戦略研究 (No. 58): 技術がある限り、危機は克服できる。(May 24, 2010)
アップルがすごい勢いで業績を伸ばしている。時価総額は約20兆円で、パナソニックやソニーの時価総額の6倍以上になり、マイクロソフトの23兆円に迫っている。このアップルの強さの源泉は、他社がまねできない独自性にある。他社と同じ事をしても、収益を拡大できるのは高度成長期だけである。真の競争力は徹底的な独自性の追求にある。問題はどこに独自性を求めるかである。1700年に創業した老舗の金銀箔粉末企業は、6割を占めていた自動車関連の不振で、2008年の工場稼働率は20％に低下した。しかし、同社は自社の伝統技術が使える分野を必死で探し求め、電池事業に進出した。今年3月に開催された2次電池展示会に、同社はリチウムイオン電池向けの穴あき電解銅箔などを出展し、老舗メーカーの最先端技術として、注目を浴びている。この会社の社長は、「物を薄くしたり、細かくするのは、よそに負けない。その技術がある限り、危機は克服できる」と、力強く語っている。技術革新は、油断した方が負ける。苦しい時期は、すべての企業も苦しい。競争相手は、自社以上に努力をしているという認識で、不断の努力をしないと、すぐに他社の後塵を浴びることになる。(Written by Shigeo Sunahara of CBC, Inc.)
No. 58: You can get through a crisis as long as you stick with technology (Mary 24, 2010)
Apple has been growing in full flood. Its aggregate market value is about 20 trillion yen that is more than six times as much as that of Panasonic and Sony, and it is approaching Microsoft’s aggregate market value of about 23 trillion yen. The source of Apple’s tremendous success lies in its identity that no other company can imitate. It is only in the high-growth period that a company can increase its revenue by doing the same thing that other are doing. The true competitive edge lies in the uncompromising pursuit of identity. Then, what matters most is to decide in which area a company should pursue its identity. An old company that produces gold and silver leaves and flours reduced the factory utilization rate to as low as 20% because the auto-related business slackened in 2008. The auto-related business accounted for 60% of the revenue of this company founded in 1700. This long-established company desperately looked for the field in which its traditional technology would be utilized, and decided to venture into the battery business. The company exhibited its self-developed perforated electrolytic copper foils in the secondary battery exhibition held last March. It products attracted wide attention from the visitors as the state-of-the-art technology developed by a well-established company. President of this company said with confidence, “We are not outdone by others in the technology to thin and break up a thing. As long as we excel others in this technology, we can get through a crisis.” The company that drops its guard loses in technology innovation. When your company has a difficult time, every company also has a difficult time. Knowing that your competitors are making more efforts that you are making, you have to make strenuous and unremitting efforts. Otherwise, you will be left in the dust created by your competitors.
No. 58: You can get through a crisis as long as you stick with technology (Mary 24, 2010)
Apple has been growing in full flood. Its aggregate market value is about 20 trillion yen that is more than six times as much as that of Panasonic and Sony, and it is approaching Microsoft’s aggregate market value of about 23 trillion yen. The source of Apple’s tremendous success lies in its identity that no other company can imitate. It is only in the high-growth period that a company can increase its revenue by doing the same thing that other are doing. The true competitive edge lies in the uncompromising pursuit of identity. Then, what matters most is to decide in which area a company should pursue its identity. An old company that produces gold and silver leaves and flours reduced the factory utilization rate to as low as 20% because the auto-related business slackened in 2008. The auto-related business accounted for 60% of the revenue of this company founded in 1700. This long-established company desperately looked for the field in which its traditional technology would be utilized, and decided to venture into the battery business. The company exhibited its self-developed perforated electrolytic copper foils in the secondary battery exhibition held last March. It products attracted wide attention from the visitors as the state-of-the-art technology developed by a well-established company. President of this company said with confidence, “We are not outdone by others in the technology to thin and break up a thing. As long as we excel others in this technology, we can get through a crisis.” The company that drops its guard loses in technology innovation. When your company has a difficult time, every company also has a difficult time. Knowing that your competitors are making more efforts that you are making, you have to make strenuous and unremitting efforts. Otherwise, you will be left in the dust created by your competitors.
