Sysmex

Sustainability Report 2012

About this Report
Editorial policy
Sysmex publishes the annual “Sysmex
Sustainability Report” in the hopes ofcommunicating our approaches and activities
concerning corporate social responsibility(CSR) to our stakeholders and facilitating
dialogs with them.
In this sixth issue, we prepared two
versions of the report: a digest version focused
only on activities of high importance and a fullversion with more detailed information. We
also regularly disclose policy, system and other
CSR information on our website. In this way,
we enable the reader to select the reportformat most appropriate to their level of
specialization and interest.

Scope of this Report
Period reported
Fiscal 2011 (from April 1, 2011 to March 31,2012). Some activities conducted outside ofthis period are also included.
Organizations covered
Sysmex Group (Sysmex Corporation and its
subsidiaries both in Japan and abroad). For the
purpose of this report, “Sysmex” refers to theSysmex Group and “Sysmex Corporation”
refers to the Sysmex Corporation on a
non-consolidated basis.

Guidelines referenced· The Japanese Ministry of the Environment’s
Environmental Reporting Guidelines (2012 ed.)· The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)’s
Sustainability Reporting Guidelines 2006

Date of publication
September 2012

Inquiries about this report
CSR Promotion Department, CSR Division
Sysmex Corporation
1-5-1, Wakinohama-Kaigandori, Chuo-ku, Kobe,
Hyogo, 651-0073, Japan
Tel: +81-78-265-0500, Fax: +81-78-265-1884

Cautionary statements
This report contains both forward-looking
statements and facts regarding the past about
Sysmex Corporation and its group companies(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 courseof our business operations, and future events
may cause our actual results, performance, or
achievements to be materially diﬀerent fromany future results, performance, or
achievements either expressed or implied
within such forward-looking statements.

1 Sysmex Sustainability Report 201 2

Contents
3

Sysmex at a Glance

11

Organizational Governance5

Message from the President

15

Human Rights / Labor Practices

7

Highlight

19

The Environment

25

Fair Operating Practices

27

Consumer Issues

30Community Involvement and Development

34

Independent Opinion

35

Corporate Data

9

Development of Hematology
Analyzers Contributing toUsability and the Environment

Highlight

Contributing to a Healthy Society
through Sports

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201 2

2

Sysmex at a GlanceContributing to the Realization of a Healthy Society
through Healthcare Testing
There are two kinds of healthcare testing received at regular health checkups and hospitals. One is in-vivo diagnosis,
such as X-rays, performed directly on the body. The other is in-vitro diagnostics, which examines a patient’s blood, urine
and cells. Based on an integrated system, from research and development, to production, sales, after-sales support,
Sysmex provides all devices, reagents and software necessary for in-vitro diagnostics. Through providing theseproducts, we contribute to the early detection of disease, optimal disease management selection and the prevention of
disease.

Sysmex Business Process

Main Products

Creating valuable
healthcare testing anddiagnostic technologies
We strive to create valuable healthcare
testing and diagnostic technologies for awide spectrum of ailments, including
blood/immunity diseases, infectious
diseases, cancer and chronic disorders.

Research andDevelopment

Automated hematology analyzer

Ensuring high quality
and stable productsupplyOur quality control system isextensive and thorough. We havealso established a global
production system to ensure thestable supply of reagents.

Providing products
and services to morethan 170 countries
Through our global sales network, we
provide high-quality products andservices to healthcare facilities in morethan 170 countries around the world.

Production
Coagulation analyzer

Gene ampliﬁcation detector

Sales

Self-Medication support software

Responding accurately
to each and every
inquiry
We take special eﬀort to respondaccurately to inquiries received
through our call center and over the
network. We also provide extensive
academic support.

3

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201 2

After-Sales
Support

Ampliﬁcation reagent LYNOAMP® BC

Hospitals
Blood tests are always
performed at regular andphysical examinations.
Irregularities or changes inorgans and systems in the
body show up easily in blood
components, resulting in theearly detection and treatment
of disease.

Pharmacies
Provides information related
to health on an individual
basis by conducting data
analysis on results of simple
anthropometric measurements
such as body fat percentage
and blood pressure conducted
in-store and answers tolifestyle and diet questions.

