Kamples of Foreign-affiliated Companies Are Seeing Success in the Japanese Market
AVL Japan K.K. (Austria)
Austria based AVL List GmbH established a subsidiary in Japan in 1995 for the development of power train systems and instrumentation and test systems in the Japanese automotive market.
AVL Japan accounts for over 10% of total group sales. Mr.Naoki Okada, President of AVL Japan, views the Japanese market as “higly technology- and service- oriented.”
In 2014, AVL will start operation of a new technical center in Kawasaki and expand its service network to respond to customer expectations in Japan.
Umicore Japan K.K. (Belgium)
Umicore is Belgium’s leading functional material manufacturer founded in 1837. The company operates business in the fields of secondary battery materials, solar cells, fuel cells, exhaust gas purification catalysts and recycling of precious metals for the global market with over 80 business bases around the globe. In April 2011, the company established its Japanese base to produce positive-electrode materials for lihium ion batteries in Kobe. CEO Mr. Marc Grynberg says,” It is crucial for Umicore group as a whole to demonstrate our presence to these leading companies and our existing Japanese customers, and to underline our commitment to the Japanese market. We also believe that it is necessary to locate R & D functions near our existing customers.”
Lite Point Japan K.K. (United States)
According to Mr. Spiros Bouas, COO of LitePoint, U.S. base provider of test solutions for the development of wireless devices, the company’s sales in Japan have been growing steadily since the company established its Japanese subsidiary in 2010, “It is not e3asy to find engineers of the same high caliber as Japan’s engineers”, say, Spiros. “The existence o top-notch engineers makes the Japanese market very attractive.”
Spiros asserts that Japan remains an attractive market even after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. He personally is optimistic, saying, “It the world did not already know the resilience of the Japanese people, the earthquake showed why Japan is one of the leading countries in the world. The Japanese are tough and possess a strong spirit of cooperation” Spiros says that this cohesiveness and ability to cope are linked to the appeal of the Japanese market.