Sysmex
Sustainability Report2013About this Report
Editorial policy

Scope of this Report

Sysmex publishes the annual “Sysmex Sustainability Report”
in the hopes of communicating our approaches and activities
concerning corporate social responsibility (CSR) to ourstakeholders and facilitating dialogs with them.
In this, our seventh issue, we introduce a number of eﬀorts
we have been engaging outside Japan. We are also publishingtwo versions of the report this year—the full version, which
provides comprehensive data, and the digest version, in which
we have sought to make the information more accessible byincluding plentiful photos and illustrations.
We also regularly disclose policy, system and other CSR
information on our website. In this way, we enable the reader
to select the report format most appropriate to their levelof specialization and interest.

Period reported
Fiscal 2012 (from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013). Some
activities conducted outside of this period are also included.
Organizations covered
Sysmex Group (Sysmex Corporation and its subsidiaries bothin Japan and abroad). In this report, “Sysmex” refers
to the Sysmex Group as a whole. “Sysmex Corporation” refers
to the Company on a stand-alone basis.

Guidelines referenced• The Japanese Ministry of the Environment’s Environmental
Reporting Guidelines (2012 ed.)• The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)’s Sustainability
Reporting Guidelines, Edition 3.1

Date of publication
September 2013

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Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Contents
Inquiries about this report
CSR Promotion Department, Corporate Business
Planning Division, Sysmex Corporation
1-5-1, Wakinohama-Kaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 651-0073,
Japan
Tel +81-78-265-0500, Fax +81-78-265-0524
Cautionary statements
This report contains both forward-looking statements and facts
regarding the past about Sysmex Corporation and its groupcompanies (the Sysmex Group). These forward-looking statements
are based on the current judgments and assumptions of the Sysmex
Group in light of the information currently available to it.
Uncertainties inherent in such judgments and assumptions,the future course of our business operations, and future events may
cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materiallydiﬀerent from any future results, performance, or achievements
either expressed or implied within such forward-looking statements.

Sysmex at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Message from the Chairman and CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Highlight 1

Regional Headquarters for the Americas Expands
and Relocates its Oﬃce, Strengthening Customer
Support Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Highlight 2Upgrade of Reagent Production Factory in Jinan:
Better for People and the Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Organizational Governance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Human Rights / Labor Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Fair Operating Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Consumer Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Community Involvement and Development . . . . . 34
Independent Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Corporate Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Sysmex Sustainability Report 20132

Sysmex at a Glance

Sysmex is a Global Provider of Diagnostics
Products and Services.
In-vitro diagnostic testing of patient blood and urine samples plays an important role in conﬁrminga patient’s state of health or determining a course of treatment. Sysmex supports healthy lives worldwide
by providing a variety of in-vitro diagnostic instruments and reagents in more than 170 countries in
an integrated system from research and development through production, sales and after-sales support.

Sysmex products are in use near you.
1

1 Hospitals

Our products are used inhematology and other ﬁelds in
outpatient/in-hospital checkups
and complete physicalexaminations to discoverchanges or abnormalities inorgans and systems.

1

Automated Blood Coagulation Analyzer
CS-5100
Automated Hematology Analyzer
XN-Series XN-2000

Gene Ampliﬁcation Detector
RD-100i

3

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Automated Immunoassay SystemHISCL-5000

XN-Series Reagents1

Integrated System from R&D to Production, Sales and After-Sales Support

R&D

Production

Sales

After-Sales Support

Creating valuable
healthcare testing anddiagnostic technologies

Ensuring high quality andstable product supply

Providing products andservices to more than 170
countries

Responding accurately toeach and every inquiry

Global Network Providing a Variety of Products and Services in More than 170 Countries

EMEA** Europe, the Middle East, Africa

18

Subsidiaries:
Number of employees:

1,149

China

Americas4

Subsidiaries:
Number of employees:

4

Subsidiaries:
Number of employees:

293

775

Japan
Sysmex Corporation

7

Subsidiaries:
Number of employees:

2,282

Asia Paciﬁc

11

Subsidiaries:
Number of employees:

349

Sales

R&D

Production

Regional
Headquarters

4

2 Animal4

Hospitals

2

Our products are useful inmaintaining the health ofdogs, cats and other pets, aswell as aquarium dolphinsand zoo animals.

3 Pharmacies

4 Sports Training

Our system provides
information on physicalcondition simply by entering
anthropometric measurements
and answers to questions
about lifestyle and diet.

Our product is used for daily
training programs andnutritional maintenance toregularly check the hemoglobin
levels of athletes in training
programs for gyms and school
sports teams.

Healthcare Support System
PROWELL

Peripheral Blood Vessel
Monitoring System ASTRIM SU

3

Automated Hematology Analyzer
pocH-100i V Diﬀ

Sysmex Sustainability Report 20134

Message from the Chairman and CEO

Contributing to Health and Building Trustand Conﬁdence among People Worldwide
Taking on the Evolution of Healthcare
and Meeting Global Health Needs
Ever since its founding in 1968, Sysmex has createda wide spectrum of products and services inthe diagnostics ﬁeld based on advanced technologies.
Diagnostics play a vital role in healthcare by enabling
the early detection of disease, the determinationof treatment and the prevention of illness.
The healthcare environment is currently
undergoing dramatic changes due to shifting social
structures. In emerging countries, economic
development and population growth are rapidly
increasing healthcare needs. On the other hand,advanced countries are facing declining birthrates andaging populations, and individual values for healthcare
are increasingly diversifying. Sysmex’s products arebeing used at healthcare facilities in over 170 countries
around the world, and we are responding to thesechanges and striving to create innovative values
with the aim of contributing to the advancementof healthcare. We want to respond to the desireof people across the globe: “to stay healthy”.
In ﬁscal 2012, we acquired approval to provide our
XN-Series, the ﬂagship models in the hematology ﬁeld,
in the United States and China, and continued our
global acceleration of sales where we had alreadyobtained approval, such as in Japan, Europe and the Asia
Paciﬁc region. The XN-Series has been acclaimed forease-of-use in the lab as well as functionality, resulting
in its receiving Germany’s iF Product Design Award
2013 after receiving the Good Design Gold Award
2011 in Japan.
We also launched the HISCL-5000 automatedimmunoassay system in Japan, a new model in the ﬁeldof immunochemistry testing, which aids in the diagnosis
of infectious diseases, cancer and heart diseases.
The HISCL-5000 delivers rapid test results, realizes
pre-examination testing for better patient service
and improves clinical laboratory’s testing eﬃciency.
In the life science ﬁeld, we received approval from5

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare ofan additional indication of our lymph node metastasis
rapid diagnosis system for stomach cancer, in
addition to breast cancer and colon cancer. We arealso working to standardize the rapid detectionof lymph node metastasis in other types of cancer.
“Shaping the advancement of healthcare” is Sysmex’s
mission. Accordingly, we aim to create valuable healthcare
testing technologies that contribute to patients’ healthand quality of life (QOL), and strive to improve theeﬃciency and quality of testing at healthcare facilities.

Building Trust and Conﬁdence among
Our Stakeholders
We aim to build trust and conﬁdence among our
stakeholders in accordance with our Group
corporate philosophy, the “Sysmex Way.”In ﬁscal 2012, Sysmex America, which is
the regional headquarters for the Americas, relocatedand expanded its corporate oﬃces, oﬀering newservices and support to accommodate increased
market demand. One of these is the streaming video
service from the new studio featuring live broadcasts
demonstrating, for example, instrument operation andemergency repair procedures. We will continue toexpand these services to improve customer satisfaction.
We also rebuilt the reagent production factory in Jinan
to accommodate the rapid growth of the Chinese market.
The new plant was constructed with worker motivationand harmony with the global environment in mind.
Sysmex was also a special sponsor of the Kobe
Marathon 2012, staged by the city of Kobe, for the second
year in a row, because our policy is to contribute a healthysociety through sports. We will oﬀer encouragement tothe approximately 20,000 runners and provide overall
support as we participate in the event in 2013.

New Group Mid-Term Management Plan
Sysmex launched the new Group Mid-Term Management
Plan in April 2013 with the goal of maintaining our highlevel of growth and further enhancing proﬁtability.
The plan is aimed at building a foundation for
future growth by reinforcing our business promotion
structures in each ﬁeld of testing, according to
the business unit structure, continuously investing in R&D
and strengthening production capacity by improving
production bases. The plan represents our aim of being
a company that generates new value through unique
technologies and business models, and executes rapidly.
In April 2013, Sysmex established the Mid-Term
CSR Plan (ﬁscal 2013–2015) based on the 10 Principlesof the Global Compact, which Sysmex joined in 2011,
and the ISO 26000 international standards for social
responsibility. Based upon this plan, we will pursue
CSR management aimed at resolving social issues.
Sysmex will continue working to achieve sustainable
development of the Group and the global community.
We would like to ask our stakeholders for their continued
support and understanding of all our endeavors.
August 2013
Hisashi Ietsugu
Chairman and CEO

Corporate Philosophy

Shaping the advancement of healthcare.

We continue to create unique and innovative values,
while building trust and conﬁdence.

With passion and ﬂexibility, we demonstrate ourindividual competence and unsurpassed teamwork.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 20136

Highlight 1

USA

Entrance

Cafeteria

Collaboration area

Showroom

Sysmex America, Inc.
Sysmex Group’s regional headquarters for the Americas
Location: Chicago, U.S.A.
Main business: Sales of in vitro diagnostic systems
and reagents

Regional Headquarters for the Americas
Expands and Relocates its Oﬃce,
Strengthening Customer Support Infrastructure
Sysmex America, which is the regional headquarters for North, South and Central America, hasrelocated and expanded its corporate oﬃces, strengthening its service and support infrastructure
to accommodate increased demand.

High-Quality Proprietary Services
Making Sysmex No. 1 in Customer
Satisfaction for 13 Consecutive Years
Sysmex ﬁrst established a subsidiary in the UnitedStates in Chicago in 1979, and in 2003 began providing
direct sales and support as Sysmex America, Inc. (SAI),
which serves as our regional headquarters.
Since then SAI has sought to improve customer
satisfaction and develop proprietary service andsupport. Sysmex Network Communication Systems(SNCS) is an online network support service usedby numerous customers thatmonitors the performance ofcustomers’ analyzers in real time,
contributing to stable operations.
Sysmex has received the top
ranking among manufacturersof hematology analyzers
in a survey of customer
satisfaction*1 for 13 consecutive
years for its eﬀorts of service
system and activities.
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Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

SAI’s high service quality has also earned
the MarketTools ACE (Achievement in Customer
Excellence) Award*2 for two consecutive years.

* 1 IMV Service Track US user survey*2 The MarketTools ACE Award acknowledges companies foroutstanding achievement in customer satisfaction, employee
satisfaction and partner satisfaction.

Expanding and Relocating CorporateOﬃces to Accelerate Business
Development
SAI relocated and increased the size of its corporate
oﬃces in September, 2012 to match the expansionof its business in the Americas and pursue its
growth strategy.
Situated near the previous location, SAI’s newoﬃces are in Lincolnshire, Illinois, providing quick
access to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
SAI continues to use the former corporate campus
for customer training on products. The new oﬃce
has ample space for future expansion
accompanying growth.

Opening Ceremony
The September 2012 opening ceremony was attended by more than
300 people, including the local mayor, customers and employees.

Video
Streaming

Virtual Customer
Training Service

New oﬃce

Fully equipped studio forstreaming videos of diagnostic
instrument operatingprocedures

Sysmex America

Network

Recording a video

Realizing interactive broadcasting

Strengthening Our Virtual Customer
Training Services while Reducing
Environmental Impact
SAI’s sales and service coverage area is very broad,with the US area alone encompassing four timezones. SAI therefore began oﬀering virtual training
services to bring service and support to the customers
in this broad region, including those in Canada.
The newly built virtual training studiobroadcasts live streaming of diagnostic instrument
handling for customers under contract, including
training programs, such as instrument operation
procedure and emergency repairs. These trainings
are geared to the degree of experience and skill of
the medical technologist.
The use of virtual training reduces the time andcosts that were associated with visits to Chicago.
Environmental impact is also reduced because theCO2 emissions that accompany travel are
eliminated.
Sysmex will continue to provide a full range of
products, services and support that meet the needsof customers in the Americas and across the globe
as we strive to contribute to the development ofhealthcare.
Words from an Employee

Making it Easier on
Customers LocatedFar Away
Zach Siejka

Customer Training
Sysmex America

We recently opened a studio from which we
provide high-quality online training.
The use of online streaming video training
programs allows customers to take thetraining they want when they want it— “justin time”—at their own workplace. Our goal inestablishing this online streaming video
training system is to provide higher quality
and value than our competitors.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 20138

Highlight 2

Employee welfare wing

Factory wing

Biotope

Front gate and guard room

China
Jinan Factory(Jinan Sysmex Medical Electronics
Co., Ltd.)
Location: Jinan, Shandong, China
Business: Manufacture and salesof diagnostic reagents

Upgrade of Reagent Production Factory in Jinan:
Better for People and the Environment
Sysmex has renovated its reagent production factory in Jinan, which commenced production in April 2012.
This advanced reagent production factory takes into consideration the environment, people, quality
and eﬃciency, and its future capacity will meet growing demand in China.

Stable Supply of Reagents to Meet
Growing Demand for Laboratory
Tests in China
Sysmex established its ﬁrst Chinese reagent
production factory in Jinan in 1995 and its second
factory in Wuxi in 2003 to provide a stable supplyof reagents to customers in the Chinese market.
China’s recent economic development has
spurred healthcare system reform and encouraged
eﬀorts to enhance the country’s healthcare
environment, causing demand for testing to expand.
We therefore upgraded the reagent production
factory in Jinan to meet growing demand in China,
starting production at the new facility in April 2012.

Designing a Factory That is Good forPeople and the Environment
We built the new factory based on four concepts
from a CSR perspective: ECO, Human, High
Quality and Flexible.
Aiming for an eco-friendly factory, Sysmex
9Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

took such measures as using resources eﬀectively
and providing greenery around the factory.
For example, we installed energy-conserving
equipment such as high-eﬃciency air conditioning,
automatic lighting controls and exterior lightingthat relies in solar power.
We also designed the piping system toconserve energy in cleaning processes, and keep
temperatures down inside the factory by
maintaining greenery on the roof and in
the exterior spaces.
We have sought to create a safe and clean
workplace where our employees would feel safe
and comfortable. For example, by mechanizing
the conveyance of heavy products we can reduce
workplace accidents. We also use natural lighting
in workplaces, which has a refreshing eﬀect tocreate bright and healthy-feeling spaces. We
expanded our employee welfare facilities, such as
the dining hall and recreation areas, and madea biotope and walkways that impart a refreshingnatural feeling.

