrial digital broadcasting
reception technology
Terrestrial digital broadcasting
reception technology
RFID tag technologyRFID tag technologySensor Net technologySensor Net technology
Flat pane TV
HDD recorder
PC
Mobile phone
Systemto check cable connections in large facilities
Stationary-type sensor node
Wristband-type sensor node
“One seg”
Environmental monitoring system for food-related facilities
Humidity sensor
(Jan. 2007) (June 2006)
In-vehicle terminal
WirelessInfo Venture Company
WirelessInfo Venture Company
Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.
Consumer Business Group,Clarion Co., Ltd.Consumer Business Group,Clarion Co., Ltd.
“μ-Chip”binder-type tag
2-7. Business based on advantage technologies (2)
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.14
Business Gr./Hitachi Gr. ⇒ Lab.Lab. ⇒ Business Gr./Hitachi Gr.Same floor workspace in the business divisions
(forecast)FY 2004 FY 2005 FY 2006 FY2007
300
200
100
400
Training and use of employees to contribute to Hitachi Group businesses
Business Group&
Hitachi Group company
Overseas research
collaborations
Foster Foster HRHR
R&D Group
Universities & other research organizations
Secure Secure HRHR
Placing researchers in business divisions for a direct link between R&D strength & profitability
FosterFoster
Effective Effective use of HRuse of HR
2-8. HR rotation within the Hitachi Group
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.15© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.15
R&D to lead innovation
1. Introduction2. R&D’s position as the base for
Group management3. High reliability & low cost
MONOZUKURI technology4. Strategy for the global market5. R&D for growing business areas
Contents
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.16
Corporate division
Lead the Hitachi Group reform
Laboratories
Life Infrastructure
business
Life Infrastructure
business
Information infrastructure
business
Information infrastructure
business
InfrastructureTechnology/
Products
InfrastructureTechnology/
ProductsHitachi Group(Business Groups, Group companies)
Coordination
Supervisory Office for MONOZUKURI,
MONOZUKURI Engineering Division
Corporate Environmental Policy Division, Corporate Quality
Assurance Division
Socialinfrastructure
business
Socialinfrastructure
business
IndustrialInfrastructure
business
IndustrialInfrastructure
business
Central Research Laboratory, Hitachi Research Laboratory,
System Development Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering Research
Laboratory, Production Engineering Research Laboratory, Advanced Research Laboratory
Development of MONOZUKURI technology
*Supervisory Office for MONOZUKURI (est. September 2006):To reinforce quality assurance education & mechanisms, enhance risk response and project management capabilities, etc., and extend activities Group wide to increase reliability
3-1. High-reliability low-cost MONOZUKURI
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.17
■ Innovation of design process using advanced simulation technology
DesignMarketneeds
Conceptestimate Trial Manu-
facture ProductEvalu-ation
Basic Detailed
Increasing complexity
Design
MarketNeeds
Conceptestimate Trial Manu-
factureEvalu-ation
Basic Detailed Product
Fron
t-lo
ad d
esig
n
High-speedengineering Verification
Process CAE
Simulation-based Design(1) Model-based analysis of whole
product(2) Design of life cycle and
reliability(3) Optimum design technology
Issu
es
Re-try Defect
3-2. Validation and use of simulation-based design
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.18
■ Multiーscale simulation(Perpendicular Recording HDD)
Overcoat
Disk Structure(Unloaded)
Shear load applied
0.1μm
Deformation of magnetic disk
Transfer properties of thin-films
Load
Micron-scale analysis of stress & deformation
Select materials with strong adhesion
Design layered structuresuppressing deformation
Applied in product development of Hitachi GST Travelstar 5K160
(May 2006)
10 nm
Underlayer
■ Controlling Reliability (Solder)
損傷
破壊高
低
損傷分布
損傷
破壊高
低
損傷
破壊高
低
損傷分布
Experimentalresult
0.3mm
Fatiguecrack
Jointsurface
LSI Package
Printed Circuit Board
Solder
Solder damage analysis
Drastic reduction in evaluation time using crack propagation analysis (2 mths→2 days)
Recording layerIntermediate layer
Soft-magnetic layer
Damage distribution of solder
Damage
Failure
High
Low
Nano-scale analysis of thin film alloy properties
3-3. Analysis technology supporting key products
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.19
■ Inspection technology (Eddy current testing)
■ Electron microscopy
Pick-up coil
Excitation coil
Large current non-sinusoidal wave
Excitation signal
Signal detection
Signal processing
Frequency analysis, etc.
Magnetic material
Probe
Corrosion
Crack
Tank, Car component
• Non-destructive wide area testing for micro-defects
• Verify metal loss inspection of carbon steel plates up to 3mm thick
• Contribute to improving the performance and quality of materials, batteries, magnetic media by high-resolution observation of material structure and magnetic field
Contributing to - Plant- Vehicular- Power, etc.
businesses
Development of fuel cell catalyst
Nano-oxide particle catalysts
Deposition of nanometer size oxidized particles on a carbon black surface
Reduce use of rare materials (e.g. platinum, ruthenium)
1MV holography electron microscope(Development of this equipment was supported in part by Japan Science & Technology Agency funding)
3-4. Measurement technology for highly reliable MONOZUKURI
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.20
Fuel Cell BatteryFuel Cell Battery
Metal Separator(Hitachi Cable, Ltd.)