Animal Hospitals
Just like humans, healthmaintenance is
indispensible foranimals to stay healthy.
Hematology tests areuseful for the healthmaintenance of dogs, cats
and other pets, aquarium
dolphins and zoo animals.

SportsUsed for daily training
programs and nutritional
maintenance to regularly
check the hemoglobin
levels of sports gym, highschool and college trackteams and other athletes.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201 2

4

Message from the President

We aim to build trust and conﬁdence among our
stakeholders through the creation of valuable
healthcare testing technologies.
Contributing to the “Advancement of
Healthcare” through TestingEver since its founding in 1968, Sysmex has created a wide
spectrum of products and services in the diagnostics ﬁeld
based on advanced technologies. Diagnostics play a vital rolein healthcare by enabling the early detection of disease, thedetermination of treatment and the prevention of illness.
Presently, Sysmex’s products are being used at healthcare
facilities in over 170 countries around the world.
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 and aging

5

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

populations, and individual values for healthcare are increasingly
diversifying. Sysmex is responding to these changes andstriving to create innovative values with the aim of contributing
to the advancement of healthcare. We want to respond to
the desire of people across the globe: “to stay healthy”.
In ﬁscal 2011, we launched a new product, the XN-Series,
in our mainstay hematology ﬁeld. Compared with conventional
instruments, the XN-Series features improved functionality,
performance and operability. In addition, the series oﬀers new
functions, such as providing a reportable parameter that assists
clinicians in the diagnosis of thrombocytopenia, thereby
adding new value that contributes to clinical site. The XN-Series
oﬀers various innovations that help reduce the workload
on medical technologists and to prevent misdiagnosis. At
the same time, extensive network-based and preventive
maintenance are available as online services. The user-friendly
design has earned high marks, winning the series the Good
Design Gold Award 2011. The XN-Series is environmentallyconscious, as well. Its use of concentrated reagents helps toreduce waste and substantially reduces product lifecycle CO2
emissions, compared with conventional models.

“Shaping the advancement of healthcare” is Sysmex’s
mission. In accordance with this aﬃrmation, we aim to create
valuable healthcare testing technologies that contribute to
the quality of life (QOL) of people and reduce the burden on
healthcare facilities.

Building Trust and Conﬁdence among
Our Stakeholders
We aim to build trust and conﬁdence among our
stakeholders in accordance with our corporate philosophy,
the “Sysmex Way.”In ﬁscal 2011, we commenced the full-ﬂedged use ofsilkworms to develop proteins, with the goal of providing
products to engender even higher levels of conﬁdence
among our customers. Some of the diagnostic reagents that
Sysmex provides are derived from animals including cattle,
rabbits and other mammals, but in recent years the risk ofprocuring such ingredients has grown in line with the growthof emerging markets and concerns about bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE). Furthermore, individual diﬀerences
can arise from such animal-derived ingredients, making itdiﬃcult to ensure the stable quality of ingredients supplied
to us. To resolve these issues, we are reinforcing our design
and mass-production technologies for proteins to produce
reagents that do not rely on such animal-derived ingredients.
Creating a protein development system using silkworms is
one aspect of these eﬀorts.

Contributing to a Healthy Society throughSportsSysmex is devoted to corporate citizenship activities andphilanthropy that center on health and healthcare. In addition
to our ongoing support of the Kobe Medical Industry
Development Project, we provide scientiﬁc support, encourage
the standardization of testing, promote organizationscommitted to eliminating cancer and take part globally incorporate citizenship activities and philanthropy designed
to meet regional needs.
During ﬁscal 2011, we participated as a special sponsor

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.

in the Kobe Marathon 2011, staged by Kobe City. Based on
the theme of “thanks and friendship,” the Kobe Marathon
aims to express gratitude to everyone who supported theregion’s recovery after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake.
In addition to sponsoring the race based on its standing asa Kobe-based company, by operating in the healthcare sector
Sysmex is well acquainted with the link between sports andhealth. Numerous employee volunteers participated, andassisting in event operations.
In February 2011, Sysmex joined the United Nations
Global Compact, committing to uphold 10 principles in theareas of human rights, labor, the environment andanti-corruption. By joining the compact, we aim to move
forward proactively with corporate social responsibility (CSR)
activities beﬁtting a global company.
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 supportand understanding of all our endeavors.