The Environment

PeopleAn Eco-Friendly Factory that Takes
the Global Environment into Consideration

Enhanced Employee Productivity
and Motivation• Energy-conserving air conditioning andlighting installed• Energy-conserving piping arrangement• Solar power used for exterior nighttime lighting• Rooftop gardens• Mechanized heavy-product conveyance• Natural lighting in work areas• Open terrace, biotope and walkways• Open and airy dining and recreation rooms

ECO

Human

Concept of
the New Factory

Solar-powered lamps

High
Quality

Flexible

Dining room with natural lighting

Quality and Eﬃciency

Future Capacity

Making Products that Assure
Customer Satisfaction

Accommodating the Rapid
Growth of the China Market• Process automation for preventing quality
ﬂuctuation• Automated process recording strengthens
quality checks• The layout for a factory tour

Four Renewal Concepts
While the pursuit of quality and eﬃciency
and the ability to expand in the future are
givens, we take the global environmentand our employees into considerationfrom a CSR perspective.

New production line seen froma factory tour corridor

Building a Highly Eﬃcient and Flexible
Production Space for the Future
Following concern for the environment and people,
two other concepts are quality/eﬃciency and future
capacity. The goal of the reagent production factoryin Jinan is to make products that instill customer
conﬁdence and assure their satisfaction, so we havepursued quality and eﬃciency. Through this factory
renewal, we have created new production lines thatblend an automated line for the quality-assured
manufacturing with well-trained human skills for
ﬂexible manufacturing. We also have incorporated
a layout for a customer factory tour.
We anticipate population growth and risingdemand for diagnostic testing in China, so we designed
the new facilities to have the ﬂexibility to meetincreasing demand, enabling capacity in
manufacturing area for mainstay products toapproximately quintuple.
We will continue to improve our production
structure so that we can accommodate future
market environment and growth, allowing us• Expansion of manufacturing area formainstay product• Installation of expandable production lines• Additional production space available for
products in diﬀerent manufacturing processes

Expandable production area

to meet rising testing demand in China as well as
the rest of Asia while contributing to the improvementof regional healthcare and the QOL of patients.
Words from an Employee

Supplying Good Products
from a New Factory witha Comfortable Working
Environment
Liu Tong

Management Planning Department
Jinan Sysmex

The new factory has commenced operation,
and work eﬃciency has improved by thestreamlined production area. Automation has
also reduced the burden on employees, which
increases production capacity and creates a
better working environment. The new factoryhas more greenery, so I can enjoy my lunch innatural, comfortable surroundings.
The pleasant work environment at
the new factory inspires all of us to continue
eﬀort to provide customers with a stablesupply of superior products.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201310

Organizational Governance

Aiming to Be a Corporation Trusted by Society
To improve management eﬃciency and enhance transparency and management robustness, Sysmex is strengthening
its corporate governance system. We pursue open and aboveboard business activities based on high ethics
to protect our stakeholder’s interests.

Corporate Philosophy

Promotion of CSR Activities
Sysmex CSR Builds Trust and Conﬁdence
through Practice of the Sysmex Way

We deliver reassurance to our customers, through unmatched
quality, advanced technologies, superior support, and actions
that consistently reﬂect the viewpoint of our customers. We
constantly look out for our customers’ true needs, and seek togenerate new solutions to satisfy those needs.

Sysmex CSR builds trust and conﬁdence to all our stakeholders
through the practice of the Sysmex Way, the corporate philosophyof the Sysmex Group. The Sysmex Way indicates the way
the most basic corporate activities ought to be conducted,
consisting of three elements necessary for continued growth:
Mission, Value and Mind. The Core Behaviors clarify provisionof value to customers, employees, business partners, shareholders,society and all our stakeholders. At Sysmex, every Group employee
shares the Sysmex Way, placing importance on practices
throughout daily businessactivities.
To become moreproactive in our CSR
initiatives, Sysmex joined
the United Nations Global
Compact in February 2011.
We practice the 10 principles
related to human rights,
labor, the environment
and anti-corruption.

To our Employees

The UN Global Compact’s Ten Principles

Shaping the advancement of healthcare.

We continue to create unique and innovative values,
while building trust and conﬁdence.

With passion and ﬂexibility, we demonstrate ourindividual competence and unsurpassed teamwork.

Core Behaviors
To our Customers

We honor diversity, respect the individuality of each employee,and provide them with a workplace where they can realize theirfull potential. We value the spirit of independence and challenge,
provide employees with opportunities for self-fulﬁllment andgrowth, and reward them for their accomplishments.

Human Rights

Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit
in human rights abuses.

To our Business Partners

Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedomof association and the effective recognitionof the right to collective bargaining;

We deliver commitment to our client companies throughbroad-ranging partnerships. We strive to be a company that can growin step with our trade partners, through respect and mutual trust.

To our Shareholders

LabourOur shareholders can rest assured that we will continue to improve
the robustness and transparency of our management policies,
while promoting information disclosure and close communications.
We commit ourselves to a consistent yet innovative style ofmanagement, in order to achieve sustainable growth and increased
shareholder value.

To Society

We carry out our business in strict compliance with laws andregulations, as well as in adherence to high ethical standards.
As a responsible member of society, we play an active role inresolving environmental issues and other problems that impact
our society today.

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Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Principle 1: Businesses should support andrespect the protection of internationally proclaimed
human rights; andPrinciple 4: the elimination of all forms of forced
and compulsory labour;
Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; andPrinciple 6: the elimination of discriminationin respect of employment and occupation.
Principle 7: Businesses should support
a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;

Environment

Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote
greater environmental responsibility; andPrinciple 9: encourage the development anddiffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Anti-Corruption

Principle 10: Businesses should work against
corruption in all its forms, including extortionand bribery.

Setting Mid-Term Objectives for CSR Activities
In April 2013, Sysmex established the Mid-Term CSR Plan(ﬁscal 2013−ﬁscal 2015) based on the 10 Principles of the Global
Compact and ISO 26000 international standards for social

responsibility, to foster CSR eﬀorts. Sysmex will contribute to
the resolution of social issues by applying PDCA to its CSR
eﬀorts based on this plan.

Sysmex Mid-Term CSR Plan (Fiscal 2013−2015)
CategoryPlan

CSR Mid-Term objectives
Reinforcement of the compliance system• Revision of Group compliance system

Improvement of business continuity plan

• Continuous improvement of business continuity plan

Human rights /Labour practices

Promotion of diversity• Promotion of female employee activity• Making the workplace more motivating

The Environment

Promotion of Environmental activities
based on the long-term environmental
objectives, Sysmex Eco-Vision 2020

• Oﬀering eco-friendly products and services• Reduction of the environmental impact of our operations

Promotion of fair trade• Revision of Group compliance system concerning fair trade

Promotion of CSR procurement• Establishment and notiﬁcation of procurement policies from the CSR
point of view

Enhancement of information security• Shoring up the information security system

Improvement of customer satisfaction• Enhancement of our Voice of the Customer (VOC)-based manufacturing
and service structures

Promotion of corporate citizenship activities
and philanthropy• Promoting activities based on the Policy on Corporate Citizenship
Activities and Philanthropy

Organizational
governanceFair operating
practices

Consumer issues
Community
involvement anddevelopment

Corporate Governance
Enhancing Management Robustness andTransparency to Improve Management Eﬃciency
Sysmex considers reinforcing corporate governance to be amongits most important management priorities. We believethat enhanced management robustness, better transparency,
and improved management speed and eﬃciency will help us
maximize the overall corporate value of the Group.
The Company’s Managing Board consists of seven members,
one of whom is an outside member, and deliberates on importantmanagement issues. The Company has adopted the corporate
auditor system, and the Board of Auditors consists of four
corporate auditors, two of whom are external auditors.
The corporate auditors supervise the members’ business conduct
objectively from an independent position. In April 2005,
we adopted the executive oﬃcer system in order to increase
the speed of decision making in the conduct of businessand respond quickly to changes in the business environment.
A consultative body to the president, the Steering Committee
deliberates on important matters concerning the Group’sbusiness. Five of the 17 executive oﬃcers are also membersof the Managing Board. The Company has also establishedthe Nominating Committee and the Compensation Committee,
which have responsibilities in accordance with the “companies
with committees” system.

Corporate Governance Structure
Shareholders’ Meeting
Election/Dismissal

Election/Dismissal

Election/Dismissal

Managing Board meeting(members of the Managing Board)
Nominating
Committee
Compensation
Committee

Accounting
Auditors

Chairman and CEO

Auditing

Global Strategic
Committee

Internal Audit Office

Steering Committee

Risk Management
Committee

Board ofAuditors(Corporate
Auditors)

Auditing

Executive Officers
Divisions, Subsidiaries and Affiliates

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201312

Internal Control
Internal Control System Improvements
Based on a Managing Board meeting resolution concerninginternal control systems in ﬁscal 2006, Sysmex is engaged
in the improvement and promotion of a system for compliance,
information retention and management, risk management,eﬃcient execution of professional duties, Group company
management and auditing.
In ﬁscal 2008, Sysmex formulated Internal Control
Regulations concerning Financial Statements and establishedan Internal Control Committee concerning Financial Statements,
a consultative body to the chairman and CEO.

CompliancePursuing Open and Aboveboard Business
Activities
Sysmex has deﬁned its view of compliance as “respecting laws
and regulations and going about our business boldlywith a strong sense of ethics.”
In accordance with this deﬁnition, we have establisheda Compliance Code, in which particularly important conformancerules for all executives and employees to abide by are compiled.
We conduct training programs to ensure the thoroughpermeation of the code within the organization. The code also
applies to overseas Group companies, constructing an integrated
compliance structure for the entire Group.

Continuously Providing Education on Compliance
Compliance managers are in place at each Group company,
and Sysmex provides compliance education for all employees.
We have produced a Compliance Handbook and distributed
a copy to each Group company employee in Japan to ensurethat all employees are thoroughly compliance-aware.
Furthermore, in addition to regular compliance training we set
important themes for each year, and training is conducted ateach department according torelevant themes. In ﬁscal 2012,
the main themes included
training related to revisionsof internal regulations madeto reﬂect trends in the medical
industry, and training
to prevent power harassment.
Overseas Group company
compliance training is
conducted according to
the situation in each country.
Compliance Handbook

13

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Sysmex Group Compliance Code*
1. To Ensure Safety of Our Products and Services to Customers
We shall act in all of our corporate activities by making it a matterof priority to provide our customers with safety and security.
2. To Promote Fair Dealing and Free Competition
We shall deal with our customers and all partners having
business relationships with us in a just and fair manner and shallconduct transactions under appropriate conditions. As regards
our relation with other companies in the same line of business,
we shall not do any dishonest act of unreasonably restricting
business with each other or of defaming them.
3. To Make Fair and Proper Information Disclosure and to
Exercise Complete Information Control
We shall disclose our corporate information such as our group’s
financial conditions and business activities in a fair, quick, correctand intelligible way in accordance with applicable laws
and regulations, etc. and shall exercise strict control over confidential
information collected through our business activities so as not
to cause any disadvantage to third parties.
4. To Respect Intellectual Property
We shall respect any third party’s intellectual property, and shallnot attempt to obtain any third party’s result of efforts or
confidential information through an illegal method nor shall we use
any third party’s right for our own business without the rightful
person’s consent.
5. To Maintain International Peace and Safety
We shall comply with export- and import-related laws andregulations, etc. and shall not be engaged in any transaction
likely to impede maintenance of international peace and safety.
6. To Conduct Proper Accounting and Appropriate Tax Payment
We shall always conduct appropriate tax payment and properaccounting by complying with applicable laws and regulations
related to taxes as well as other laws and regulations, etc. related
to accounting.
7. To Respect Human Rights and to Improve Occupational Healthand Safety
We shall respect the fundamental human rights of each of
the personnel and shall not do any infringing act thereon such as
discrimination, harassment, etc. We shall also endeavor to improve
occupational health and safety and shall not enforce any unfair labor
practice on the personnel.
8. To Make Distinction between Public and Private Matters andNot to Do Any Act Involving Conflict of Interest
We shall be sure not to attempt to gain any personal profit inperformance of duties, and shall not make any unauthorized useof our group’s assets, goods and information nor shall do such
personal act that might cause any disadvantage to our group’sbusiness activities.
9. To maintain sound relationship with society
We shall be always strict at the time of conducting business withpublic agencies and making political donations by complying
with relevant laws, etc. We shall also maintain a dauntless attitude
toward antisocial activities and groups and shall never beconcerned with them.
10. To Preserve the Global Environment
We shall comply with environment-related laws and regulations, etc.
and pay attention to environment throughout our businessactivities based on international standards, etc. for environment inan endeavor to preserve and improve the global environment.

Revised November 2009

* Written above is the Sysmex Corporation Compliance Code. Our subsidiaries

outside of Japan have established their own versions of the Compliance Codeby reflecting the various differences in customs and practices of theirrespective regions.

Internal Reporting System
The “Campanula Lines,” an internal reporting system originallydeveloped for Group companies in Japan, allows our employees
to seek consultations and ﬁle reports via telephone, postal mailor e-mail through two lines (in-house and external).
Any information received is handled anonymously
to protect those providing the information from any adverse
reactions. Also, such internal reporting systems are in placeat overseas Group companies.

