Kyowa Leather Cloth Co., Ltd. Business Report FY ended Mar. 2014
Business Highlights
Financial Overview |
(in million JPY) |
FY ended Mar. 31, 2014 | FY ended Mar. 31, 2013 | Rate of Change (%) | Factors | |
Sales | 42,042 | 34,289 | 22.6 | 1) |
Operating income | 1,781 | 284 | 527.1 | - |
Ordinary income | 1,756 | 302 | 481.5 | - |
Current net income | 1,288 | 216 | 496.3 | - |
Factor
1) Sales
-During the fiscal year ended March 2014, sales increased 22.6 percent year-on-year due to the following factors:
- Sales of synthetic leather (polyurethane leather) for automotive seats increased significantly from the previous year thanks to new orders for main seat materials. The main seat materials are used on a number of new vehicles.
- Sales at the Company's Chinese subsidiary grew as a result of active marketing efforts targeted at local manufacturers. Demand from Japanese automakers also increased due to a recovery in vehicle production volume.
Outlook for FY ending Mar. 31, 2015
|
(in million JPY) |
FY ending Mar. 31, 2015 | FY ended Mar. 31, 2014 | Rate of change (%) | |
Sales | 42,500 | 42,042 | 1.1 |
Operating income | 1,800 | 1,781 | 1.1 |
Ordinary income | 1,800 | 1,756 | 2.5 |
Net income | 1,400 | 1,288 | 8.7 |
R&D
R&D Expenditure |
(in million JPY) |
FY ended Mar. 31, 2014 | FY ended Mar. 31, 2013 | FY ended Mar. 31, 2012 | |
Overall | 564 | 565 | 560 |
R&D Structure
-The Company has a technical center in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture.R&D Activities
Development agendas of the automotive interior business-The Company is developing new, synthetic-leather materials that contribute to enhancing the quality of vehicles.
-The Company is working to improve upon and develop product technology that takes into consideration factors such as weight reduction, ease of recycling, lowered costs, environmental protection, and greater comfort for passengers.
Product Development
Synthetic leather for seat main-The Company will continue to develop and propose synthetic leather that is used as seat main material. The polyurethane leather greatly contributed to boosting the Company's sales during the fiscal year ended March 2014.
Major features of the synthetic leather:
- Achieves high flame-retardant properties and excellent wear-resistance
- Offers an innovative texture that is different from genuine leather and fabric. Such innovation was achieved by tie-dyeing and advanced surface treatment technologies
- Optimized urethane composition minimizes a rise in seat temperature and dampness. In addition, a new porous structure allows air to pass through easily
Investment Activities
Capital Expenditure |
(in million JPY) |
FY ended Mar. 31, 2014 | FY ended Mar. 31, 2013 | FY ended Mar. 31, 2012 | |
Overall | 1,994 | 1,199 | 2,790 |
-Major investment projects during the fiscal year ended March 2014 included the retooling of foaming machine at the Tenryu Plant No.1. The Company also invested in capacity expansion and cost-cutting projects.
Planned Capital Investment
|
(As of Mar. 31, 2014) |
Name | Facility | Total Amount Invested (In millions of JPY) |
Started | Expected to Complete in |
1st Tenryu Plant (Shizuoka Pref., Japan) |
Synthetic leather (for vehicles, furniture, shoes and general merchandise) | 237 | Apr. 2014 |
Mar. 2015 |
2nd Tenryu Plant (Shizuoka Pref., Japan) |
Composites for molding and making synthetic leather (for vehicles, furniture, shoes and general merchandise) | 529 | Apr. 2014 |
Mar. 2015 |
Shinshiro Plant (Aichi Pref., Japan) |
Production facilities to form automotive composite materials | 159 | Apr. 2014 |
Mar. 2015 |
Headquarters (Shizuoka Pref., Japan) |
Facilities for conducting R&D | 186 | Apr. 2014 |
Mar. 2015 |
Kyowa-GSK Plastics (Langfang) Co., Ltd. (Langfang, China) |
Composites for molding and making synthetic leather (for vehicles) | 384 | Jan. 2014 |
Dec. 2014 |