Hisashi Ietsugu
President and CEO

Sysmex Sustainability Report 20126

Highlight

Development of Hematology Analyzers Contributing
to Usability and the Environment
In May 2011, Sysmex launched its new XN-Series of products on global scale.
Pursuing the provision of comfortable healthcare sites, we designed the user-friendly analyzer from the user’s
point of view, focusing eﬀorts on improving environmental performance, speciﬁcally reductions in waste and CO2.

Development of Analyzers Equipped with
New Technologies

In May 2011, Sysmex launched its XN-Series analyzers for the
global market. This product is a hematology analyzer thatchecks patient’s health by measuring and analyzing blood
samples to determine the number, types and sizes of red andwhite blood cells and platelets and other elements.
The XN-Series signiﬁcantly improves measurement accuracy for
low platelet counts, useful for the diagnosis of diseases such as
thrombocytopenia and is equipped with a body ﬂuid measurementmode, helpful for the indication of meningitis antimicrobial
treatment. In addition to its functions and performance, usability andeco-friendliness are the most prominent features of the XN-Series.

Supporting Accurate Test Data with Design
Contributing to the Prevention of Misdiagnosis
and Improved User-Friendliness
The XN-Series attempts to improve usability in an aim toprevent misdiagnosis, lessen the workload of medical
technologists and improve the laboratory site. The
human-centered design takes operator motion into account,
resulting in signiﬁcant improvements in operability, including
the simpliﬁcation of operating panels. The design concept
uniﬁes analyzer, operating panel and disposable reagents withthe aim of realizing a quick and accurate analyzer.
The XN-Series also features further enhancements in online
service. The device and reagents can be monitored remotely,
enabling data from device sensors to be analyzed via a connection to
the Sysmex Network Communication Systems (SNCS), Sysmex’s
online system. (See page 28 for details.) This enables the detection ofproblems and preventative maintenance before failure occurs to
avoid sudden malfunctions in support of stable device operation.

Contributing to the Reduction of Waste andCO2 Emissions with Concentrated ReagentsThe XN-Series employs concentrated reagent CELLPACK DST,
which is 25 times more concentrated than conventional
reagent CELLPACK (II). CELLPACK DST is diluted and used inconjunction with reagent preparation unit RU-20. Using this

7 Sysmex Sustainability Report 201 2

New Technologies Improving Usability
XN-Series Multiparameter
Automated Hematology
Analyzers

Equipped with touch panel that iseasy to read and operate

Conventional
reagents

Installed operation buttons in easy
to push location in considerationof operator motion

Cartridge
reagents

Received Good Design Gold Award 2011 for design recognized ascontributing to enhanced usability by healthcare facilities

Cartridge-type reagent enables
one-touch replacement

concentrated reagent enables facilities that process highID tags appended to agent
simplify reagent management andprevent improper connections

emissions throughout the product lifecycle. CO2 emitted during

volumes of tests each day to reduce the frequency of reagent

transportation accounted for 40% of CO2 emitted throughout thechanges to one ﬁfth that usually required in one day.

entire product lifecycle of conventional products, from manufacture

Concentration also makes reagents compact, whichto shipment, use and disposal. Concentrated reagents are designed

contributes to resource conservation by reducing container

to be lightweight and compact, signiﬁcantly improving

and packaging materials, enabling a signiﬁcant decrease intransportation eﬃciency with decreased weight and volume. We

waste generated by laboratories. Furthermore, switching from

calculate this enables around 50% reduction of CO2 throughout thepolyethylene to paper reagent containers is helpful for

entire product lifecycle compared to conventional products.
Going forward, Sysmex will continue eﬀorts to create valuableconserving petroleum resources.
Concentrated reagents also contribute to the reduction of CO2

healthcare testing technologies by providing new products andservices able to meet increased demand and diverse testing

XN-Series reagents are 25 times more concentrated
than conventional reagentsneeds that contribute to the evolution of clinical development.