“Campanula Lines” Internal Reporting System
Compliance Sub-committee
ReportingCompliance leaders

In-house contact

Reply

E-mail,Consultation telephone,postal mail,in-house mailExternal line (law ﬁrm)

E-mail,Consultation
postal mail

Reply

Sysmex Group employees(full-time employees, contract employees,
part-time employees, temporary employees)

Information Disclosure
General Meeting and Informal Meetings
for Shareholders
Valuing opportunities for direct dialogue with our shareholders,
we make an eﬀort to encourage the participation of as many
shareholders as possible at the General Meeting of Shareholders.
After the general meeting, we hold informal meetings
to promote interaction with shareholders.
At the ﬁscal 2012 General Shareholders’ Meeting,
we used panels, images, and other tools to explain our R&D,
our eﬀorts to contribute to our local community, Kobe,
and to society by helping solve healthcare issues,and the opinions of third parties concerning Sysmex’s eﬀorts.
After that, we entertained questions and exchanged opinions.
At the same time, for shareholders who ﬁnd it diﬃcult
to attend shareholder meetings, we use postal mailand the Internet to facilitate the exercise of voting rights.
Furthermore, we contribute to the readability of convocation
and resolution notices. We also prepare English-language versions
for overseas shareholders, print color convocation notices
and post the same information on our corporate website.
In ﬁscal 2012, we increased the visual content of the convocation
notices by using graphs, maps, etc.

Risk Management
Promoting Risk Management by Establishinga Dedicated Committee
To control groupwide risk management activities, Sysmex
established a Risk Management Committee, which is chairedby a Risk Management Oﬃcer, the Group’s chief executive
in charge of risk management. This committee continuously
conﬁrms results of monitoring and risk reduction countermeasuresconducted by each division and consolidated subsidiary.
In addition, we have been working on a disaster response
structure. In ﬁscal 2012, we established the Disaster CountermeasureStandards governing the companywide emergency communication
structure. We also newly formulated the Disaster Prevention Manual,
which lays out the required actions to be taken by each employee
according to the circumstances, implemented safety conﬁrmation
tools for emergency communications, and conducted tworounds of companywide drills to make sure all are well-versed.
We have installed digital wireless as a means ofcommunication among our oﬃces, and have placed disasterprevention supplies at every oﬃce. We have also introduced
ﬁre escape equipment for employees who are unable to walkon their own due to injuries or disabilities.
Furthermore, we hold meetings on the Company’s
disaster countermeasures and the Company ﬁre-ﬁghting teamconducts disaster drills so all employees can be thoroughly
aware of the actions they must take during an emergency.

Informal meeting after the General Shareholders’ Meeting

Further Enhancing Information Disclosure
We make it a rule to disclose any information that we believe
will aﬀect investment decisions in light of our own standards,
as well as to observe applicable laws and regulations concerning
securities trading and the Rules on Timely Disclosure of
Corporate Information by the Issuer of Listed Security
and the Like established by stock exchanges.
In addition to biannual brieﬁngs on ﬁnancial results (after
year-end and after the second quarter), since the third quarterof ﬁscal 2011 Sysmex has held a conference call following
the announcement of business results in the ﬁrst and third
quarters in an eﬀort to further enhance information disclosure.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201314

Chosen for Excellence in Disclosure
to Individual Investors
In the 2012 Awards for Excellence in Corporate Disclosure,sponsored by the Securities Analysts Association of Japan,
Sysmex was selected for excellence in disclosure to individual
investors.
We were given high marks for our chairman and CEO’s
explanations in his own words to individual investors at
the Company’s brieﬁng meetings, as well as video distribution
via our website. Other positive comments included that thestructure of the “Investor Relations” section of our site wassimple and elegant, and our shareholder newsletter was easy
to read and extensive in its content.
* The Securities Analysts Association of Japan Corporate Disclosure Study Groupwas launched in 1995. It evaluates and selects for excellence based on criteriasuch as the quality, volume and timing of corporate information disclosure.

Dialogue with Stakeholders
Promoting Direct Dialogue with Various Stakeholders
Sysmex values opportunities for direct dialogue with stakeholders.
We incorporate opinions and requests received into ourbusiness activities.

Main Dialogue Achievements in Fiscal 2012
Customers• Conducted survey on degree of customer satisfaction in each region(Sysmex Corporation and overseas Group companies in each region)• Held scientific seminars in each region (Sysmex Corporationand overseas Group companies in each region)• Ongoing customer training program incorporating customer
feedback in each region (Sysmex Corporation and overseas
Group companies in each region)Award ceremony

Employees

External Evaluation• Investigated desire concerning career design, including interestin working overseas or changing jobs through a voluntary
reporting given to all employees, with results made use of in HR
rotation (Sysmex Corporation)

Sustainability Evaluation
Socially responsible investment (SRI), assessing and screening
corporate performance in dimensions like environmentand social fairness as well as economy for a sustainable
society, is drawing attention.
In ﬁscal 2012, Sysmex Corporation was selected as a memberof the Asia Paciﬁc Index of the Dow Jones Sustainability
Indexes (DJSI)*1, a leading global SRI index. Since 2008, we also
has been included in the FTSE4Good Index*2, while for two
years in a row we have been selected as the Ethibel Excellence*3
by Forum Ethibel, a Belgian SRI evaluation organization.
* 1 Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes: SRI index developed through collaboration
between S&P Dow Jones Indexes of the United States and Robeco SAM,
a Swiss research specialist in the area of socially responsible investment.

• Exchanged opinions through collective bargaining with the labor
union concerning three themes, including personnel
and business skill development, and dialog on workplaceenvironment improvement. (Sysmex Corporation)

Business Partners• Held an explanatory meeting on quality policies to introduce
suppliers efforts to improve product quality and request suppliercooperation. Some 158 people from 74 companies participated.
(Sysmex Corporation)

Shareholders and Investors• Conducted individual interviews with over 300 domestic andforeign institutional investors and analysts (Sysmex Corporation)• Held informational meeting for individual investors at Kobe
Portopia Hall for 500 individual investors (Sysmex Corporation)* 2 FTSE4Good Index: SRI index developed and managed by the U.K. FTSE

Communities* 3 Ethibel Excellence: Select stocks chosen for demonstrated performance• Held event for local community interaction at R&D core Technopark(Sysmex Corporation)

Group, a joint venture between the Financial Times newspaper and the London
Stock Exchange.
above a certain level in terms of CSR issues related to observance of humanrights and environmental contributions.

• Participated in math and science education-focused “5th Science
Fair in Hyogo” event for high school students (Sysmex Corporation)• Participated in the “Aim High Urban Mentoring Initiative” conducted by
a U.S. NPO and advised local high school students (Sysmex America)

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Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Human Rights/Labor Practices

Providing a Workplace Environment Where Diverse
Human Resources Are Invigorated
Sysmex’s Compliance Code forbids discrimination and proscribes unjust working conditions. We strive to adhere thoroughly
to these principles and work to ensure fair working conditions and treatment. We also seek to provide labor systems
and a workplace environment in which diverse human resources can maximize their potential and be invigorated.

Respecting Human Rights
and Diversity
Sysmex Group Compliance Code (Excerpt)
7. To Respect Human Rights and to
Improve Occupational Health and Safety
We shall respect the fundamental human rights of eachof the personnel and shall not do any infringing act thereon suchas discrimination, harassment, etc. We shall also endeavor
to improve occupational health and safety and shall not
enforce any unfair labor practice on the personnel.
7-1 Prohibition of discrimination and harassments
We must not conduct discriminatory behaviors with regard
to a person’s sex, age, nationality, race, origin, belief, religion,social status, lineage, illness or physical disability, nor must
we take such behaviors as ignoring the dignity of otherpeople, including such acts as giving sexual harassment,
power harassment, etc.
7-2 Privacy protection
We must acknowledge diversiﬁed sense of values people
have individually, and must respect privacy of eachand every person. Also, we must not unnecessarily disclose
private information we acquire in the course of work
to any other third person and must not try to obtain
private information unnecessarily.
7-3 Elimination of forced labor and child labor
We must not enforce unjust labor by detaining someone
against his or her will. Also, we must not hire children of age
below the minimum age of employment set forth by laws or
regulations enforced in the country of region we operate.
7-4 Assurance of safety and health at workplaces
We must adhere to laws and regulations related to safety
and health so that everyone may work with ease of mind,
and must strive to maintain and enhance mental as well as
physical health of everyone so that safe and comfortableworking environment can be established.

Eliminating Discriminationand Unjust Working Conditions
Sysmex has formulated guidelines describing particularly
important rules and behaviors for compliance with basic
respect for human rights as indicated in “7. To Respect Human
Rights and to Improve Occupational Health and Safety” ofSysmex’s Compliance Code.
This code clariﬁes a variety of discriminatory actions that are
not tolerated; prohibits sexual harassment, power harassmentand other acts that ignore human rights; underscores prohibitions
on child labor and forced or compulsory labor; and seeks toensure a safe and comfortable workplace environment. We also
conduct training programs as needed to ensure the code is put
into practice. In ﬁscal 2012, we held courses dealing with power
harassment for supervisors at the manager level and above.

Training for power harassment performed in fiscal 2012
PeriodSubject

ParticipantsJune, July

Executive Vice Presidents/
Vice Presidents(Including those on loan
to subsidiaries in Japan)

106

October-December

Directors/Managers(Including those on loan
to subsidiaries in Japan)

538

Consultation and Reporting Systems Related
to Human Rights
Sysmex has set up “Campanula Lines” as an internal reporting
system for Group companies in Japan to enable consultation
related to sexual harassment and power harassment, among
other topics. We also have internal reporting systems in placeat Group companies overseas.

Promoting Employment of People
with Disabilities
Sysmex Corporation encourages the employment of people
with disabilities. Targeting long-term employment, we design
working conditions to maximize individuals’ aptitudes and skills.
As of March 2013, our ratio of employment of people
with disabilities was 2.08%, exceeding the legal mandate of 1.8%
as well as our own target of 2.0%. We will continue reinforcing
our eﬀorts in this area.

Employing Seniors—System for Reemploying
Post- Mandatory Retirement Age Workers
Sysmex Corporation’s mandatory retirement age is 60, but wehave in place a system for rehiring until age 65 people who haveretired at the mandatory retirement age and still wish to work.
During ﬁscal 2012, we rehired eight employees who had
retired at the mandatory age according to the terms of ourinternal rules.

OHSAS 18001* Certiﬁcation
Sysmex Brazil has acquired OHSAS 18001 certification,
an international standard for occupational health and safety
management systems.
* OHSAS 18001: This standard, issued in 1999 based on BS 8800,
which was, developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI) in 1996.,
consists of some 30 certiﬁcation bodies and standardization organizations
in various countries.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201316

Employee Evaluation and Treatment
Equitably Evaluating Personnel Based on Abilities
and Accomplishments
Sysmex Corporation values the spirit of independence
and challenge, provides employees with opportunities
for self-fulﬁllment and growth, and rewards them for theiraccomplishments.
Based on the principle of fair treatment, Sysmex’s basic
approach toward evaluation is to “reward employees
for capabilities that contribute to the enhancement of corporate
value as well as for producing accomplishments.” In addition
to evaluating employees for their successes, we evaluate
the processes leading to employee growth (competency
evaluations). To achieve fairness and ensure that employees
understand their evaluations, we show employees their evaluation
results and their superiors’ comments.

Basic Principles of the Personnel
Management System
1) Ensuring long-term employment• Establishing a double-linear-type competence-based rating framethat enables a diversity of employees to maximize their skills,
and providing opportunities for self-realization and growth2) Promoting the development and cultivation of diverse
human resources• Establishing competence-based rating standards and promoting
cultivation of human resources and normalization of careeradvancement through clarification of promotion criteria• Evaluating not only accomplishments but also the processesof producing achievements (realization capability) in orderto promote human resource development and the reformof corporate culture3) Rewarding employees for capabilities that contributeto the enhancement of corporate value as well as
for producing accomplishments• Simplifying the relationship between evaluation and reward.
• Creating a remuneration structure that is easy for everyone
to understand and that rewards employees in accordance with
their contribution, role, competency and accomplishments

Supporting Employee Career Design
Sysmex Corporation has in place a voluntary reporting systemthat employees can use to design their future careers.
Approximately 95% of employees take advantage of this system.
The system aﬀords each employee with the opportunity
to consider their own career directions and life plan, as wellas to aﬀect their own skills development and placement
according to the content of their reports. In ﬁscal 2012,
we provided an improved declaration sheet to gather moredetailed information about employees’ desires. For example,
we added questions that encourage employees to consider
their careers over the medium to long term, as well as questions
related speciﬁcally to the desire to work overseas.

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Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Aiming to Equalize Employment Opportunities
Sysmex Corporation recruits new employees based the evaluationof individuals, without regard for gender, nationality, race, age,
employment history or disability status.
Speciﬁcally, we instituted year-round hiring to oﬀer equal
opportunities to people who had already graduated or hadstudied overseas and therefore might be at a disadvantage.
In ﬁscal 2012, this resulted in our hiring of 50 graduates and six
potential candidates. We also use the internet to conduct
web-based company brieﬁngs and web-based interviews,
enabling us to recruit candidates throughout the world,
including those who are living overseas or in rural partsof Japan. In ﬁscal 2012, we hired nine non-Japanese.

Hiring Contract and Temporary Employees
to Full-Time Positions
Sysmex Corporation actively hires contract employees
and temporary employees as full-time personnel. We have clariﬁed
our internal regulations for hiring people working on limited,
ﬁxed-term contracts, oﬀering them fair opportunities forpromotion. We put this information on our intranet to encouragethorough understanding of these rules. When renewing
temporary employees’ contracts, for employees that meetcertain conditions we notify temporary placement agenciesof the possibility of employing such personnel directly.
Through the ongoing application of these systems, in ﬁscal
2012 we promoted 17 contract and temporary employees
to full-time positions.

Promotions to Full-Time Positions (Sysmex Corporation)
Fiscal 2011

Fiscal 2012

Fiscal 2013*

Contract employees

13

10

11

Temporary employees

10

7

1

Total

23

17

12

* As of April 1, 2013

Focus on Supporting a Work−Life
Balance
Support for Childrearing
Sysmex Corporation oﬀers a variety of systems, such as childcare
leave and shorter work hour systems, to ensure that parents canspend as much time with their children as possible. In supportof childrearing, we allow employees to take accumulated paid leave
to care sick children in addition to oﬀering a ﬂex-time system.
Furthermore, we provide a reemployment system to enable
employees who were forced to suspend their career paths due
to child-raising with opportunities to resume their work.
In ﬁscal 2012, we set up new systems to assist employees
returning from childcare or nursing care leave. (See page 18
for details.) These support systems are explained in clear
terms on the dedicated site on the Company intranet.
These eﬀorts resulted in a 100% rate of return of employees
after childcare leave in ﬁscal 2012.

