Where is Panasonic going?

(Sequel) July 13, 18:04

Panasonic is a huge manufacturer with 240,000 employees at home and abroad.

I am suffering from sluggish performance.

The market capitalization of stocks, which represent the value of the company, is about a quarter of Sony (as of the end of March), and sales fell below 7 trillion yen for the first time in 25 years in the latest fiscal year 2020.

Under these circumstances, the top management changed for the first time in nine years.

"Fusion of hardware and software" is one of the keywords for the new launch.

What are the challenges so far and what kind of company are you aiming for?

We will spin the answer from an independent interview with both the old and new presidents.

(Osaka Broadcasting Station reporter Kotaro Tanikawa)

Where is Panasonic going?

Click here for the previous article

New home appliance brand is a fusion of hardware and software

Panasonic announced a new home appliance series "My Spec" in July.

The feature is that smartphones and home appliances are linked.

Not only can you choose the type of rice, but you can also register the three frequently used rice cookers on your smartphone from 25 different courses, such as whether to cook quickly or for freezing, and you can easily operate the rice cooker. I will.

You can also update the optimum heat adjustment according to the rice quality of the year through your smartphone, and you can update the functions just like a computer or smartphone.

Update the completed home appliance software after purchase.

Such ideas have rarely been seen in traditional manufacturing companies, Panasonic.

A part of the keyword "fusion of hardware and software" shown at the beginning has appeared.

Negative heritage processing

Mr. Kazuhiro Tsuga, who has led the company for nine years as president until June this year.

When he took office in 2012, the company was seriously injured.

The financial results for the fiscal year ended March 2012 recorded a record deficit of 770 billion yen.

Mr. Tsuga says that when he took office, his mission was to "process negative heritage."

Mr. Tsuga

"There were six years before 2018, when the company celebrates its 100th anniversary, but I was frankly wondering if it would really be the 100th anniversary. Someone has to do (reform the company), I I have to do it if I was chosen. In a sense, it's true that I was asked to deal with negative heritage. "

Mr. Tsuga's first effort was to withdraw from the plasma TV business, which was the root cause of the deficit.

Successive presidents have put an end to the business that has continued to invest huge amounts of money in order to win the flat-panel TV competition.

Mr. Tsuga

"We will manufacture all the digital TVs symbolized by plasma from parts to semiconductors on our own and expand them globally. If successful, this was an opportunity to create a very big business. My former president of the third generation Bet on that opportunity. "

Mr. Tsuga's "negative heritage processing" does not stop there.

We have announced a series of withdrawals from unprofitable divisions such as LCD panel business, semiconductor business, vending machines, and solar cells.

At the end of March, we finally withdrew from domestic production of TVs.

In the interview, I avoided making a statement, but in an individual interview with me, Mr. Tsuga was negative about the future of the TV business, which was the face of the company, saying, "It is not an era when the box of TV is lucrative."

Strengthening business for companies

On the other hand, it was Mr. Tsuga who drastically changed the management strategy of the company to the business for companies, the so-called BtoB field.

A prominent example is the partnership with American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla.

Focusing on the in-vehicle battery business and making large-scale investments, we have been jointly operating a battery factory in Nevada, USA since 2017.

However, the business for Tesla is not smooth sailing either.

It wasn't until last year that it went into the black, and it hasn't grown into a business that supports the company yet.

Calculate back from 10 years ahead

Mr. Tsuga

: You are told that you haven't grown enough in my time, or that you haven't drawn up a growth strategy. I take that as a fact. On the other hand, what I learned is growth from a long-term perspective. If you don't think about it, you can't achieve sustainable growth. The idea that if you release a hit product like before, that's growth will not work. So, I'm working on it from 10 years onward. It means finding a business that can guarantee growth 10 years from now. "

It was the acquisition of American software giant Bruyonder that Mr. Tsuga found out just before he retired by the method of back calculation and hit the game.

The total acquisition price is about 760 billion yen, which is a huge acquisition that competes for the first and second place in Panasonic's history.

This is a typical example of a business that embodies the "fusion of hardware and software."

What is Blue Yonder

What kind of company is Blue Yonder?

Based in Arizona, USA, we are engaged in the development of so-called supply chain systems that efficiently connect factories and warehouses with sales floors.

Founded in 1985 under the name JDA Software, it has expanded its scale by acquiring various software companies.

We are proud of our high profitability by proposing supply chain improvement to companies using AI = artificial intelligence and machine learning.

We have more than 3,000 customers in 76 countries around the world, including Coca-Cola, a major beverage company in the United States, and DHL, a major logistics company in Germany.

An example shows what kind of system is provided.

For manufacturers expanding globally.

For orders from each country, AI analyzes in detail consumer interests and economic trends.

Forecast future demand.

We also advise on the amount of parts needed.

The production process is monitored by a camera to check for delays.

It also shows how many employees will work overtime if the factory cannot keep up.

You can understand the congestion situation of customs clearance in each country and understand how much delay is likely to occur.

In addition, we will instantly detect when a problem occurs in the distribution network and propose another method of transportation.

Will the acquisition change the company?

By acquiring this company, Panasonic is about to embark on a comprehensive consulting service such as factories, warehousing, and delivery.

We will incorporate our strengths such as sensors and cameras there.

The aim is to make a major shift from hardware-based to software-based.

The acquisition was so huge that there was a series of opposition among executives at first, but Mr. Tsuga said at a meeting of executives, "I want to do it!".

He emphasized the importance of changing the company.

Mr. Tsuga looked back at a later date.

Mr. Tsuga

"Some of the executives who have only made things are sick."

How are you prepared for the new president?

The new president, Yuuki Kusumi (56), was entrusted with the future of the company.

Originally from the research and development department, he is in charge of the television business.

Until recently, he was the head of the in-vehicle business such as batteries.

Inside the company, we tend to emphasize strict aspects such as "frightened" and "smart but not hesitant".

Mr. Kusumi learned a lot from that Toyota Motor when he was in the in-vehicle department.

Mr. Kusumi

"I received various guidance from the person in charge of Toyota. I made improvements on top of the improvements, and it turned quickly. I once felt the tremendous power of this power. The efficiency part, the room to thoroughly eliminate the fact that work does not go smoothly, still remains here and there in any of our workplaces. Do you call it eradication, improvement? I don't think our company has reached the point of repeating it now. In the old days of Matsushita Electric, it was a tradition to do that. I think we have to regain it. "

Mr. Kusumi has just taken office, but now he emphasizes that he wants to focus on training younger generations.

Mr. Kusumi

"Once the founder Konosuke Matsushita said that he would use it for 250 years to build an ideal society, Rakudo. From that time sense, 10 years is a moment. You have to do one in that time axis. What I think is that we have to develop and find better managers than I do. This company is a company that creates people before making things. "

Can employees permeate their desire for change?

Panasonic is a huge manufacturer that has entered its 103rd year.

We have created numerous hit products with high technology and enriched people's lives.

On the other hand, it has been pointed out from inside and outside the company that the success has been so spectacular that many employees cling to past successful experiences and tend to fall into the “no-things” principle.

How can we instill in our employees the passion for change of top management?

That skill is likely to be severely questioned.

Reporter

Kotaro Tanigawa of

Osaka Broadcasting Station

Joined in 2013

After working at the Okinawa station, he was in charge of economic coverage in his hometown of Osaka.