Module(Hitachi Kanagawa
Manufacturing Solution Co., Ltd.)
Catalyst(Hitachi Maxell,. Ltd.)
Current Collector(Hitachi Cable, Ltd.)
Polymer ElectrolyteMembrane
(Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.)
Converter(Hitachi
Research Lab.)
MEA Materials(Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.,
Hitachi Maxell, Ltd, etc.)
Horizontal Integration
System(Fuel Cell)
Components
AdvancedMaterials
Coating Materials(Hitachi PowderedMetals Co., Ltd.)
Fuel Cell(Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi group companies.
Cell stacks were manufactures by Hitachi Setsubi Engineering Co., Ltd.)
Fuel AbsorptionMaterials
(Hitachi Metals, Ltd.)
X Y
SO3H
x
Computer Simulation Molecular Design Analysis
Application of results from
R&D supported by NEDO
Vert
ical
Int
egra
tion
NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
3-5. Vertically-integrated technologiesin the Hitachi Group
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.21
■Ballast water treatment system
■Environment conscious design support technology for global products
DesignInfo.
(Compo-nents, plans, etc.)
Automatic generation of recycling methods
Assessment results
(Recycle cost, environmental
impact)
Ferromagnetic flock
Ferromagnetic powder
Magnet
•Ferromagnetic powder & coagulant added to sea water
•Flocculation process optimized for fast treatment
•Magnetic separator used to quickly remove ferromagnetic flock
Protecting the marine ecosystem by removal of plankton and bacteria from tanker ballast water
Regional recycle
methods
Basic assess-ment
factors
Adapted for EU & Japan
■ Heat-pump water heater using a natural refrigerant CO2
Compact high-power compressor providing• instant hot water supply• high-efficiency, space saving
Compressor
Feedback to design
Co-developed with Franhöfer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM) (Nov. 2006)
(Sept. 2006)Hitachi Plant Technologies, Inc.Hitachi Plant Technologies, Inc. Hitachi Appliances, Inc.Hitachi Appliances, Inc.
■ Parallel microreactor type production plant system
Reaction
Mixing
Emulsion
Concen-tration
Parallel plant system20 reactors: 72t/year
• Waste reduction
• Improved yield & quality
20mm
Micro reactor system1 reactor: 30ml/min
Hitachi Plant Technologies, Inc.Hitachi Plant Technologies, Inc.
• Space saving• Reduction in
development time
1500mm720mm
3-6. Environmental activities
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.22© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.22
R&D to lead innovation
1. Introduction2. R&D’s position as the base for
Group management3. High reliability & low cost
MONOZUKURI technology4. Strategy for the global market5. R&D for growing business areas
Contents
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.23
<40><30>
Comprehensive agreement with Tsinghua University
(Nov. 2006)
Hitachi America, Ltd.
Storage mechanics
<5>
Hitachi Asia Ltd.(Singapore)
Hitachi Europe Ltd.
Storage network solutionsWide area broadband comm. systems
IP networksHome networksDigital TV’sAdv. software R&D Organization
<R&D Personnel>Main research theme
Hitachi GST Inc. San Jose Research Center
<100>
Next-generation HDDNew HDD applications
<80>
R&D formation & fortified alliances for expanding global business
Quantum communicationsOrganic electronicsAutomotive systems
Hitachi (China) Research & Development Corporation
4-1. Global R&D Network
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.24
■ Rail VehiclesU.K. CTRL* Domestic Service Train
Large scale crash analysisLarge scale crash analysis Large scale flow analysisLarge scale flow analysis
Internal & external noise assessmentInternal & external noise assessment
Assessment of environmental impact and comfort
Verification by European safety standards
Key technologies for CTRL-DST
*CTRL (Channel Tunnel Rail Link)
■Motors/Inverters for HEVs*
Soft switching driver ICSoft switching driver IC
Surge voltage suppressed to 60V (when large current over 500 A is cut off)
Implementation AnalysisImplementation Analysis
P-side wiring
N-side wiring
Heat sinkbase
Patterns of electrical currents and inductances of power modules are calculated
・Idle stop/start・Torque assist・Regenerativebraking
Motor
Adopted in the General Motors Corporation BAS (Belt Alternator Starter) system
Inverter
*HEV: Hybrid Electric Vehicle
•36V continuous inverter output: 3kW
•12V continuous converter output: 1.6kW
• Motoring power (peak): 4kW• Generating power (peak): 5kW
Industrial Systems Gr.Industrial Systems Gr.
4-2. Advantage technologies for the global market
Automotive Systems Gr.Automotive Systems Gr.