Reagent capacity (L)CO2 Emissions of XN-Series + Concentrated Reagent andConventional Instrument + Reagent

100

20L

1/25

CO2 emissions volume (Tons)
10.00

20L
50

Approximately 50%
reduction in CO2emissions volume

20L
20L
20L

0

20L×5
Conventional reagent
CELLPACK (II)

5.00

4L

4L

0.00

XN-Series +Conventional instrument +conventional reagents concentrated reagents

Concentrated reagent
CELLPACK DST

Words from a Customer
The XN-Series significantly improves the measurement accuracy of low white blood cell and platelet counts, offering hopefor the support of new testing knowledge based on this reliability and contributions to healthcare research. In addition,
reducing the weight and number of exchanging times the reagent needs to be changed reduces our workload andcontributes to the reduction of waste after usage, making it an instrument that is gentle on people and the environment.
I hope Sysmex continues listening to customers and developing good products that incorporate user needs.

Shuichi Shiga, Qualified Class 1 Laboratory Technologist, Manager, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kyoto University Hospital

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201 2

8

Highlight

Contributing to a Healthy Society through Sports
As a healthcare company, Sysmex supports the realization of a healthy society through sports. In addition tocontinued management of the Sysmex Women’s Track & Field Team, in ﬁscal 2011 we were a special sponsorof the ﬁrst citizen marathon ever held in our hometown of Kobe.

Special Sponsor of the First Kobe Marathon,
Run by 20,000 Participants

participants during the race, we exhibited the ASTRIM at theThe ﬁrst Kobe Marathon (sponsored by Hyogo Prefectural

Kobe Marathon EXPO event held prior to the marathon,

Government, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education

conducting hemoglobin concentration estimation for an

and Kobe City Board of Education, Hyogo Amateur Athletics

enthralled crowd. This instrument enables the estimation of

Association) was held on November 20, 2011.

hemoglobin concentration, closely connected to stamina,

In addition to providing the bibs worn by the 20,000

Sysmex became a special sponsor of the marathon, which had

without requiring a blood sample. Popular with runners who“Thanks and Friendship” as its theme, out of a desire to contribute

checked on their health just before the marathon, in two days

to health maintenance and improvement through sports.

a total of 3,300 visitors measured their hemoglobin levels.

Sysmex booth at the Kobe Marathon EXPO

Roadside supporters

The First Kobe Marathon (image provided by The Kobe Shimbun)

9

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201 2

Employees volunteers provide waterEmployee Volunteers Cheer Runners andSupport Management

Managing a Women’s Track & Field Team
Training Globally Active Athletes

to conduct volunteer activities such as coastline cleanup andaddition to sponsorship of the Kobe Marathon. One of those isaﬀorestation eﬀorts, but most activities were comparatively

management of the Sysmex Women’s Track & Field Team,

small in scale. The Kobe Marathon was our ﬁrst large-scale

which includes Mizuki Noguchi, active all over the world, andactivity, involving approximately 180 people, including

young athletes who aim to become world-class competitors.

employee volunteers and their families. Participants provided

The Sysmex Women’s Track & Field Team won second place atwater at a beverage booth, handed out towels at the ﬁnish line

the West Japan Women’s Industry Group Ekiden Race, held inand assisted with course cleanup activities. Many participants

October 2011, making their mark at a national event.

In the past, Sysmex employees have voluntarily formed teams

said the volunteer activities were excellent and provided them

Sysmex conducts several other sports support activities in

At present, the Women’s Track & Field Team practices in
Kyoto’s Ukyo Ward, but in April 2013, they will move towith valuable experiences.

practice facilities in Kobe City in Hyogo Prefecture, where

On the day of the event, among the approximately
520,000 people shouting encouragement to over 20,000

Sysmex head oﬃce are located, to further energize

runners, 150 of those voices came from roadside Sysmex

interactions with the local community in Kobe.

participants supporting runners with their “A Smile from

Sysmex will continue to support the realization of aKobe” message. Employee participants provided the Kobe

healthy and prosperous society through sports promotion.

Marathon with entertainment, voluntarily assembling a bandthat performed at a specially constructed roadside studio.
The second marathon will be held on November 25, 2012.
Sysmex plans to provide ongoing support for the Kobe Marathon.

Words from an Employee
I participated in the First Kobe Marathon, hanging medals on runner’s necks as they completed the race. The sense ofaccomplishment in the expressions on the faces of runners as they approached the finish line was moving andmotivational. Also, I got a sense of the connection and feeling of oneness shared among local runners and participantsfrom all over Japan and the world, making this a treasured experience.