Users of Systems to Support a Work-Life Balance (ﬁscal 2012)
SystemShorter workhour system forchild rearing

Description

Users

Until the end of third grade ofelementary school

42

Leave ofChild nursing leave prescribed by law,absence system
available after one year of age and(childcare leave,
childbearing leave) up to two years

60

Accumulated
paid leave system

Accumulated paid leave for up to 10
days of annual paid vacation fromprevious years can be taken for childnursing or short-term nursing purposes

33

Reemployment
systemSystem to reemploy people who
previously left the Company forchildcare or nursing-related reasons1In-house
daycare system

Daycare center provides care for
infants and children up to entry intoelementary school, which is available
for full-time or temporary childcare.

40
children

Establishment of In-House Daycare Center
Sysmex Corporation has opened the “Sysmex Kids Park,” an in-house
daycare center, at Technopark, our core R&D facility. The center
takes care of employees’ infant children while they are at work.
The center oﬀers short-term as well as full-time daycare,so that employees whose spouses work on a part-time basis or
who ﬁnd it diﬃcult
to take care of theirchildren due
to caretakers’ illness,

In-house daycare center,
Sysmex Kids Park

bereavement or other circumstances may also temporarily utilize
the service.

Expanding Systems to Provide a Good Working
Environment
In addition to a childcare support system, Sysmex Corporation
has in place a number of other systems to help employees
realize a work−life balance from various perspectives.
We allow employees to use accumulated paid leave
to attend hospital consultations for parents and family members,
as well as to accompany family during hospital stays. We also
oﬀer a reemployment system to assist employees resuming
work after having been forced to suspend their careers due
to nursing needs.
Furthermore, we have introduced a cafeteria-type planthat meets diverse employee needs by enabling them to choose
from a menu of welfare options. We also encourage employees
to take their paid leave so they can unwind.
In ﬁscal 2012, we attached a sample form with a paid
leave requisition to clarify one of our measures to promote
the taking of paid leave. We also posted a system guide on
the intranet so employees could become acquainted with it.

Acquiring a Next-Generation Accreditation MarkIn ﬁscal 2011, Sysmex Corporation
received the next-generation
support certiﬁcation logo (nicknamed“Kurumin”) from the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare for its planned
implementation of systems to support
a work-life balance.

Next-generation support
certification logo (nicknamed“Kurumin”)

Implementation of New Support Systems
In February 2013, Sysmex Corporation implemented
a new support system to facilitate the smooth return
to work of employees who have taken childrearing or
nursing care leave, and the employee is loaned a tablet
Words from an Employee

My Return to Work was
Worry-Free Thanks to
the Return-to-Work
Support System.
Rino Matsuzaki

Quality Management System Department
Sysmex Corporation

or notebook PC that he or she can use to connect to
the Sysmex email system and intranet. Three months
prior to returning to work the employee on leave canbegin viewing “in-house only” company information.
Being cut off from the workplace can be an obstacle
to a later smooth return. However, this set-up allows
the employee to access Company information at homein real-time, and enables better communications withcolleagues through email. This IT-based system helps
the employee get through the leave period without
experiencing the torment of feelings of alienationand loneliness, and also allows the employee to play
an active role at the workplace upon his or her return.

I used the return-to-work support system after taking 18
months of childcare leave. I was concerned after having
been away from work for such a long time, but by using
the PC loaned to me under the system I was able to viewcompany information, and also was able to keep in touchwith my colleagues via email. This allowed me to feel
confident about returning to my job.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201318

Cooperation between Labor andManagement
Aligned to Create a Better Workplace
All full-time employees of Sysmex Corporation, except thoseholding managerial posts and some in back-oﬃce operations, aremembers of the Sysmex Union, the in-house labor union. Sysmex
Corporation and the Sysmex Union work together to develop
systems that help employees to maintain work−life balance.
We conducted collective bargaining in May 2012, with
opinions exchanged concerning the development of personnel
and business skill, diversity promotion and the raising of healthconsciousness. We also held four council meetings between
labor and management, covering topics such as managing
working hours and improving the workplace environment.

Employee Opinions Reﬂected in Management
Sysmex conducts a Corporate Culture Survey of employees of all
Group companies in Japan every two years, and we analyze replies
to questions on over 100 categories to gain an understandingof unspoken rules and values within the organization, as well asof the degree of eﬀectiveness of various measures. This is usefulin discovering and resolving the issues surrounding the Group.
Similar eﬀorts to create structures to reﬂect employee
opinions in management are underway at other Group
companies, such as Sysmex International Reagents, which
introduced the Employee Proposal System.

given training on emergency measures, how to evacuate whenan accident occurs, and how to handle machinery and raw
materials that are potentially dangerous, as well as how to use
an automated external deﬁbrillator (AED). We are also developing
citizen emergency life-saving technicians.
Furthermore, as preparedness measures we conduct
evacuation and ﬁre-ﬁghting drills, as well as on reporting
earthquakes, ﬁres and other disasters in cooperation with local
ﬁre stations. For example, we held large-scale disaster emergency
response drills at Technopark in ﬁscal 2012.

Frequency and Severity of Work-Related Injuries(Sysmex Corporation)
2.0

1.75

1.62

1.61

1.62

1.59

1.5

1.26

1.0
0.5
0

0.96
0.63

0.53
0.01

0.02

0.01

2008

2009

2010

0.22
0.00
2011

0.01
2012

(FY)

Average frequency among all industrial sectors in Japan
Frequency at Sysmex Corporation
Severity at Sysmex Corporation
Notes: Frequency of work-related injuries: the number of employee deaths or
injuries resulting from work-related accidents per million work hours.
Severity of work-related injuries : the ratio of the number of days absent
from work due to work-related injuries per thousand hours worked.

Health and Safety Considerations

Human Resources Development

Maintaining and Improving Employees’ Health

Focusing on HR Development on a Global Basis

Sysmex Corporation encourages employees to undergo
thorough physical examinations and cancer tests for women,in addition to regular health checkups, for the early detectionof illness. We provide channels for health consultations throughout
the Company, and have in place systems where employees canmeet with industrial physicians and public health nurses. We oﬀer
a dedicated channel for mental health consultations with specialized
industrial physicians and have established an employee assistanceprogram (EAP), enabling employees to seek help easily.
As part of our illness prevention initiatives, we provide
speciﬁc insurance guidance within our head oﬃce, which helps
to promote health and raise employee awareness.
We also believe it is important to support employees returning
to work after having taken leave. For example, we have createda system for a gradual return to work that allows employees to takea step-by-step approach to returning after a long leave from work.

Sysmex has in place systems designed to enable all employees
to cultivate expertise and skills on a regular and planned basis.
We also focus on developing global human resources, the coreof our global business, for our management strength.
We introduced the Global Apprentice Program targeting
younger employees in ﬁscal 2011. We solicit participantsinternally for this program, which oﬀers employees
the opportunity to work at overseas subsidiaries and is open
to employees who aim to develop global careers. The objectiveof the program is to foster a core of global personnel within

Occupational Health and Safety
To ensure the health and safety of its workers, Sysmex Corporation
has formulated Safety and Health Regulations. We have alsoestablished a Safety and Health Committee at each of our oﬃces
to foster a safe and good working environment. Employees are

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Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Chiaki Takeuchi of the HU Business Management Dept., who was dispatched
to Sysmex Asia Pacific through the Global Apprentice Program.

the Company. By the end of ﬁscal 2012, a total of seven employees
had been transferred overseas through the program.
We promoted exchanges of Japanese and overseas
personnel in ﬁscal 2012 by instituting the Global Personnel
Exchange Program for strengthening ties through deeper
mutual understanding. (See below for details.)

The global personnel
exchange program

Introducing Extensive Training Programs

Creating an Open Corporate Culture

Sysmex America has been executing educational programsin coordination with outside institutions since 2005. We
offer training programs covering 40 themes that are strongly
connected to Sysmex’s business, and have achieved a 90%
satisfaction level among employees who have enrolled.
In addition to group training, we also have madeapproximately 180 types of e-learning program available.
In addition, we have created a scholarship funding program forproviding up to $5,250 in financial support to employees
pursuing self-directed study at outside institutions.
In addition to the above, Sysmex America is also
cultivating business leaders through our Mini MBA Program,in which enrollees sharpen basic skills, such as finance andmanagement, analyze Sysmex’s issues and strengths overa period of three-months or more, and make recommendations.

Sysmex Europe creates many opportunities forcommunication among employees, such as marketing
meetings, function meetings, and unit meetings. Eachseason brings events in which all employees canparticipate, as well as a Christmas party, all of whichconstitute good chances for in-house communication.
Sysmex Europe has also adopted an open-door policy,
and encourages employees to speak frankly with managers.

Employee
event

Mini MBA
Program
graduates

Global Personnel Exchange Program
In November 2012, our Group companies in America, Canada,
and Brazil dispatched eight employees to Japan for about
two weeks, where they visited the Sysmex businessoffices and got to know their counterparts in Japan.

High Marks in the Employee
Satisfaction Survey
For the first time Sysmex Europe took part in a benchmark study
on quality and attractiveness of workplace culture alongwith over 400 companies in the form of a survey by a German
researcher. In the survey, 90 percent of our employees confirm
that Sysmex Europe is a very good place to work, landing Sysmex
Europe among Germany's Best Employers in 2012.

Global Personnel Exchange(experiencing
a tea ceremony)

Global Personnel Exchange (office tour)
Employees of Sysmex Europe, selected as one of Germany’s Best
Employers in 2012

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201320

The Environment

Promoting Environmental Activities to Reach
Our Long-Term Environmental Objectives
In the Sysmex Group Environmental Action Plan (Sysmex Eco-Vision 2020), we have set forth our long-term environmental
objectives, including environmental consciousness in product life cycle processes and environmental consciousness at business oﬃces.
We have also established mid-term environmental objectives from ﬁscal 2013 to 2015 and we are working to achieve these goals.

Environmental Management
Environmental Policy
By shaping the advancement of healthcare, our global
environmental conservation activities contribute to the creationof a fulfilling and healthy society.

Core behavior

1. We deliver reassurance to all people by carrying out businessactivities in an environmentally conscious manner.
2. We strive to provide eco-friendly products and services while
giving careful thought of environmental issues throughout
their life cycles.
3. We strive to conserve energy and resources, reduce wastes,
promote recycle and properly control chemical substancesin all business activities.
4. We comply with all applicable national or regional
environmental regulations, standards and agreements.
5. We continually improve our environmental conservation
activities and work diligently prevent pollution and minimize
the impact our products have on the environment.
6. We contribute to society through environmental conservation
activities as a member of the community, while educating
and raising the environmental consciousness.
7. We establish environmental objectives and targets consistent
with this environmental policy, and measure our performanceagainst them.
Revised May 2009

Acquiring ISO 14001 Certiﬁcation
Sysmex is working toward the acquisition of ISO 14001,
the international standard for environmental
management, for the Group as a whole.
Sysmex Asia Paciﬁc acquired thiscertiﬁcation in April 2012. As a result,
all Sysmex factories in Japan as well
as ﬁve of seven overseas locations
have received ISO 14001 certiﬁcation,bringing the total to 17 sites. We aremoving forward with eﬀorts to acquirecertiﬁcation at Sysmex Wuxi andISO 14001 certificate(Sysmex Asia Pacific)
Jinan Sysmex, as well.

ISO 14001 Certiﬁed Sites
Company Name

Sysmex Corporation

Sysmex International
Reagents
Sysmex Medica
Sysmex RA

Sysmex Corporation and Sysmex International Reagents are
establishing policies and plans, managing the progressof planned activities, and evaluating their resultsin the Environmental Management Committee chairedby a senior executive oﬃcer.
In ﬁscal 2012, while continuing to grapple withthe fundamental issues of the Sysmex Group Environmental
Action Plan (Sysmex Eco-Vision 2020), we consolidated
the issues categorized as “environmentally conscious products
and services” and “environmentally conscious operations”
and revised the targets. We also established mid-term
environmental objectives (ﬁscal 2013–2015), and made possible
mid-term evaluation of the degree of achievement of these goals.
Sysmex has also appointed an environmental manager
in each Group company in Japan and overseas, thus establishinga system to collect groupwide activity informationand environmental performance data.

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Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Acquired in
April 2000

Technopark

February 2002

Head oﬃce

February 2002

Solution Center

November 2005

Ono Factory

March 2001

Seishin Factory

June 2007—

March 2001—

June 2008

Neumünster Factory

November 1999

Head oﬃce

October 2011

Sysmex Deutschland—

October 2011

Sysmex Brazil—

May 2006

Sysmex America—

December 2009

Sysmex Reagents America—

December 2009

Sysmex New Zealand—

May 2011

Sysmex India—

March 2012

Sysmex Asia Paciﬁc—

April 2012

Sysmex Europe

Promoting Environmental Activities

Site
Kakogawa Factory

Conducting Environmental Auditing
In ﬁscal 2012, Sysmex Corporation and Sysmex International
Reagents evaluated overall compliance through a seriesof self-assessments conducted by individual divisions themselves
and internal environmental auditing performed by auditors
in other divisions. External environmental auditing was also
carried out by a third-party auditing organization.
The internal environmental audits found ﬁve nonconformities,
while the external environmental audits discovered two. Corrective
actions for these nonconformities were promptly completed.

