Message from the President and CEO

Since its founding in 1929, the Sumitomo Riko Group has steadily expanded its business domains by accurately grasping the direction of the times and market needs, delivering products that provide safety and peace of mind to society. Grounded in the "Sumitomo Spirit"—a legacy upheld for generations as a member of the Sumitomo Group—we strive to create unique value for our customers and society at large. Even in an era of rapid change and uncertainty, we aim to achieve further growth for the Sumitomo Riko Group and help realize a prosperous world, working hand in hand with all our stakeholders.

In the “2029 Sumitomo Riko Group Vision (2029V),” our long-term management vision with 2029 as a milestone, the 100th anniversary of our foundation, we have announced our aspiration to be “A Solutions Leader that takes on social challenges with the power of Science and Technology” by 2029, and have identified three directions and six key issues (materialities) to be addressed to achieve what our group aim to be.

In an era where quick environmental changes have become the norm and the future is difficult to predict, our Group places the utmost importance on the power of people. Since taking office as president, guided by the belief that “there is no business strategy more important than developing talent,” I have viewed each and every employee as an agent of value creation and as our most important asset in sustaining our competitive advantage.
For our company to continue growing globally, it is essential that we create an environment where our diverse workforce can fully utilize their abilities. We believe that the cumulative efforts of each individual—through their challenges and continuous improvement—are the driving force behind our organization’s growth.
Under the “Equation for Enhancing Human Capital” initiative in 2029V, we are working to maximize the value of our talent and promote co-creation across departments and locations by holistically advancing development, placement, evaluation, and organizational culture, thereby strengthening the foundation of our competitiveness.
Furthermore, to enhance “job satisfaction,” we are promoting a virtuous cycle of frontline-driven dialogue and improvement, while striving to balance organizational performance with employee development by strengthening management capabilities. In addition, our employee development places a strong emphasis on the “on-site, hands-on(Genchi-genbutsu)” approach, focusing on cultivating the ability to identify challenges independently and translate them into improvements. Building on our long-standing experience—as evidenced by the 50th anniversary of our employee development program, “Foreman Training (F-ken)”, we continue to evolve.
Furthermore, in fiscal year 2025, we hired our first female athlete as an employee and entered into a sponsorship agreement with a para-athlete. Through these initiatives, we are expanding opportunities to engage with diverse values, fostering a culture that encourages taking on new challenges, and enhancing unity and vitality within our organization. 
Going forward, we will continue to channel the challenges and learning of each individual into organizational strength, ensuring that this leads to business growth and increased corporate value.

Given the increasing complexity of social issues, there are limits to what a single company can achieve on its own. That is why we believe it is essential to collaborate with partners who can transcend corporate and industry boundaries and work with us to co-create value while sharing a common vision of the future society.
We do not view “co-creation” as merely collaboration; rather, we place great importance on consistently driving projects from conception through execution to societal implementation. In recent years, collaboration focused on commercialization—which goes beyond the research stage—has expanded, and its scope is steadily growing. Our initiatives with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) are also being expanded across various departments within the company and are being further developed as a foundation for value creation. Furthermore, through collaboration with a diverse range of partners, including startups, we are accelerating our efforts to explore new fields.
In 2026, we became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries, further expanding opportunities for collaboration both within and outside the group. Under this environment, we will enhance our competitiveness in both core technologies and customer engagement by strengthening collaboration in research and development and human resources.
From now on, we will continue to respect each other’s strengths and work together to advance our initiatives—from conception and execution to social implementation—as a unified effort, thereby contributing to the realization of a sustainable society.

Climate change, resource constraints, and biodiversity loss are critical global challenges. To fulfill our corporate responsibilities, we are promoting initiatives aimed at achieving carbon neutrality and a circular economy. 
To achieve these goals, we have formulated the “Long-Term Environmental Vision 2050” and “Environment 2029V,” and are implementing initiatives centered on decarbonization, resource circulation, and coexistence with nature.
In recent years, we have been strengthening our efforts to address natural capital and biodiversity, and we aim to contribute to a nature-positive future by leveraging our core strength in polymer materials technology. Furthermore, at our production sites, we are promoting energy conservation and the use of renewable energy, striving to achieve both a reduction in environmental impact and improved productivity.
Going forward, we will continue to further strengthen our relationships of trust with our stakeholders through the advancement of our environmental management and enhanced disclosure of information.