Kumiko Ikushima, Human Resources Department

Internal Lectures on Sports and Nutrition Conducted by
Senior Nutritionists
In December 2011, Sysmex provided second-year students from the Dietary Nutrition
Department of the Osaka Yuhigaoka Gakuen Junior College with a lecture on sports
and nutrition. They introduced athlete diets and essential nutrients, explaining
athlete performance and hemoglobin using real-life examples. At the end of thelecture, we had the students experience use of Sysmex instruments for estimating
hemoglobin concentration.

Words from a Participant
Importance of Doing Sports Science from a Nutritional Perspective
At this lecture, the students taught me that an athlete’s diet has an enormous influence on their competitive
performance, bringing home the importance of conditioning management. Doing sports science from a nutritional
perspective is linked to enhancing the competitive performance of athletes. I look forward to the development of
instruments used to ascertain athlete nutritional management and conditioning.

Kiyohiro Kawai, Professor, Medical Doctor, Ph.D., Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Osaka Yuhigaoka Gakuen Junior College

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201 2

10Organizational Governance

Aiming to Be a Corporation Trusted by Society
To improve management eﬃciency and enhance transparency and management robustness, Sysmex is strengthening
the corporate governance system for holding general and informational meetings for shareholders. We pursue open andaboveboard business activities based on high ethics to protect our stakeholder’s interests.

Corporate Philosophy

Promotion of CSR Activities
Sysmex CSR Builds Trust and Conﬁdence throughPractice 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 themost basic corporate activities ought to be, consisting of threeelements necessary for continued growth: Mission, Valueand Mind. The Core Behaviors clarify provision of value tocustomers, employees, business partners, shareholders, society
and all our stakeholders. At Sysmex, every Group employee
shares the Sysmex Way, placing importance on speciﬁcbehaviors throughout
daily business activities.
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 recognition of theright 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 soundness 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.

11

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

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 discrimination in
respect of employment and occupation.
Principle 7: Businesses should support aprecautionary 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.

Extraction of CSR Key Subjects
In ﬁscal 2011, Sysmex conducted an analysis of current CSR
activities based on ISO 26000 international standards for social
responsibility, extracting CSR key subjects that require handling.
Sysmex will continue to formulate CSR plans based on these
key subjects and promote CSR management.

Corporate Governance
Enhancing Management Robustness andTransparency to Improve Management Eﬃciency
Sysmex considers reinforcing corporate governance to be oneof its most important management priorities. We believe thatenhanced management robustness, better transparency, andimproved management speed and eﬃciency will help us tomaximize the overall corporate value of the Group.
The Company’s Board of Directors consists of eight directors,
who deliberate on important management issues. The Company
has adopted the corporate auditor system, and the Board ofAuditors consists of four corporate auditors, two of whom areexternal auditors. The corporate auditors supervise the directors’
business conduct both independently and objectively. In April
2005, we adopted the executive oﬃcer system in order toincrease 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. Seven out of the 14 executive oﬃcers are concurrently
directors. The Company has also established the Nominating
Committee and the Compensation Committee, which have
responsibilities in accordance with the “companies withcommittees” system.

Corporate Governance Structure
Shareholders’ Meeting
Election/Dismissal

Election/Dismissal

Election/Dismissal

Board of Directors (Directors)
Nominating
Committee
Compensation
Committee

Accounting
Auditors

President and CEO
Global Strategic
Committee
Auditing

Steering Committee

Board ofAuditors(Corporate
Auditors)

Internal Audit Office
Risk Management
Committee

Executive Officers

Auditing

Internal Control
Internal Control System Improvements
Based on a Board of Directors resolution concerning internal
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 president.

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.
We also hold informal meetings every year to deepen
conversations with shareholders. In ﬁscal 2011, with the objectiveof facilitating a better understanding of our activities, we
exhibited the XN-Series and introduced facilities using our
products in addition to a panel display explaining Sysmex social
contribution activities.
At the same time, for shareholders who ﬁnd it diﬃcult toattend shareholder meetings, we use mail and the Internet tofacilitate the exercise of voting rights. Furthermore, we contributeto the readability of convocation and resolution notices. We also
prepare English-language versions for overseas shareholders.
In ﬁscal 2011, we printed a color convocation notice and posted
the same information on our corporate website.

