• Company Mission
• Key CSR Concept
• Development/Supply of Socially/Environmentally Beneficial Products
• FY2007 Topics

Company President
Soichi Yukawa

ECB's mission is to realize a ubiquitous network society in which people feel safe and comfortable and can access any information at any time, anywhere. We can achieve this by providing high-quality, high-performance electronic devices that are highly dependable and have minimal impact on the environment.

ECB makes extensive use of the latest technologies to create innovative relays, switches, connectors, LCD backlights and other electronic components that help make electronic and mobile devices and systems smaller, slimmer and lighter while incorporating more advanced functions.

Promoting employee skills improvement, CSR education and reduction of environmental impact at the global level

With the globalization of its business operations, ECB has constructed a system whereby each product can be produced at the most ideal location in the world for global supply. To ensure that ECB products are of the same high quality regardless of the place of production, ECB has strived to strengthen the skills and expertise of its frontline production staff.

Considering the importance of raising employee awareness and implementation of CSR practices at all sites throughout the world, ECB has concentrated on sharing and instilling the OMRON Principles into the workplace, while promoting CSR/compliance education. In fiscal 2007, a particular focus was on China, a region enjoying rapid expansion of business operations and increase of sites.

ECB was also quick to prepare for worldwide restrictions on the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. For example, in response to the European RoHS directive, ECB has worked hard to reduce the environmental impact of its products. At the same time, ECB is actively engaged in achieving environmentally conscious production processes. For example, its Chinese production site, OMRON Electronic Components (Shenzhen) Ltd., received "Clean Producer" certification from the Guangdong provincial government in 2007 in recognition of its commitment to energy conservation and waste reduction. ECB is determined to strengthen its efforts to reduce the environmental impact of ECB products and production process.

OMRON flow sensors－supporting the proliferation of next-generation power systems that help prevent global warming

OMRON MEMS flow sensor element, among the world's smallest, contributes to improved power generation efficiency of fuel cells

* Fuel cell stack is a layered structure comprising fuel cells capable of generating electricity via chemical reaction.

A fuel cell generates electricity by a chemical reaction that occurs when hydrogen from utility gas or LPG is combined with oxygen in the air. This next-generation power system is free from CO₂ emissions, and thus can help prevent global warming. ECB provides flow sensors capable of detecting the flow of fuel gas and air, a vital component for the fuel cell system.

ECB built the exceptionally small MEMS^** element into its latest flow sensor model. This enables high-precision measurement of flow rate that is less susceptible to the influence of pressure and temperature. The result is improved efficiency in fuel cell energy conversion.

ECB will continue to provide advanced electronic devices that support the development of products capable of addressing societal challenges.

** MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) are miniature electromechanical devices produced using semiconductor fabrication technology.

Sharing production skills and expertise with 107 employees from around the world

Monozukuri Training School invites participants from sites worldwide

Actively engaged in overseas production, ECB has been providing a training session called the "Monozukuri Training School" since fiscal 2002. The school is part of its drive to enhance product quality, cost and delivery (QCD).

The training school is open every year with nearly 100 employees from around the world attending. Its main objective is to nurture core leaders essential for internationally competitive manufacturing by sharing expert skills and know-how accumulated in Japan with production sites worldwide. The training workshop is built within the OMRON Relay and Devices Corporation, which is responsible for the production of relays, ECB's mainstay product. In a workshop environment that closely simulates an actual press molding factory, expert operators and technical specialists give participants detailed instructions and hands-on training. The training school provides various courses covering production management technology, productive maintenance and other fields, aiming to refine overall production capabilities.

In fiscal 2007, the Monozukuri Training School offered 11 courses and drew a total of 107 participants including those from overseas production sites. Through its commitment to transfer of technology and human resource development, ECB will continue holding this training session to provide quality assurance to customers.

Expanding CSR/compliance education and compliance monitoring to reach all global sites

CSR/compliance explanatory meeting held in China

To respond to the increase in ECB Group companies abroad along with globalized production, ECB has been aggressively promoting CSR/compliance education at a global level. As part of this drive, ECB began holding explanatory meetings targeting all sites throughout the world in 2004 for the purpose of enhancing CSR awareness and ensuring legal and ethical compliance among employees. ECB has also prepared education programs tailored to the needs of each region, such as compliance education for managerial class employees in China, and sharing of the OMRON Principles and introduction of Japan-based CSR activities for the U.S. and Europe.

Besides these meetings, a team of local and Japanese employees in charge of legal affairs, together with a lawyer, visits each site to monitor compliance status through interviews with relevant persons. Beginning in fiscal 2005, compliance monitoring covered the main sites in Southeast Asia. Country-specific compliance check sheets with approximately 200 check items were prepared by local lawyers, with each country's unique items added to the globally applicable basic standard format. These were then distributed to sales bases.

In fiscal 2007, monitoring was conducted at three sites in China, with a plan to expand this activity to include sites in Hong Kong and Taiwan in fiscal 2008.