Sysmex Group Environmental Action Plan
(Sysmex Eco-Vision 2020)/ Mid-term Environmental Objectives
Sysmex Eco-Vision 2020
Long-term Environmental
Objectives (FY2020)(Revised Edition)

Mid-term Environmental
Objectives(FY 2013 – 2015)

Activities/Achievements in FY 2012

Promote eco-friendly products
and service models

Promote eco-friendly products
and service models• Promoted efforts toward RoHS directive compliance• Promoted product development for reduced power
consumption• Promoted a switchover of protein raw materials usedin reagents from animal derivatives to artificiallysynthesized protein• Promoted reduction in materials used in productcontainers and packaging• Promoted expansion of remote service in Asian
regions for CO2 emissions reduction throughimproved service efficiency

Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
for logistics by 50% (per unit of
freight ton-km: Japan domestic andinter-regional transportation)*1

Reduce carbon dioxide emissions
for logistics by 30% (per unit of
freight ton-km: Japan domestic and • Promoted modal shift from air to ocean transport forexports to Indonesia and other countries
inter-regional transportation)*1

Environment
consciousness
in product life
cycle process

Base year: FY2010

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
at business offices by 50%(per unit of consolidated sales)*2Base year: FY2008

Base year: FY2010

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
at business offices by 25%(per unit of consolidated sales)*2Base year: FY2008

Environment
consciousness
at businessoﬃces
Achieve a recycle rate of 93%
or higher at all business offices*3

Achieve a recycle rate of 90%
or higher at all business offices*3

Reduce water usage at reagent
factories by 10% (per unit ofamount of production)*4

Reduce water usage at reagent
factories by 3% (per unit ofamount of production)*4

Base year: FY2008

Base year: FY2008• Installed equipment (including thorough air
conditioning controls, installation of energy efficient
fluorescent and LED lighting, placement of occupancy
sensors in the toilets) as measures against global
warming (each business office)• Reduced the number of production line processes
through automation (Sysmex International Reagents)• Purchased electricity from power companies using
renewables (Sysmex Europe)• Reduced CO2 emissions by using solar power (Sysmex
Europe Neumünster Factory)• Conducted review of waste disposal companies(Solution Center)• Began recycling contracting for fluorescent tubes, etc.
(Solution Center)• Installed water purifying equipment (Jinan Sysmex)• Reused industrial waste water after treatment(Sysmex India)* 1 Sysmex Corporation* 2 Business oﬃces: All Factories and major business sites

Twelve domestic and overseas Group factories (ﬁve in Japan; one each in Germany, the United States and Brazil; two in China; one each in India and Singapore)
Seven domestic and overseas Group oﬃces (four in Japan; one each in Germany, the United States, China and Singapore)* 3 Business oﬃces: All Factories and major business sites that product and/or chemical substances are handled

Twelve domestic and overseas Group factories (ﬁve in Japan; one each in Germany, the United States and Brazil; two in China; one each in India and Singapore)Six domestic and overseas Group oﬃces (two in Japan; one each in Germany, the United States, China and Singapore)* 4 Reagent factories (nine sites)

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201322

Reducing the Use of Substanceswith Environmental Impact
Conforming with Regulations
Application of the revised RoHS Directive* (which was amended
in July 2011) to Sysmex’s diagnostic instruments and diagnostic
instruments for animals begins from July 2016. To meetthe stipulations of the revised RoHS Directive, Sysmex is adjusting
its design and production processes for products shipped to Europe.

* RoHS Directive: A directive prohibiting the use of hazardous substances inelectrical and electronic devices sold in the European Union. This directive calls
for the cessation of use of heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury and hexavalentchromium) and specified bromine-containing flame retardants (PBB and PBDE).

Developing Smaller, More Energy-Eﬃcient
Products
To help our customers save energy, we are pursuing eﬀorts
to develop diagnostic instruments that are smaller and use evenless electricity.
We are also reducing packaging weight and using eﬃcient
packing methods to reduce environmental impact when products
are shipped.

Establishing Eco-Friendly Diagnostic Reagent
Raw Material Production
Sysmex has established a method of producing from silkworms
the proteins used as raw materials in its diagnostic reagents.
Our protein production contracting service business using
this technology has also been fully operational since ﬁscal
2012, and we are already taking orders from a number ofpharmaceutical companies.
In the past, proteins were cultivated with equipment suchas tanks to control for environmental factors (such as sterility,
temperature and oxygen concentrations), using cells frommammals and other animals; the new approach reduces
energy consumption substantially. As silkworms can becultivated at room temperature, simply by using shelves
and breeding containers and providing them with food,
we anticipate energy savings and waste reduction.

Eco-Friendly Service
Promoting Eco-Friendly Service Models
Sysmex is lowering environmental impact by making service
more eﬃcient.
For example, in addition to expanding the functionsof the Customer Support Center, we are minimizing downtime
for diagnostic instruments in use by constructing the Sysmex
Network Communication System (SNCS, see page 32 fordetails) to maintain interactive communication with customers.
This system leads to reduced visits to customer sites by
our employees, allowing reductions in the amounts of gasoline
used by company cars and the amounts of CO2 emitted by them.

Reducing Domestic CO2 Emissions for Logistics
We are also promoting eﬀorts to reduce CO2 emissions
generated in logistics processes. For logistics operations inJapan, we revised transportation routes to make them more
eﬃcient, and as a result, CO2 emissions from transportation
within Japan were down approximately 9% in ﬁscal 2012
compared with the previous ﬁscal year.
To reduce emissions resulting from exports from Japan,
we conducted a modal shift from air to sea freight for
instruments shipped to Indonesia. As a result, CO2 emissions
generated through transportation to the Asia-Paciﬁc region
were down approximately 29% year on year. In contrast,
air shipments to Europe increased due to a sudden increasein demand, resulting in an approximately 38% increase in CO2emissions year on year for exports overall.
Nonetheless, due to our eﬀorts to make packaging more
eﬃcient, when viewed in terms of ton-kilometer* units ourdomestic and intra-regional logistics CO2 emissions were
down approximately 7% year on year.

* Ton-kilometer: A unit of freight carriage equal to the transportation of one
metric ton of freight one kilometer. For example, one metric ton of freighttransported one kilometer is expressed as “one ton-kilometer.”

FY2011FY2012

Within Japan

1,256t-CO2

1,145t-CO2

Exports

3,279t-CO2

4,528t-CO2

Environment consciousness atbusiness offices
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
at Business Oﬃces
Silkworms to produce proteins

23

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

We are promoting various measures at each site, in orderto reduce greenhouse gas emissions at our business oﬃces.
At all our business oﬃces, including our factories, wehave introduced thorough building temperature controls,insulated and applied reﬂective coatings to the roof, andinstalled energy-eﬃcient ﬂuorescent and LED lighting. Sysmex
International Reagents has also reduced its production line
processes through automation.

While production area expansion has in some cases causeda large increase in power used, the eﬀorts described above haveresulted in a year-on-year reduction in greenhouse gas emissions(per unit of consolidated sales) of approximately 0.2%.

CO2 emissions from logistics(t-CO2)(t-CO2/ton-kilometers)

0.14

10,000

0.15

0.13

0.12

7,500

5,400

5,000

4,031

2,500

2010

Japan

1,145

1,256
2011

Overseas

4,528

3,279

1,369

0

0.10

5,674

4,535

2012

0.05
0

(ﬁscal year)

Ton-kilometers per unit

Note: Range of calculation is CO2 from Japanese factory to Japanese customer and thatto overseas seaport or airport

Greenhouse gas emissions at business oﬃces(t-CO2)

LED lighting (Ono Factory)

30,000

Reducing Waste at Business Oﬃces

22,500We are continuously making eﬀorts to increase our recycling
rate, such as by reviewing waste disposal companies.
We proceeded with eﬀorts at each site in ﬁscal 2012, suchas reviewing waste disposal companies at the Solution Centerand initiating recycling of ﬂuorescent lighting and other items.
Also, Sysmex Wuxi made eﬀorts to reduce waste, forexample, by reusing the PE bags used for materials packaging
in the production and development process, and reusing themas household trash bags.
Through such eﬀorts, the Group’s recycling rate for ﬁscal
2012 rose to 89.5% from 87.9% last year.

15,000

Reducing Water Use and Processing Wastewater
Appropriately at Business Oﬃces
We are working to improve eﬃciency and reduce water use
volume.
Jinan Sysmex installed new, high-eﬃciency water
purifying equipment. At Sysmex India, all factory wastewateris puriﬁed and used to water the greenery around the facility.
As a result of such eﬀorts, water use (per unit of output)
in ﬁscal 2012 was down approximately 3% year on year.

(t-CO2/¥100 million)

12.0

9.53

7,500
0

8.65

8.63

11,881
4,441

11,651
4,517

12,556
5,106

7,439

7,134

7,450

2010

Japan

2012

2011

Overseas

9.0
6.0
3.0
0

(ﬁscal year)

Unit of sales

Note: Range of calculation is as described on page 22.

Business oﬃce recycling rate
(%)

100.0

88.2

87.9

89.5

2010

2011

2012

75.0
50.0
25.0
0

(ﬁscal year)

Note: Range of calculation is as described on page 22.

Water use at reagent factories(thousand m3)

400(m3/1,000 boxes)

22.0

21.5

200

217

300
200
100

2010
Japan

Overseas

12.0

60

63

0

18.0

239
157

137

24.0

20.8

171
68
2012

2011

6.0
0

(ﬁscal year)

Unit of amount of production

Note: Range of calculation is as described on page 22.

Using post-treatment factory wastewater to water the greenery (Sysmex India)

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201324

Others
Reducing CO2 Emissions from Domestic
Company Cars
To reduce CO2 emissions from some 400 company cars inJapan, we are engaged in eﬀorts such as using the intranet tomake the distance traveled by each car and the amount of gas
used “visible,” while seeking to raise driver consciousness.
We are also introducing eco-cars and hybrid cars into the ﬂeet.
These eﬀorts resulted in an approximately 3%
year-on-year reduction in CO2 emissions from our domestic
ﬂeet of company cars in ﬁscal 2012.

Supporting Establishment of Environmental
Management Systems by Suppliers
Sysmex has formulated green procurement standards designed
to raise the environmental consciousness of its suppliers.
We also disclose on our website the chemical substancesthat we limit or reduce in our products. We ask our suppliersof parts and raw materials for their cooperation in this regard.
In ﬁscal 2012 we conducted a survey of 302 suppliers toinquire their status of chemical substances management.
We conﬁrmed that no major environmental issues had arisen.

Reducing Materials for Containers

resulting in a reduction in packing material volume for those
products of approximately 26%. Sysmex Wuxi has taken steps
to reduce packing materials, such as changing the material
used for clinical chemistry product boxes and eliminating
shrink wrap.

Carefully Managing and Appropriately Disposingof Substances with Infection Potential
Sysmex International Reagents uses bio-based materials forthe manufacture of products, and such materials are used at
Technopark as experimental materials for research anddevelopment. As these substances have infection potential,
all appropriate precautions are taken in their handling.
Our instruction manuals call for strict management of thesematerials, and restrict the means of storage and locations
where they are used. Furthermore, these substances arecarefully segregated from general waste for proper disposal.

Using Tablets to Reduce Paper Use
Sysmex Corporation has introduced tablet computers
to promote paperless meetings. This approach reduces paper
use and waste volumes, as well as eliminating such processes
as printing and distributing documents prior to meetings.
Meeting eﬃciency is also improved, as data can be
distributed digitally to meeting participants beforehand.

We are working to reduce the amounts of materials forcontainers for instruments, reagents and repair partsin an eﬀort to reduce the weight of materials used. In ﬁscal 2012,
we revised the packing containers for nine types of reagent,Green Procurement Standards
1. Objectives
In accordance with its environmental policy, the Sysmex Group
strives to fulfill its corporate social responsibility by promoting
global environment conservation. Accordingly, we endeavor topromote the manufacture of environmentally friendly products
by encouraging the procurement of raw materials and parts
that have low impact on the global environment. These standards
have been formulated to cultivate proactive environmental
conservation activities among our suppliers and enable us
to work together toward the development of a sustainable society.
2. Green Procurement Initiatives
We practice “green procurement” to ensure that our
procurement activities promote a reductionin the environmental impact of the Company’s products
and reduce the environmental impact of all production activities,
including those of our suppliers. We promote the two items
below as specific green procurement initiatives.
1) Promote the procurement of raw materials and parts
that have lower environmental impact.
2) Expand business with suppliers that take a proactive approach
toward environmental conservation.

25

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

3. Scope of Application
These standards apply to the procurement of materials, partsand products by Sysmex Group companies.
4. Control of Chemical Substances in Products
The Sysmex Group requires the selection of materials and parts
for the products it develops and produces to be based not only
on the requisite quality, performance and economic feasibility,
but also on the minimization of environmental impact.
Therefore, materials and parts that do not employ the chemical
substances described below shall be adopted:
1) Substances prohibited according to restrictions on chemical
substances contained in products shall not be contained .
2) Those in which the chemical substance amounts defined
under restrictions on chemical substances containedin products shall be monitored.
3) Those for which the environmental impact of the chemical
substance in terms of atmospheric pollution, water contamination,soil pollution, etc. shall be low.
4) Environmental impact data for materials shall be disclosed.
5) In relation to packaging materials, when all of
the aforementioned factors are identical, that with the lowest
volume of contained chemical substances shall be selected.

Actively Using Natural Energy to Reduce CO2 Emissions
A strong sense of environmental awareness exists in Europe, so Sysmex Group companies in Europe engage
in eco-friendly efforts in response to community demand.

Reducing Environmental Impact
More than anything else, Europe today demands companies
reduce environmental impact across the entire rangeof their business. Sysmex Group companies in Europe aregiving their all to meet the expectations of the community.

Efforts in Germany
Sysmex Europe is making all efforts to switch to renewableforms of energy, such as water, wind, geothermal heat,and sunlight. Photovoltaic systems are being installedat our own factories, and we are entering into renewableenergy power supply agreements with power companies
in an effort to increase our ratio of renewables-derived
power purchased.
We have been actively implementing effective power
use measures, such as the full-scale launch of a heatrecovery system, since fiscal 2012. We are also using
eco-cars in our company fleet. Another way we broadly
reduced CO2 emissions was to move the reagent warehousecloser to the Neumünster factory, cutting the distance byaround 90 km.

Photovoltaic System (Sysmex Europe Neumünster factory)

Wind
Power
Water
Power

Renewable Energy Geothermal
Heat
Sunlight

Efforts in France
Sysmex France operates an ISO 14001-based environmental
management system to reduce environmental impact.
In addition to curbing waste emissions and practicing waste
separation, the company has reduced annual per-vehicle
fuel consumption by 5%, and promotes “eco-driving.”
Sysmex France has also succeeded in reducing usedpaper volume by switching to a lighter gauge of paperand encouraging two-sided printing.