Further Enhancing Information Disclosure
Sysmex makes 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 Disclosureof Corporate Information by the Issuer of Listed Security andthe Like established by the Stock Exchange.
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 theannouncement of business results in the ﬁrst and third quarters
in an eﬀort to further enhance information disclosure.

Divisions, Subsidiaries and Affiliates

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201212

Risk Management

Compliance

Promoting Risk Management by Establishing a
Dedicated Committee

Pursuing Open and Aboveboard Business
Activities

To control Group-wide risk management activities, Sysmex
established a Risk Management Committee, which is chairedby a Risk Management Oﬃcer (Senior Managing Oﬃcer), theGroup’s chief executive in charge of risk management. This
committee continuously conﬁrms results of monitoring andrisk reduction countermeasures conducted by each divisionand consolidated subsidiary.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake, in ﬁscal 2011 Sysmex
once more reviewed its risk reduction countermeasures in termsof supply chain and services to ensure no disruption of products
or services in the event of a natural disaster. At present, we areenhancing earthquake resistance at production facilities, conducting
a review of raw materials procurement, in-house IT infrastructure
and a system for initial actions in the event of disaster.

Sysmex has deﬁned its view of compliance as “respecting laws
and regulations and going about our business boldly with astrong sense of ethics”.
In accordance with this deﬁnition, we have established aCompliance Code, in which particularly important conformancerules for all executives and employees to abide by are compiled.
The Compliance Code has been translated into English, Chineseand German for use by subsidiaries and aﬃliates outside of Japan.
We have collected a written pledge to comply with this Codefrom all employees within the Sysmex Group.

Risk Management Structure
Risk Management Officer (Senior Managing Director)
Risk Management Committee
Chaired by: Risk Management Officer
Members: Relevant executive officers
Risk Management Dept.
Compliance Sub-committees
Leader: Executive vice president, CSR Div.
Divisions, Subsidiaries, and Affiliates

Continuously Providing Education on Compliance
Sysmex provides education on compliance for all employeesof Group companies in Japan. We have also produced aCompliance Handbook and distributed a copy to every
employee in Japan. Furthermore, we conduct companywide
education on important subjects established annually andprovide education on work-related laws and regulations to eachdepartment. In ﬁscal 2011, we conductedcompanywide education on the subjectof anti-corruption. (See page 25 fordetails.)
For overseas Group companies, wehave appointed compliance managers atregional headquarters for the Americas,
Europe, China and the Asia-Paciﬁc region
Compliance Handbook
to promote compliance.

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 matter ofpriority 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 shall conducttransactions 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 eachother 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, correct and intelligible
way in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, etc. and shall
exercise strict control over confidential information collected through ourbusiness 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 shall not
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 and regulations,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 proper accounting
by complying with applicable laws and regulations related to taxes aswell as other laws and regulations, etc. related to accounting.
7. To Respect Human Rights and to Improve Occupational Health and 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 healthand safety and shall not enforce any unfair labor practice on the personnel.
8. To Make Distinction between Public and Private Matters and Not
to Do Any Act Involving Conflict of Interest
We shall be sure not to attempt to gain any personal profit in performanceof duties, and shall not make any unauthorized use of our group’s assets,
goods and information nor shall do such personal act that might cause
any disadvantage to our group’s business activities.
9. To maintain sound relationship with society
We shall be always strict at the time of conducting business with publicagencies and making political donations by complying with relevantlaws, etc. We shall also maintain a dauntless attitude toward antisocial
activities and groups and shall never be concerned with them.
10. To Preserve the Global Environment
We shall comply with environment-related laws and regulations, etc. andpay attention to environment throughout our business activities basedon international standards, etc. for environment in an endeavor to preserveand 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 Code by reflecting thevarious differences in customs and practices of their respective regions.

13

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

Internal Reporting System
An internal reporting system originally developed for Group
companies in Japan, the “Campanula Lines” allow our staﬀ
members to seek consultations and ﬁle a report via telephone,postal mail or e-mail through two lines (in-house and external).
Any information received is handled anonymously to protect
the personal information of those providing the information.
Also, Sysmex is moving forward with improvements tointernal reporting systems at overseas Group companies.