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.25© 2007, Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.25
R&D to lead innovation
1. Introduction2. R&D’s position as the base for
Group management3. High reliability & low cost
MONOZUKURI technology4. Strategy for the global market5. R&D for growing business areas
Contents
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.26
City
Core Edge Access
Home
Office
IndustryBroadcasting
HDTV 100ch to 30 million users
Backend processing Traffic 1T ⇒ 100T
Access network bandwidthSpeed/user 100M ⇒ 10G
“Broadgathering” Gather data from 100 billion items
Information volume explosion
No. of contents 1k⇒100k
■ Streaming-dedicated storage ■ PON based video streaming systemSimultaneous broadcasting of 100ch HDTV each user
Simultaneous streaming performance tripled compared to conventional storage
■ Traffic information servicePON: Passive optical networkHDTV: High-definition TV
(March 2007)(March 2007)
5-1. Advantage technology for the Digital Conversion Age
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.27
Vehicular ASP serviceCall center serviceContents providing service
In-vehicle information service
Anti-collision systemLane-keep systemACC system
ITS integrated control system
Enhanced technology platform through collaboration between
Hitachi & Clarion
♪
ITS: Intelligent Transportation System ASP: Application Service Provider ACC: Adaptive Cruise Control
Navigation System Audio
CameraETC Monitor
Information center
Communication
Storage
Server
Vehicular control
Mobile communication In-vehicle platform
Audio-visual networkTraffic information applications
5-2. Advantage technology in vehicular information systems
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.28
■ Spin-transfer torque non-volatile RAM
■ Brain-machine interface using Optical Topography
Transistor
NN SSNN SS
TMR device
Bit lineCurrent
Universal memory candidate(having the combined advantage features of DRAM, SRAM, Flash)
•Fundamental research for brain function rehabilitation, new interface technology for welfare apparatus
■ Highly efficient multi-car elevator
3.8m
•Circulatory operation of multiple elevator cars increasing transport capacity by 2.5 time
■ Human symbiotic robot
•Safe migration through a crowd using collision avoidance technology
•Distant voice recognition technology to enable natural dialogue(Application of results from R&D supported by NEDO) Joint research with Tohoku Univ.
(Part of this work was supported by the IT program of RR2002 from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan.)
(Nov. 2006)(March 2006)
(Sept. 2006)
(Feb. 2007)
1/10 size prototype
NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
5-3. Results of advanced research
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.29
Cautionary Statement
Certain statements found in this document may constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such “forward-looking statements” reflect management’s current views with respect to certain future events and financial performance and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “intend,” “plan,” “project” and similar expressions which indicate future events and trends may identify “forward-looking statements.” Such statements are based on currently available information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the “forward-looking statements”and from historical trends. Certain “forward-looking statements” are based upon current assumptions of future events which may not prove to be accurate. Undue reliance should not be placed on “forward-looking statements,” as such statements speak only as of the date of this document.
Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in any “forward-looking statement” and from historical trends include, but are not limited to:
- fluctuations in product demand and industry capacity, particularly in the Information & Telecommunication Systems segment, Electronic Devices segment and Digital Media & Consumer Products segment;
- uncertainty as to Hitachi’s ability to continue to develop and market products that incorporate new technology on a timely and cost-effective basis and to achieve market acceptance for such products;
- rapid technological change, particularly in the Information & Telecommunication Systems segment, Electronic Devices segment and Digital Media & Consumer Products segment;
- increasing commoditization of information technology products, and intensifying price competition in the market for such products, particularly in the Information & Telecommunication Systems segment, Electronic Devices segment and Digital Media & Consumer Products segment;
- fluctuations in rates of exchange for the yen and other currencies in which Hitachi makes significant sales or in which Hitachi’s assets and liabilities are denominated, particularly between the yen and the U.S. dollar;
- uncertainty as to Hitachi’s ability to implement measures to reduce the potential negative impact of fluctuations in product demand and/or exchange rates;- general socio-economic and political conditions and the regulatory and trade environment of Hitachi’s major markets, particularly, the United States, Japan and
elsewhere in Asia, including, without limitation, a return to stagnation or deterioration of the Japanese economy, or direct or indirect restriction by other nations on imports;
- uncertainty as to Hitachi’s access to, or ability to protect, certain intellectual property rights, particularly those related to electronics and data processing technologies;
- uncertainty as to the results of litigation and legal proceedings of which the Company, its subsidiaries or its equity method affiliates have become or may become parties;
- possibility of incurring expenses resulting from any defects in products or services of Hitachi;- uncertainty as to the success of restructuring efforts to improve management efficiency and to strengthen competitiveness;- uncertainty as to the success of alliances upon which Hitachi depends, some of which Hitachi may not control, with other corporations in the design and
development of certain key products;- uncertainty as to Hitachi’s ability to access, or access on favorable terms, liquidity or long-term financing; and- uncertainty as to general market price levels for equity securities in Japan, declines in which may require Hitachi to write down equity securities it holds.
The factors listed above are not all-inclusive and are in addition to other factors contained in Hitachi’s periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and in other materials published by Hitachi.
© 2007 Hitachi, Ltd. All rights reserved.30