Eco-car using natural gas(Sysmex Europe)

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201326

Environmental Impact of Business Activities
INPUT
Fiscal 2011

Fiscal 2012

26,64328,154

1

Electricity use (thousands kWh)

1

City gas (thousands m3)

801

956

1

LPG (m3)

8,317

5,337

1

LNG (m3)—

0

1

Heavy oil (kL)

—

0

1

Kerosene (kL)

58

62

1

Diesel (kL)

59

19

4

Gasoline for domestic fleet (kL)

775

748

4

Diesel for domestic fleet (kL)

2.6

3.3

3

Water use (thousands m3)

315

332

5

Office paper (t)

52

49

4

PRTR (t)9.1

7.2

Sysmex’s businessactivities

DesignProduction

Transportation

Use

Disposal

OUTPUT

1
2
3
4
5

27

Fiscal 2011

Fiscal 2012

Greenhouse gas emissions from businessoffices (t-CO2)
CO2 emissions from domestic company
cars (t-CO2)

11,97915,988

1,806

1,746

2

Total waste emissions (t)

1,184

1,164

2

Recycling rate (%)

87.2

89.2

3

Wastewater volume (thousands m3)

128

144

4

PRTR (t)

0.6

0.7

1

CO2

4

CO2

All Sysmex Corporation business oﬃces, subsidiaries in Japan, factories and regional
headquarters
All Sysmex Corporation business oﬃces (excluding branches and sales oﬃces in recycling rate)
and factories
Sysmex Corporation business oﬃces and factories handling products and chemical substances
All Sysmex Corporation business oﬃces and factories in Japan
Sysmex Corporation and Sysmex International Reagents oﬃces that have acquired ISO 14001
certiﬁcation

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

* Note: We have revised the scope of data in ﬁscal 2012, as indicated atleft. We have revised the data for ﬁscal 2011 according, and as a result
ﬁgures in some categories will diﬀer from those contained in
the Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012. Also, emission factors forthe volume of greenhouse gases emitted employ emissions factors
announced annually by electricity providers, so emission factors usedin ﬁscal 2012 diﬀer from those used for ﬁscal 2011.

Fair Operating Practices

Pursuing Fair Business Practices with Business Partners
To ensure the fairness of its business activities, Sysmex makes a thorough eﬀort to work against corruption such as
extortion and briery and ensure ethics compliance. We also strive to promote CSR activities throughout the entire value
chain, as we strive to maintain favorable relationships with suppliers, distributors and other business partners.

Anti-Corruption

Respecting Property Rights

Encouraging Fair Transactions in Accordancewith Promotion Codes

Preventing Infringement of Other Companies’
Intellectual Property Rights

Sysmex is striving to prevent corruption based on the 10th principleof the Global Compact, that “Businesses should work against
corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.”Sysmex Corporation has established a Sysmex Promotion
Code (SPC), which stipulates the core behaviors for preventing
bribery and other inappropriate acts and maintaining fair trade.
The Fair Trade Promotion Committee, established in ﬁscal 2008,
oversees training and conducts surveys on an ongoing basis
in an eﬀort to bolster employee awareness of SPC compliance.
We revised the SPC in April 2012, adding operational rules
on providing food, drinks and entertainment to clinical professionals.
We also conducted training sessions concerning the new
operating rules and SPC-related case studies, and tested
employee understanding of the SPC in October.

Dedicated to intellectual property management, Sysmex strives
to protect and utilize its own intellectual property rights,
as well as to prevent infringements on the intellectual property
rights of other companies.
Each new product development project involves a patent
review to decide what patents to apply for to protect our own
intellectual property and review third parties’ intellectual
property information. As a part of this review, a patentapplication study committee is convened, where Intellectual
Property members and R&D engineers draw up patentapplication policies and plans for technologies underdevelopment. At the same time, the committee investigatesthe status of third-party intellectual property rights, thereby
minimizing any risks associated with intellectual property.
In ﬁscal 2012 we implemented patent reviews even after
product launch, and we are using the results of such reviewsin subsequent product concepts.
In ﬁscal 2012, we ﬁled 100 patent applications in Japanand 195 overseas. As of March 31, 2013, patent holdings in Japan
totaled 624, with 899 overseas. Six of our patent applications
were environment-related.

Anti-Corruption Education Conducted in Fiscal 2012
Theme:
Period:Subject:
Theme:
Period:Subject:“New operational rules on providing food, drinks andentertainment” and “Transparency guidelines”* e-learning
July−August
Employees involved in product promotions (about 1,600
employees)
SPC case studies
Throughout the year
Departments involved in product promotion

Security Export Control
Establishing a Security Export Control Structure
Sysmex strives to reinforce its security export control system
based on the Security Export Control Regulations, thoroughly
verifying the destinations and purposes of our exports.
At each department in Japan, a security export control
manager is appointed to take responsibility for ensuring
security export control and employee training on the issue
at his or her department. In ﬁscal 2012, we implemented
a companywide e-learning program on the themes of Security
Export Control Regulations and Export Administration
Regulations in the United States.
We are also making progress in implementing systems forcooperation with regional headquarters and make our controls
more eﬃcient to strengthen the groupwide control structure.

R&D Ethics Compliance
Establishing a Committee Including
Outside Members
Being involved in clinical research and development and humangenome and genetic analysis research, Sysmex has adopted
the Ethics Regulations on Clinical Research and Development
and Human Genome and Genetic Analysis Research, whosebasic policies include respect of human dignity and thoroughprotection of personal information. Sysmex has alsoestablished a Research Ethics Examination Committee,
which includes outside members such as legal and science experts,
in order to review research content.
The list of committee members and examination results
are disclosed on our website, thus ensuring transparency.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201328

CSR Promotion
throughout the Value Chain
Procurement Policies
To contribute to healthcare through the supply of superior
products
To achieve mutual growth and development based on mutual
trust with business partners
Better partnerships
Fair, transparent procurement
Compliance with applicable laws, confidentiality
Environmental considerations

Holding Quality Policy Brieﬁngs
We create opportunities to meet with suppliers and briefthem on the course of our business and purchasing policy,
thereby forging even stronger relationships with them.
In August 2012, we held a Quality Policy Brieﬁng that was
attended by 158 people from 74 companies. We introduced ourbusinesses and quality improvement eﬀorts at the brieﬁng,
and asked for their cooperation.

Aiming to Improve the Qualityof Supplied Parts and Raw Materials
To supply products with reliable quality to customers
in a stable manner, it is essential to maintain and improve
the quality of supplied parts and raw materials. We prepareda Quality Assurance Agreement that deﬁnes the quality
requirements in 2009, and after also preparing a handbook
to improve understanding of the content we have since beenconcluding this agreement with suppliers.
We also provide suppliers with a checklist that allows
them to self-check their quality management system, and we
conduct new transaction inspections and audits to help them
improve quality . We audited 19 instrument parts suppliersand 15 reagent materials suppliers in ﬁscal 2012.

Fostering Compliance Awarenessin the Procurement Process
In order to comply with the Act against Delay in Payment of
Subcontract Proceeds, Etc., to Subcontractors, Sysmex provides
education through companywide e-learning. In addition, weestablished the Sysmex Trade Mission (STM), an electronicpurchasing system for prevention of unreasonable payment
reductions and refunds. Each year, we also provide training
on the system. In ﬁscal 2012, 29 people underwent this training,
including new employees assigned to R&D departments.

In Distributor Relationships,
Focusing on the Key Issue of Compliance

Quality policy briefing

29

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Sysmex rigorously ensures compliance to build sustainable
and fruitful partnerships with its distributors. We prohibit
employees from abusing any dominant bargaining position,oﬀering excessive entertainment, presents or the like when
dealing with distributors. At the same time, we take advantage
of opportunities presented by product brieﬁngs, which are heldon occasions such as new launches, to share our policies
and activities with our distributors, helping them to deepen
their understanding of the importance of compliance.
We engage in continuous communications with ouroverseas distributors through regular meetings at their locations
as well as teleconferencing and meetings.

Consumer Issues

Pursuing Quality and Satisfaction That Exceed Expectations
While attending to constant improvement of the quality of our products and services, Sysmex is endeavoring to createa system that allows us to ensure that customers can conﬁdently use such products with safety and ease. We aim
to provide satisfaction that exceeds expectations by deepening our understanding of “what customers truly want.”

Quality Assurance

strengthening our response to product regulations
and the quality assurance system.

*1 ISO 13485: Quality management system for the design and manufacture

Quality Policyof medical devices

By shaping the advancement of healthcare, our global businessactivities contribute to the creation of a fulﬁlling and healthy society.

*2 EMEA: Europe, the Middle East, Africa

Core behavior
1. We understand our customer’s needs, and provide products
and solutions that meet or exceed their expectations.
2. We act based on our customer’s viewpoints by realizing that
“Quality is customer satisfaction”.
3. We seek to reassure our customers by establishing the highest
quality assurance standards and using them to enhance thequality of all aspects of our business.
4. We continually create innovative value for our stakeholders
by developing and applying new and unique technologies
and knowledge.
5. We comply with all relevant national or regional regulations
and standards to provide safe products.

Global RAQA Meeting

6. We maintain and continually improve the eﬀectiveness of
our quality management system.

Ensuring Product Quality

7. We establish quality objectives consistent with this quality
policy, and measure our performance against them.
Revised in May 2007

Building a Global Quality Management System
Sysmex has constructed a system to ensure compliancewith laws and regulations around the world basedon the “Sysmex Corporation Quality Compliance Policy,”
and we act accordingly.
All Group companies involved in development and production
have acquired certiﬁcations for ISO 9001 and ISO 13485*1
quality management system. As of March 31, 2013, 28 of the 46
Sysmex Group companies had acquired ISO 9001 certiﬁcation,with 14 Group companies also having acquired ISO 13485
certiﬁcation.
Sysmex also conducts management reviews and quality
audits of quality activities at its principal Group companies
to conﬁrm that the management system is operating properly.
We have established quality policy training for all employees,
as well as quality training matching departmental work
type/level and regional needs.
In addition, once a year we hold the Global RAQA
(regulatory aﬀairs/quality assurance) Meeting, at which Quality
Assurance Department managers from Sysmex Corporation,
the regional headquarters in the Americas, EMEA*2, China, and
the Asia Paciﬁc region, and aﬃliates gather to share information,

Used in clinical testing, Sysmex’s products play a vital rolein protecting people’s lives and good health. Being fully awareof this responsibility, Sysmex is making constant eﬀorts
to maintain and improve product quality by building various
systems, not to mention complying with safety standards
around the world at the design and development stages.
In the product development stage, we verify productquality by setting ﬁve “quality gates” in the process leading up
to market launch. Also, when we market products that are
manufactured by others, we verify their quality by conducting
periodic audits of the manufacturers and meticulously
inspecting the products.
The Sysmex global quality complaint processing system,
which was implemented in April 2011, allows us to gather quality
information in a timely way from markets around the world. When
we receive information about a bug or malfunction, we immediately
look into the cause and cease distribution of the product. We arealso constructing an e-document control system that will be usefulin responding to regulations and improving work quality.
Furthermore, in ﬁscal 2012 we strengthened the Group’s
structures for dealing with pharmaceutical laws and regulations
to respond to the pharmaceutical-related regulatory systems of all
countries, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA*),and expanded our product lineup.

* FDA: This U.S. government agency is dedicated to the approval and regulationof food products, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical instruments and otheritems. It evaluates product safety and eﬃcacy, regulates clinical trials
and performs other similar functions.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201330

Safety and Quality Information

After-Sales Support

Collection and Repair Information Posted on
Our Website

Responding to Inquiries Rapidly and Responsibly

Sysmex posts information about product collection and repair
on its website under “Important Product Notices.” No voluntarycollection and repair occurred in ﬁscal 2012.

Sharing Customer Feedback on Product Quality
and Safety within the Company
At Sysmex, information on product quality and safety is centrally
controlled at the Vigilance Division.
This division investigates and analyzes such informationfrom customers, and feeds their analysis results to relevant
customers while also sharing them with design, manufacturing
and other related functions, so that these ﬁndings may be applied
to quality improvement and product development.

In Japan, Sysmex Corporation maintains a Customer Support
Center, where experienced staﬀ members with expert knowledge
cater to customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (separate
agreement required). By creating a database containing
maintenance histories and the details of past inquiries from
customers to ensure quick reference, the center responds toinquiries and requests both quickly and carefully.
We also maintain customer service contacts at
our regional headquarters in the Americas, EMEA*, China
and the Asia Paciﬁc region.

* EMEA: Europe, the Middle East, Africa

Product Quality and Vigilance Control System
Patients

Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare

Medical technologists andother clinical professionals

Gatheringof Efficacy/
SafetyInformation

Provisionof medical
information

Sales reps

Pharmaceuticals andMedical Devices Agency

Proper testing/diagnosis

Efficacy/Safety
Information

Gatheringof Efficacy/
SafetyInformation

Customer
Information

DirectreportingInstructions/guidance
Information
provision,
response

Information
provision,
response
Gathering

Information provision/transmission
Gathering of Efficacy
and Safety Information

Customer Support Center

ReportingInformation
Sharing,
cooperation

Vigilance
Division

Partners bothin Japanand Abroad

Information
Sharing,
Subsidiaries
cooperation and affiliates

outside ofJapan• Literatures bothfrom Japan andabroad• Academic
Gathering Information• Research Data
• Information on
new developments

Inquiries to Customer Support Center
Complaints
0.2%

Consultations on data
3.1%

Others12.4%

Inquiries on operatingprocedures
4.9%
Inquiries on quality
control
3.7%
Inquiries on products
6.7%

Total forﬁscal 2012:

95,612

Requests forrepairs /maintenance
69.1%

Sysmex Group31

Calling Attention to Counterfeit Reagents

Supporting Customers’ Quality Control
on a Daily Basis

To assure accurate testing results, Sysmex asks its customers
at healthcare facilities to use Sysmex-branded instruments
and reagents together. In recent years, however, reagents
disguised as Sysmex reagents have been found in circulation
in some Asian countries. The use of such counterfeit
reagents cannot guarantee the reliability of testing results
and, in some cases, can be harmful to patients’ health.
Sysmex continuously monitors markets for counterfeit
reagents. When they are discovered, we seek cooperation fromlocal governments and, when necessary, we bring cases to court.

At hospitals and other healthcare facilities, instrument
precision is controlled to maintain consistent testing datareliability. In most cases, the condition of instruments ischecked by comparing the measurement results of materials
known as “control samples” with reference values and results
on a daily basis.
Sysmex supports quality control by providing control
materials. Customer instruments are connected to the Customer
Support Center via our online Sysmex Network Communication
Systems (SNCS). Measured values of control samples sent via

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

the SNCS from customer instruments are received
by the Customer Support Center, which detects signsof abnormalities and returns the analysis results to the customer.
As with quality control, SNCS also contributes to instrument
failure prediction and preventive maintenance. We will continue
to strengthen our remote maintenance support by utilizing this“predict and prevent” support service and network.