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

External Evaluation
Sustainability Evaluation
Social Responsibility Investment (SRI) is garnering attention for theassessment and screening of corporations displaying performance
above a certain level from the perspective of environmental andsocial fairness rather than an economic perspective to realize asustainable society. Since 2008, the Sysmex Corporation has been
added to the FTSE4Good Global Index*1. In ﬁscal 2011, received
Ethibel Pioneer & Ethibel Excellence*2 from SRI evaluation
organization in Belgium, Forum Ethibel.
Also in ﬁscal 2011, Sysmex was selected for inclusion in
the Global 100*3 list of the world’s most sustainable companies
published jointly by Canadian publisher Corporate Knights andU.S. newswire and broadcaster Bloomberg L.P.
* 1 FTSE4Good Global Index: SRI index developed and managed by England’s FTSE

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(regular employees, non-regular employees,
part-time employees, temporary employees)

Group, a joint-venture between the Financial Times newspaper and the London
Stock Exchange.

* 2 Ethibel Pioneer & Ethibel Excellence: Select stocks chosen for demonstrated

performance above a certain level in terms of CSR issues related to observanceof human rights and environmental contributions.

* 3 100 of the world’s most sustainable companies: Assessment of corporate valueof 3,500 global companies from every industry, ranked according to the top
100 most sustainable companies.

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 2011
Customers

Shareholders and Investors• Conducted survey on degree of customer satisfaction in each region(Sysmex Corporation and overseas Group companies in each region)• Conducted informal meeting after general shareholders meeting(Sysmex Corporation)• Held scientific seminars in each region (Sysmex Corporation andoverseas Group companies in each region)• Conducted individual interviews with over 300 domestic and foreign
institutional investors and analysts (Sysmex Corporation)• Ongoing customer training program incorporating customer feedbackin each region (Sysmex Corporation and overseas Group companies
in each region)• In October 2011, conducted tour of R&D core Technopark for individual
investors (Sysmex Corporation)

Employees• Investigated desire concerning career design, including interest in
working overseas or changing jobs through a voluntary reporting
given to all employees, with results made use of in HR rotation(Sysmex Corporation)• Held 30 conferences or more during the year with the labor union topromote initiatives improving the work environment, including HR
systems, time management, work-life balance and support for healthmaintenance (Sysmex Corporation)

Business Partners• In January 2012, held informational meeting for individual investors
at Kobe Portopia Hall for 515 individual investors (Sysmex Corporation)

Local Residents• Held Technopark Festa 2011 for local community interaction at R&D
core Technopark (Sysmex Corporation)• Participated in math and science education-focused “4th Science Fairin Hyogo” event for high school students (Sysmex Corporation)• Participated in the “Aim High Urban Mentoring Initiative” conductedby a U.S. NPO and advised local high school students (Sysmex America)• Held Christmas charity lottery event (Sysmex Europe)• In February 2012, held a purchasing policy briefing to explain directionof business with suppliers. 397 people from 225 companies attended(Sysmex Corporation)

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201214

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 aworkplace environment in which diverse human resources can maximize their potential and be invigorated.

Respecting Human Rights andDiversity
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 each of thepersonnel 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.
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 each andevery 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 Discrimination and Unjust Working
Conditions
Item 7 of Sysmex’s Compliance Code is “To Respect Human Rights
and to Improve Occupational Health and Safety.” We haveformulated guidelines describing particularly important rules andbehaviors for compliance with basic respect for human rights.
This code clariﬁes a variety of discriminatory actions thatare 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 to ensurea safe and comfortable workplace environment.

Consultation and Reporting Systems Related to
Human Rights
Sysmex has set up “Campanula Lines” as an internal reporting

15

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

system for Group companies in Japan. We also have internalreporting systems in place at Group companies overseas. These
reporting channels enable consultations related to sexual
harassment and power harassment, among other topics. (Seepage 14 for details.)

Promoting Employment of People with Disabilities
Sysmex Corporation encourages the employment of people withdisabilities. Targeting long-term employment, we design working
conditions so as to maximize individuals’ aptitudes and skills.
As of January 2012, our employment ratio of people withdisabilities was 1.99%, exceeding the legally stipulated 1.8%.
We will continue reinforcing our eﬀorts in this area, targetingan employment ratio of 2.0%.

