A happy new year to one and all! All of us in the Fuji Oil Group are deeply grateful for your patronage and support last year.
On October 1, 2015, the Fuji Oil Group shifted to a holding company structure and took the first new step on the way to making a further leap in its business.
Besides enhancing strategic capabilities on the group level, Fuji Oil Holding Inc. is pursuing global management. Fuji Oil Co., Ltd. has the status of a regional operation headquarters, and is mounting a companywide effort to respond to the diverse needs of our customers in collaboration with other member companies of the Fuji Oil Group in Japan. We at Fuji Oil Co. have positioned 2016 as a "year of challenge" in which we shall really make great strides.
Recent years have seen wide-ranging use of soy milk cream and low-fat soy milk produced by the world's first soy separation method (the USS Manufacturing Method) as well as oils and fats with taste-enhancing functions (salt-reducing effect etc.) produced by new method (the DTR Manufacturing Method) for confectionery & bakery ingredients and other culinary applications.
In November 2015, we completed construction of a new chocolate plant in the city of Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture, in order to meet the diversifying demand for chocolate. This new plant is equipped for contamination-free production in small lots, and will allow us to raise our level of quality even higher.
Last year, we held an event titled "Oisi Kenko - Co-Creation Forum" centered around the processed soy products produced by the USS Manufacturing Method, for the creation, together with customers, of new market domains. The objective was to promote dietary lifestyles that are delicious, enjoyable, and healthy.
In light of the rising orientation toward nutrition & health and concern about food safety and security in society as a whole, we are planning to hold a forum with a focus on new oils and fats products this year.
We are devising new products grounded in the concept of "delicious and healthy," and are determined to meet the needs of society and expectations of customers. In our sales activities as well, we are going to view things from the consumer standpoint (B to B for C) and make proposals of value to customers from the "delicious and healthy" perspective.
In addition to the original know-how in ingredient development and product application development we have accumulated so far, we are resolved to actively take up the challenge of creating new value by proposing new "kotozukuri" (creating movements) and expanding business in new domains.
To serve and contribute to people's dietary life and health is the very existential value of our business and our mission. This year as well, we shall take up challenges on a daily basis toward continuing fulfillment of this mission and with our eyes on the future. All of our employees are united in efforts to constantly better our skills so that we can realize our aspiration of being an enterprise which is genuinely of use to and trusted by its customers.
In 2016, too, we are earnestly counting on your continued patronage of Fuji Oil products.
Minoru Kimoto
President
January 1st, 2016