Instruments Registered with the On-Line Quality
Control Service (worldwide)(Units)
25,00023,82919,43620,00016,59515,00010,00013,464
10,659Customer Satisfaction Surveys in Each Region
Sysmex Group companies in each region are also focusedon understanding customer needs.
For example Sysmex Shanghai, the subsidiary in China,
conducts an annual customer satisfaction survey, and Sysmex
Wuxi also conducts a similar survey in the support of Sysmex
Shanghai’s service department. The information acquired throughthese surveys is shared with all the departments within
the companies, and is used to improve products and services.
Jinan Sysmex was commended as a Grade A Trusted Medical
Device Manufacturer by the Jinan Food & Drug Administrationin June 2012. The Food & Drug Administration surveys allcompanies involved in medical device manufacturingin Shandong Province and evaluates factors such as treatmentof employees and compliance with standards and regulations.
A total of 10 companies received the commendation.

5,000
0

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012 (Fiscal year)

Selected as No. 1 in Customer
Satisfaction Survey
In the IVD Service Monitor 2012, an annual survey of five major
companies handling hematology analyzers in Germany, Sysmex
Europe was chosen No. 1 in customer satisfaction survey forthe second year in a row.

Providing Products and Services with Increasing
Customer Satisfaction
Sysmex distributes questionnaires to attendees at the
symposiums and exhibitions it participates in throughout Japan,
in which the Company asks about dissatisfaction or suggestions
for improvement in dealing with customers. We also conduct
surveys about the functions and operating procedures of our
new products. The results of these surveys are provided
as feedback to the relevant departments, and are used
to improve products and customer relations.
In addition to such eﬀorts, we are also creating a customer
relationship management (CRM) system that can comprehensively
manage a variety of data about each customer, to enable a moreindividualized approach to customer service.

Stable Supply of Reagents
Ensuring Accurate In Vitro Diagnostics,
Which Is Indispensable to Treatment
Sysmex is expanding support structures and facilities to ensurestable product supplies. In ﬁscal 2012, we completed upgrades
to the Ono Factory, increasing the factory’s production capacity
to 1.5 times its previous level. We also rebuilt the reagent
production factory in Jinan, enabling it to respond ﬂexibly todemand for greater production.
We are moving forward with revising the materials
procurement process as part of our disaster response.
For example, we are seeking to disperse risk by enabling ouroverseas factories to manufacture the products that havebeen made in Japan, which allows for delivery to our overseas
customers without
delay. We are also
proceeding to specify
the materials thatare a procurement
risk and ﬁndalternatives for them.
Completion ceremony at the Ono Factory

Scientific Activities
Sysmex Journal International Available
in More than 100 Countries
We distribute the Sysmex Journal International to healthcare
facilities and college libraries in more than 100 countries aroundthe world, thus keeping many clinical professionals updated on
current clinical medicine and healthcare testing.
In ﬁscal 2012, we newly published a Chinese editionin addition to Japanese and English editions.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201332

Publishing Picture Books Explaining Diseases
and Healthcare TestingHolding Scientiﬁc Seminars
for Clinical Professionals

Sysmex compiles educational picture books on diseases
and healthcare testing, which we distribute to hospitals, clinics
and other healthcare facilities to keep in their waiting rooms.
Introducing the characteristics of diseases and proceduresof healthcare testing and treatment in an easy-to-understandway, the picture books present stories that hold the interestof children and other readers who may lack medical
knowledge.

Sysmex keeps clinical professionals updated on scientiﬁc
information by sponsoring seminars and study sessions for
doctors and medical technologists.
In June 2012, ﬁve venues in Kobe, Tokyo, Sendai, Nagoya
and Fukuoka were linked by satellite relay in conducting the 35th
Sysmex Scientiﬁc Seminar under the theme of “New Aspects
in Hemostasis and Platelet Studies—for Controlling Thrombosis”
We also hold seminars in China, Taiwan and Thailand.
(See below for details.)

Seminars in China
Sysmex keeps clinical professionals updated on scientificinformation by sponsoring seminars and study sessions
for doctors and medical technologists. In fiscal 2012,
Sysmex Shanghai held the 15th Scientific Seminar and XN
launch event after receiving approval in China for the
XN-Series, our flagship model in the hematology field.
We held lectures by specialists and information
sessions on themes such as clinical testing in
the medical system reform currently underway in China,
as well as an XN-Series introductory presentation. These
were attended by 1,200 clinical professionals fromaround China.

Training Program Aimed at Standardizationof Clinical Testing Technologies
In July 2012, we held a training program in Jinan, Shandong
Province, to provide technical support for clinicaltechnologists concerning clinical testing standardizationin cooperation with the Chinese Society of Laboratory
Medicine and the Chinese Hospital Information
Management Association. Around 150 clinical technologists
attended. As the sole sponsor of this public clinicaltechnologist program, in addition to participating Sysmex
Shanghai spent around two months preparing it.
This program constituted the largest-scale training
project in Shandong, and everyone, including the publicagencies, showed great appreciation for Sysmex’s support.

15th Sysmex Scientific Seminar in China
Training program aimed at testing standardization

33

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Community Involvement and Development

Contributing to a Global Society
Sysmex is aware of the responsibilities as a good corporate citizen, and actively contributes to society across a broad range
of ﬁelds, including healthcare. As a global company, we are developing these activities from Kobe, Japan, our home base,to the rest of the world.

Funding of University Courses

Basic Policy
Sysmex established its Policy on Corporate Citizenship Activities
and Philanthropy in May 2012, indicating how the Company will
pursue behaviors and commitment as a good corporate citizen.

Policy on Corporate Citizenship Activities
and Philanthropy

Sysmex actively carries out corporate philanthropic activities
to promote a healthy society and vibrant community,
and also facilitates our employees’ personal participationin volunteer efforts.

Contribution to a healthy society

Sysmex actively utilizes its resources in the healthcare fieldto carry out philanthropic activities and promote the buildingof a healthy society.

Cooperation toward a vibrant local community

Sysmex acts as a responsible and socially-conscious corporate
citizen by cooperating with the local community
through donations, sponsorships and involvementin philanthropic programs.

Facilitation of employees’ volunteer efforts

Sysmex will facilitate employees’ participation in volunteer
efforts as citizens of the world, members of Sysmex groupthat contribute to healthcare in the world, and emphasize
community involvement and development.
Established May 2012

Japan
Participation in the Kobe Medical Industry
Development Project
The Kobe Medical Industry Development Project aims to createa focal point among healthcare industries in Kobe throughindustry–government–academia cooperation. Sysmex establishedthe Sysmex Asano Laboratory at the Translational ResearchInformatics Center (TRI), one of the core facilities of this project.
Under the direction of Dr. Shigetaka Asano (Professor Emeritus,
University of Tokyo), a leading expert on hematology, we areconducting research toward development of immunodiagnostics
technologies for proper diagnosis of autoimmune disorders
and improved cell therapy eﬃcacy and safety.

Since ﬁscal 2004, Sysmex Corporation has contributed funds
to a course at the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine.
The course, entitled “Assessment of Clinical Testing (Sysmex),”consists in research into new clinical testing technologies,
including the research and study of autoimmune diseases suchas connective tissue disease and rheumatism. Advances willcontinue to be made in the development and veriﬁcationof the utility of new clinical testing methods, bringing about
the realization of personalized medicine, which is oneof the challenges of recent years. In addition to achieving
accuracy in diagnoses, this research also contributes tothe establishment of methodologies that can provide patientswith eﬃcient treatment with few side eﬀects, and we expect
the research to make signiﬁcant contributions to society.
In addition, Sysmex promotes advances in electronic
measuring technology through the Nakatani Foundation,
which was founded in 1984 and changed its name in 2012 to
the Nakatani Foundation for Advancement of Measuring
Technologies in Biomedical Engineering. This foundation
provides awards and research grants for research in the ﬁeldof in vivo measuring and related technologies. In ﬁscal 2012,
11 grants totaling ¥16 million were awarded, bringing the total
since the foundation was launched to 300 grants and total
amount of ¥554.79 million.

Endorsing “Pink Ribbon” to Support Breast
Cancer Patients
Since 2004, Sysmex has continuously supported the Pink Ribbon
Campaign, which promotes the early detection and treatmentof breast cancer, by sponsoring symposiums and throughother activities. We also actively support Pink Ribbon
Campaign awareness such as by placing “Pink Ribbon vending
machines”*1 at our oﬃces.
* 1 Pink Ribbon vending machine: A vending machine from which 1% of the drink
sale proceeds is donated to the Pink Ribbon Smile Fund*2.

* 2 Pink Ribbon Smile Fund: A Japan Cancer Society fund for the placement of
diagnostic equipment at medical institutions as well as patient support.

Participation in the Ecocap Movement
Sysmex has participated in the Ecocap Movement since 2008.
PET bottle caps are sent in, and donations corresponding to
the number of caps are then sent to developing countries topay for vaccinations for children. The number of caps sent inﬁscal 2012 corresponded to about 300 vaccinations.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201334

Supporting Youth Education

Accepting JICA Trainees

Sysmex Corporation accepts ambitious students on internshipprograms every year. In ﬁscal 2012, we provided work experience
opportunities to 15 interns, three of whom were our ﬁrst from
India, in research and other departments.
In addition to accepting students from local communities,
we also cooperate in the Try-yaru Week workplace experience
program held annually for Hyogo Prefecture junior high school
students.
In addition to these eﬀorts, in ﬁscal 2012 we held workplace
tours for children in August. Some 18 children of Group
employees were given showroom and oﬃce tours and took
part in activities making crafts and picking bitter gourds
planted as “green curtains.”
We also took part in the Science Fair in Hyogo, an event
participated in by companies, universities and research
institutions, at which Hyogo Prefecture math and sciencehigh school students annually present their research results.

Every year, Sysmex Corporation provides training on the useof instruments to researchers from developing countries who
visit Japan on a program oﬀered by the Japan International
Corporation Agency (JICA).
In ﬁscal 2012, Sysmex on three occasions accepted
trainees from Africa, who toured plants and oﬃces
and received technical instruction.

JICA trainees

Support for the Letters for the Future Project
Sysmex Corporation is a corporate supporter of the Lettersfor the Future Project sponsored by the non-proﬁt Japan
Philanthropy Association. Through this project, derivationof a name and stories of family members associated withthe birth of a child are put in a letter for future viewing.
In January 2013, we held an event related to this project at
the Sysmex in-house daycare center, at which parents put
their thoughts and feelings in letters to their children,
strengthening family ties.

Science Fair in Hyogo

Special Sponsorship of the Kobe Marathon 2012
Sysmex Corporation was a special sponsor of the Kobe
Marathon 2012, held in November 2012, for the second
year in a row. In addition to providing the bib numbers to
be worn by the approximately 20,000 runners, we
exhibited at the Kobe Marathon EXPO 2012, and Sysmex
employee volunteers provided comprehensive event
support by supplying water and other efforts.

Kobe
Marathon 201235

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Words from an Employee

Our Support Helped
the Runners Participate
with Confidence.
Kozue Nagai

IR & Corporate
Communication Department
Sysmex Corporation

Sysmex was a special corporate sponsor of the 2nd Kobe
Marathon, and I took part in a company project to help
make the event a success. The goal of the project was todevelop the marathon’s theme of “Thanks and Friendship,”so employees formed teams to provide water andencouragement to the runners, and also provided
information at the EXPO and through the Sysmex Kobe
Marathon Special Website. This made for a livelier meet andinspired confidence in the runners. I believe that the 3rd
Kobe Marathon, to be held in November 2013, willcontribute to the enlivening of our home-base of Kobe.

Community Events
Every year, Sysmex Corporation invites community residents
to its oﬃces to strengthen its relationship with the local
community.
We opened the Japanese garden at Technopark to
the public in May 2012, and had about 500 visitors. In November,
we held an exhibition of our collection oil paintings by Isao
Nishimura , who is associated with Kobe, at the Solution Center.

Group companies also continued with environmental
eﬀorts. For example, Sysmex RA participated in the Clean
Shiojiri Partner System run by Shiojiri City in Nagano
Prefecture. More than 80 employees actively took part inSatoyama preservation, eco-work and other activities.

Tsurukabuto Forest
afforestation projectEco-work (Sysmex RA)

Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Support
through Our Products
Open house event at the Technopark garden

Local Community Development Support
Sysmex Corporation supports local development throughdonations and sponsorship.
• Kobe Luminarie
Sysmex is a regular sponsor of Kobe Luminarie, an annual illumination
event that originated as a memorial for the victims of the 1995 Great
Hanshin−Awaji Earthquake and which is held in the hopes ofreconstructing/restoring Kobe and all of Hyogo Prefecture.
• The Kobe Oji Zoo Animal Sponsor Program
The program invites individuals and businesses to support the zooby sponsoring particular species of animal at the institution. We elected
to support the giant pandas, among the most popularof the zoo’s inhabitants.
• Sponsorship of the Kobe Flower Picture Blanket Event
We sponsored the Kobe Flower Picture Blanket Event to bring attention
to ﬂowers, one of Kobe’s famous products. Flower beds were arranged
using ﬂowers produced in Kobe to form a large ﬂower picture tensof meters across.
• Sponsorship of Construction of Dedicated Training Facilities
for a Women’s Soccer Team
Securing a training ground is a big concern for women’s soccer teams,
the INAC Kobe Leonessa Soccer club included. Sysmex Corporation sought
to provide support by sponsoring construction of the Kobe Ladies Football
Center, Japan’s ﬁrst training facility dedicated to women’s soccer,
which had been proposed by the city and two related organizations.

Environmental Contribution
An Eco Team formed by Sysmex Corporation employees
who are interested in environmental preservation activities
has been conducting various activities since ﬁscal 2008.
As it did in the previous year, in ﬁscal 2012 the Eco Team
carried out a cleaning operation at Suma Beach in Hyogo
Prefecture and an aﬀorestation project in the Tsurukabuto Forest
on Mt. Rokko, which is also located in Hyogo Prefecture.
The family members of employees also participatedin these activities.