Since taking office as president, I have repeatedly emphasized the importance of “not being bound by past concepts and responding flexibly to change.” I believe that the key to sustainable corporate growth lies in ensuring that not only I, but all employees working within our group, remain constantly attuned to the evolving norms and values of society as times change, continuously updating our perspectives, and reflecting those changes in our management practices.
Even amid growing uncertainties such as exchange rate fluctuations, trade issues, and geopolitical risks, our business foundation has steadily become more resilient through ongoing structural reforms and operational improvements.
To support this foundation, I place great importance on fostering an open and transparent corporate culture. Based on the Sumitomo Spirit, our Group upholds “Safety, Environment, Compliance, and Quality (S.E.C.Q.)” as the cornerstones of our business operations. Under the motto “Bad News First & Thanks,” we place great importance on ensuring that supervisors and subordinates engage in frank and open communication on a daily basis.
Furthermore, with our company becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries, we have advanced the integration of our strategies and accelerated decision-making, establishing a framework that allows us to leverage our technology, talent, and customer base as a unified whole. As a result, we are establishing a structure that will enable us to accelerate and realize expansion into areas that would have been unattainable on our own—namely, the development of new businesses and market expansion. We view this integration not merely as a means of improving efficiency, but as an evolution of our management foundation that broadens our growth opportunities.
In addition, we will drive innovation in manufacturing through the use of digital transformation (DX) and, by simultaneously improving quality and productivity, further strengthen our competitiveness.
Moving forward, we will not be bound by the past concept, rather, we will view change as an opportunity and continue to boldly take on challenges to achieve sustainable growth.

The automotive industry is currently undergoing a period of major transformation. Driven by advances in automation, electrification, and the shift toward SDVs (Software-Defined Vehicles), significant changes are on the horizon—not only in how cars are designed and manufactured, but also in how they are used and the very nature of their value. As cars evolve from traditional “means of transportation” to next-generation mobility that “adds value to the act of travel itself,” new opportunities for value creation are emerging.
In this environment, our company is working to create value in the field of next-generation mobility, building on our polymer materials technology and comprehensive evaluation capabilities. Particularly in the field of thermal management—which is becoming increasingly important as electrification advances—we are developing products that contribute to stable performance and extended service life, with a focus on battery insulation and cooling technologies. We are also developing highly reliable piping technologies and other solutions in the hydrogen sector to support the transition to a diversifying energy structure.
In the global market, we are leveraging our business foundations in five key regions to roll out products tailored to local needs and regulatory trends, while also strengthening our ability to provide solutions that address the growing shift toward electric vehicles. In addition, with an eye on the rising demand for infrastructure in emerging and developing countries, we are actively pursuing business opportunities.
Furthermore, in response to the increasing sophistication of vehicles, we are working to enhance safety and comfort through sensor and interior technologies.
In terms of the environment, in addition to reducing the environmental impact of our business activities, we will contribute to the realization of a decarbonized and circular society through the development of environmentally friendly products and technologies that comply with environmental regulations.
Moving forward, we will continue to adapt to the evolution of next-generation mobility while balancing environmental impact reduction with value creation, thereby contributing to a sustainable mobility society.

Under the 2029V initiative, we are committed to realizing a “green and comfortable society where nature, cities, and people are connected.” Each of our approximately 25,000 diverse employees identifies challenges from their own perspective and strives to solve them through manufacturing.
Our Anti-Vibration technologies and environmentally friendly materials—which are among our core strengths—already offer advantages that no other company can match. One of our challenges is to further advance these technologies to open up new markets and create new value.
By promoting co-creation that integrates internal and external expertise—including collaboration with AIST, the Sumitomo Electric Group, and startups—we are significantly expanding the range of challenges we can address. 
We are also actively working to create value in new fields, such as building circular businesses that utilize waste materials like rubber, resins, urethane, and metals, and developing high-efficiency cell culture bags for the cell agriculture sector. 
Furthermore, we view our support for sports not merely as a form of social contribution, but as an opportunity to drive technological advancement. Through our collaboration with para-athletes, we are expanding the possibilities for applying our technologies by leveraging our core competencies in “polymer materials technology” and “comprehensive evaluation technology.”
Moving forward, as a member of the Sumitomo Electric Group, we will further deepen the collaboration among our business, technology, and human resources, accelerate value creation through co-creation, and contribute to the realization of a safe and comfortable society.