In July 2012, Sysmex Corporation loaned diagnostic instruments
and provided the advisory services of our in-house dieticiansto the Akita Association of Medical Technologists for use
in the health checkups it provides free-of-charge to victimsof the Great East Japan Earthquake. On the date of the healthcheckups, it provides ranging in age from young children
to the elderly were provided services such as hematology
testing, urinalysis and measurements of visceral fat.

Health checkups for Great East Japan Earthquake victims

Relocation of Sysmex Women’s Track & Field Team
Sysmex Corporation operates the Sysmex Women’s Track& Field Team with members such as world-class runner Mizuki
Noguchi and other top young athletes.
Up to now the Sysmex Women’s Track & Field Team had
been based in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto, but in April 2013 the team
moved to practice facilities in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture,
where Sysmex’s head oﬃce is located, to further energize
interactions with the local community in Kobe and createa spirit of oneness with the employees.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

36

The Americas(North, Central and South America)

Events for Children
Sysmex America invites children to visit its workplaces every
year, oﬀering them a variety of experiences.
In ﬁscal 2012, the children formed teams and engaged
in a variety of activities and games. Afterward everyone hadlunch together, helping to deepen the bonds between
parents and children.

Supporting Local High School Students
Sysmex America is an active member of the “Aim High Urban
Mentoring Initiative,” a program organized by the non-proﬁtorganization “Center for Companies That Care,” which wasestablished to inspire employers to encourage volunteer
activities among their employees. Sysmex America’s
employees serve as advisors to three students at Chicago
public high schools and also provide ongoing ﬁnancial support.

Donating Diagnostic Instruments
to Healthcare Institutions
Central and South America face many healthcare issues.
In ﬁscal 2012, Sysmex Brazil provided a hematology analyzer
to a hospital in the city of Apurimac, Peru, with the aim ofboosting healthcare in the local community. The hospital ismanaged by Diospi Suyana, an NPO that aims to establish
medical infrastructure in the Peruvian Andes.

Children who participated in the event

Sysmex Named to Companies That Care Honor
Roll for its Corporate Citizenship Activities
Sysmex America was selected for 2013
Honor Roll status by an NPO in the
United States. Sysmex has been
awarded this honor for five consecutive
years since 2009 in recognitionof the company’s efforts toencourage corporate citizenshipactivities create a motivating
workplace, and other practices.

Hematology analyzer donated to Diospi Suyana

Support for NPO Engaged in Blood Cancer Research Grants and Patient Support
Sysmex America continuously supports the Leukemia& Lymphoma Society (LLS), which provides funding
for blood cancer research and patient support.
Volunteers from Sysmex America joined in LLS’s
fundraising “Illinois Man & Woman of the Year” campaign.
Participants in the campaign planned and executed
fundraising activities, with the monies raised donatedto LLS. During this year’s campaign, volunteer employees
invited employees, their families, friends, and local
residents to a dance event, beach party, and golf event,to gather money for donations totaling $78,803.
Sysmex America also provides support to the American
Cancer Society and the American Heart Association.

37

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Presentation of donation to the Leukemia& Lymphoma Society
Sysmex employee volunteer(with a child receiving support
through the campaign)

Contributing to Local Communities
from a Variety of Perspectives
Sysmex Brazil engages in diverse corporate citizenshipactivities by supporting culture, sports and healthcare.
Principal activities for ﬁscal 2012 are as follows:• Sponsorship of Christmas events, such as daily musicals (São Paulo/SãoJosé dos Pinhais)• Sponsorship of environmental event featuring exhibition of art basedon photos of natural scenes (São Paulo/San Jose dos Campos)• Donations to the Development of High Performance Athletes Project
supporting over 1,000 young tennis and soccer players as well as otherathletes (Minas Gerais/Belo Horizonte)• Five years of continuous support for pediatric healthcare projects
executed by hospitals in the state of Paraná (Paraná/Curitiba)

Europe and Africa
Contracting out Work to Organizations
Supporting People with Disabilities
Sysmex Europe and Sysmex Deutschland contract out work
such as materials selection and carton stacking to organizations
that help people with disabilities becoming more self-reliant.
These organizations dispatch workers with disabilities toSysmex’s manufacturing line.

Donating PC Monitors to Local Schools
Sysmex Deutschland initiated the “Sysmex Helps Children”
project for donating used PC monitors to local schools in ﬁscal
2009. In November 2012, the company collected 40 company
monitors for donation to two elementary schools and threehigh schools.

Christmas event in São José dos Pinhais

Hosting University Students for Company Visits
Sysmex Brazil invited students of pharmacology and biomedicine
at two Brazilian universities to tour the company in April 2012.
On the day of the visit, the students heard lectures on quality
control for ensuring the reliability of testing data as well as
the latest information on hematology testing. They also observed
the reagent manufacturing process.

Children with donated monitors

Donation to a Cancer Wing
Sysmex Europe holds in-house Christmas charity events
annually. In ﬁscal 2012 employees gathered 1,500 euros,
which when combined with the company contribution cameto a total of 6,000 euros, and donated this amountto the cancer wing of a hospital in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Observing the manufacturing process

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201338

Support for NPO Building Medical Infrastructurein Kenya
Sysmex Corporation supports ILFAR, an NPO dedicated tobuilding HIV/AIDS treatment infrastructure in Kenya.
ILFAR conducts regular free testing to prevent the spreadof HIV. More than 2,000 people took part in such a program
conducted in the village of Pumwani, Kenya, in September 2012.

Visiting a Child Welfare Facility
In January 2013, employees of Sysmex Malaysia paid a visit
to a local welfare facility for children with disabilities. The children
had fun playing games that had been planned for them.

Visit to a child welfare facility

Providing Relief to Flood Victims
Free testing to prevent the spread of HIV

China and Asia Pacific
Conducting Beach Cleanups
In July 2012, Sysmex Asia Paciﬁc executed a cleanupof the eastern shore of Singapore, where the company is based.
Volunteers collected 20 bags of trash in about three hours.

Participating in a Family Run

Flooding due to heavy rains forced the evacuation of over
30,000 people in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta in January
2013. Sysmex Indonesia sought to provide material
and emotional support to the victims, particularly in the poorer
areas of the city.
The company provided water, food, baby supplies and otheritems to evacuation shelters. Volunteers from the company also
worked to keep victims’ spirits up. They also set up a “massage
corner” at a shelter in the Penjaringan district, as well as
engaging in recreational activities such as sing-alongs
and games for kids.

Sysmex Malaysia employees and their families participatedin the Family Run event in October 2012.
Eight orphans from a local child welfare facility were also
invited to participate on the day of the event, and they joined
the employees and their families to form 17 teams, deepening
ties of friendship. We also presented the children with new
running shoes as mementos.

Visiting a Children’s Self-Reliance Support
Facility
In October 2012, 50 Sysmex Asia Paciﬁc employees visiteda children’s self-reliance support facility in Singapore.
In addition to playing games and conducting activities, they
donated S$5,000 as well as daily necessities, games
and other items.

39

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Loading up supplies

Taking on Interns from India
Sysmex accepts students seeking work experience as partof our support for employment in the regions where we
conduct business.
While up to now we had taken on interns from South
Korea, China, Russia, and other countries, in May 2012 we
invited three Indian students to Japan, where they toured
plants and got experience in instrument maintenance.
This was the first time Indian students had doneinternships at Sysmex.
These efforts provide opportunities for Sysmex to gain
the interest of students overseas. We will continue suchinternship programs as part of our efforts to foster regional
development in tandem with the growth of our business.

Work experience of interns from India

Support for a Sewing Learning Center in Malaysia
Sysmex Malaysia donated RM3,000 toward
the establishment of a sewing center operated by Jumble
Station, a community outreach initiative of Parents
without Partners Bhd, an NGO created to gather
donations to assist single parents.
22 representatives of Sysmex Malaysia and two from
Sysmex Asia Pacific attended the center’s opening
ceremony in May 2012.
The center is offering training of sewing classes

by well-known local designers at a low cost for housewives
and single mothers who need income-producing skills.
The women are able to cover living expenses once they
can take dressmaking orders.
In the future the center plans to hold English classas well as arts and crafts classes for children, along withsewing classes. Sysmex Malaysia will continue to support
the center, to assist community development.

Jumble Station Sewing Learning Center

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201340

Independent Opinion

On Reading the Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013
ISO 26000-Based Editing
As it did last year, Sysmex has focused the constructionof its sustainability report on the seven ISO 26000
core subjects, again this year producing a reportthat is comprehensive and easy to understand. During
the ﬁscal year covered in this report, Sysmex establisheda Mid-Term CSR Plan, creating a structure for activating
the PDCA cycle for CSR activities and resolving social
issues. I give them high marks for this eﬀort. I believe

Katsuhiko Kokubu
Professor, Graduate School ofBusiness Administration,
Kobe University

the report can be enhanced and taken to the nextlevel by speciﬁcally describing achievements
and issues that remain to reach the objectives. Clearly
showing the relevance of the Company’s eﬀorts
to the newly launched Mid-Term Management Plan is
also important.
Revision of Sysmex Group Environmental Action
Plan (Sysmex Eco-Vision 2020) and Establishmentof Mid-Term Environmental Objectives
Sysmex has revised the long-term objectives in Eco-Vision2020 by consolidating the issues categorized
as “environmental consciousness in product life cycle
process” and “environmental consciousness
at business oﬃces,” revising the objectives and setting
forth mid-term objectives. These have madethe environmental objectives more concreteand management easier. There is considerable
diﬀerence in terms of environmental conservation
activities between the product life cycle process
and activities in the business oﬃces, so this isa reasonable approach. There is a worldwide trend
toward companies addressing environmental issues
across their supply chains. I believe that the next
issue for Sysmex to consider is the possibilityof a supply chain-oriented environmental response.

41

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2013

Enhancement of Global CSR Information
Sysmex provides extensive information in this reportabout the CSR eﬀorts it conducts outside Japan.
I believe that this projects Sysmex’s attitude of placing
importance on its overseas eﬀorts. CSR eﬀorts
at the global level are extremely signiﬁcant, so I give
the Company high marks in this area. I hope Sysmex willcontinue to make progress on systematic and eﬀective
CSR activities by analyzing the signiﬁcance of CSR
in each of the regions in which it operates. For example,
conducting materiality analyses in each region would,
I believe, make it easier to gain local understanding
and cooperation. Furthermore, I hope the Company willcontinue to enhance CSR eﬀorts that are prevailingglobally, such as the trend toward integrated reporting.
To enhance its reporting in this way, I believe the next
step is for Sysmex to establish key performanceindicators (KPIs) to evaluate CSR progress. I look forward
to observing the Company’s future CSR developments.

Corporate Data
Corporate Overview
Company name SYSMEX CORPORATION
EstablishedFebruary 20, 1968

Paid-in capital¥9,711 million (As of March 31, 2013)

Line of business

Development, manufacture, sales,and export/import of laboratory testing
instruments, reagents, and related software

Main customers

National and other public hospitals, private
hospitals, universities, research laboratories,
other healthcare facilities, etc.

Export destinations

More than 170 countries

Subsidiaries

44 (7 in Japan, 37 abroad)

Representative Hisashi Ietsugu, Chairman and CEO
1-5-1, Wakinohama-Kaigandori, Chuo-ku,
Kobe 651-0073, Japan

Head Oﬃce

Business Activities
Diagnostics ﬁeld

R&D of technologies for predicting

and quality of laboratory operations.

The diagnostics ﬁeld involves instruments,

the eﬀects of anti-cancer drugs slated

reagents, and software for analyzing samples

Life sciences ﬁeldof blood, urine, and cells. Our instruments

Tapping into the wealth of technologicalfor measuring the number and functions

know-how that we have amassedof blood cells (hematology) and determining

in the diagnostics business, Sysmex applies

Other ﬁelds (Healthcare, etc.)

the activity of blood hemostasis (hemostasis)the latest technologies for gene and protein

We commercialize and sell devices that canenjoy a high reputation with customers,

analysis to the creation of innovative

estimate hemoglobin levels without blood

who place us as the number one brandtesting and diagnosis technologies.

sampling, and a series of support softwarein each market segment. By combining quality

Our priority R&D area here is the deﬁnitivefor health management and childcare

instruments with a broad range of otherdiagnosis and recurrence prevention

services. We are also involved

products and services, such as reagents,of cancer, and we are currently introducing

in the development of particle measuringsoftware, instrument maintenance services,

technologies for rapid detection of cancer

analyzers for industrial ﬁeld, utilizing

and academic support, we are oﬀeringcell metastasis in lymph nodes to markets

the particle analysis technology that was

solutions that increase the eﬃciency

around the world. We are also involved inoriginally developed in the diagnostics ﬁeld.

Consolidated operating income /Consolidated net income

Net sales by destination

for commercial launch. Our ultimate goal
is to contribute to better patient QOL.

Financial Data
Consolidated net sales(¥ million)(¥ million)
150,000
111,842 116,174

124,694

134,743

145,577

24,00018,000 15,134

100,000

12,00050,000
0

2008

2009

2010

2011

0

2012
(FY)

9,764

9.7

11,411

12,007

14,165

9.9

8.8

8.3

12,380 11,904 12,119
10,771 11,238(¥ million)

10200,000

6

2010

2011

Net income

2012
(FY)

7,500

2010

2011

R&D expenditure
R&D expenditure per net sales

2012
(FY)

150,000

130,059

China
16.8%
EMEA
(Europe,the Middle East,
Africa)27.2%

142,2854,500

250,000

1,500

0

0

2009

2010

145,577(¥ million)

Americas(U.S., Canada,
and Central andSouth America)
21.1%

6,000

3,000

2008

Japan
27.6%

Consolidated
net sales FY2012

Number of employees (consolidated)
173,010

118,521 120,702

AsiaPaciﬁc
7.3%

100,000

4

2009

2009

Consolidated total assets
(%)

8

2008

2008

Operating income

R&D expenditure

0

8,013

19,20518,2886,000(¥ million)
9.6
22,50015,00015,70821,804

2011

2012
(FY)

0

3,550

2008

3,913

2009

4,248

2010

4,596

4,848

2011

2012
(FY)

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201342

1-5-1, Wakinohama-Kaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, Japan
Tel +81-78-265-0500 Fax +81-78-265-0524