Employing Seniors—System for Reemploying People
Who Have Retired at the Mandatory Retirement Age
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 2011, we rehired according to internal rules
all nine employees who had retired at the mandatory age but
wished to continue working.

Reemployment of People Who Have Reached Mandatory
Employment Age (Sysmex Corporation)
Fiscal 2009

Fiscal 2010

Fiscal 2011

Number of people
seeking reemployment

11

8

9

Number of people
reemployed

11

8

9

Reemployment
percentage

100

100

100

Group Company in Brazil Obtains SA8000*1
and OHSAS18001*2 Certiﬁcation
Sysmex Brazil has acquired certification for Social Accountability
8000 (SA8000)*1, an international standard for the protectionof workers’ fundamental human rights.
The company has also obtained certification for
OHSAS18001*2, an international standard for occupational
health and safety management systems.
* 1 SA8000: Created by an American CSR assessment body based on theInternational Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
* 2 OHSAS18001: Published in 1999 based on the BS8800 standard, which
was developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI) in 1996, by ateam consisting of some 30 certiﬁcation bodies and standardization
organizations in various countries.

Employee Evaluation and Treatment
Equitably Evaluating Personnel Based on Abilities
and Accomplishments
Sysmex Corporation values the spirit of independence andchallenge, 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 on 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 ensure thefairness and elicit employee understanding of their evaluations,
we show employees their evaluation results, as well as
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
employee skills• 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 order topromote human resource development and the reform ofcorporate culture3) Rewarding employees for capabilities that contribute to theenhancement 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 tounderstand and that rewards employees in accordance with
their contribution, role, competency and accomplishments

Supporting Employee Eﬀorts to Design Their
Future Careers
Sysmex Corporation has in place a voluntary reporting systemthat employees can use to design their future careers.
Approximately 90% 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 2011, we
augmented this system with questions that encourage
employees to consider their careers over the medium to longterm, as well as questions related speciﬁcally to the desire towork overseas. In ways such as this, we improved the reporting
sheet to gather more detailed information about employees’
future aims.

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, in ﬁscal
2011 we widened our pool of potential recruits to ensure thataround 15% of new hires included people who had alreadygraduated or had studied overseas, thereby equalizing
employment among categories of people who the hiring processes
typically puts at a disadvantage. 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 parts of Japan. In ﬁscal
2011, approximately 10% of new hires were non-Japanese.

Hiring Contract and Temporary Employees toFull-Time Positions
Sysmex Corporation actively hires temporary employees andcontract 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, foremployees that meet certain conditions we notify temporary
placement agencies of the possibility of employing such
personnel directly.
Through the ongoing application of these systems, in ﬁscal
2011 we promoted 23 contract and temporary employees tofull-time positions.

Promotions to Full-Time Positions (Sysmex Corporation)
Results in
Fiscal 2010

Results in
Fiscal 2011

Results in
Fiscal 2012*

Contract
employees

4

13

10

Temporaryemployees

6

10

6

Total

10

23

16

* As of April 1, 2012

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201216

Supporting Employees in Striking a
Balance between Work and Family

who ﬁnd it diﬃcult to take care of their children due to caretakers’
illness, bereavement or other circumstances may also temporarily
utilize the service. As of March 31, 2012, 26 children wereattending the daycare center on a full-time basis.

Providing Support for Childhood Education andNursing Care

Expanding Systems to Provide a Good Working
Environment

Sysmex Corporation oﬀers a variety of childcare leave andshortened working hour systems to ensure that parents can spend
as much time together with their children as possible. To further
support employees’ childrearing, we have introduced a systemthat allows employees to take reserve paid leave days whennecessary to attend to sick children. In ﬁscal 2011, we extended theperiod of applicability of this program, which formerly applied tochildren prior to entering elementary school, to children prior toentering junior high school. We also oﬀer a reemployment system
to provide employees forced to suspend their careers due tochild-raising with opportunities to resume their work.
We post information about these support systems on
dedicated intranet sites, providing information in aneasy-to-understand way.

In addition to childcare, Sysmex Corporation has in place anumber of other systems to help employees realize a work–lifebalance from various perspectives.
We allow employees to use reserved annual leave days toattend hospital consultations for parents and family members,
as well as to accompany family during hospital stays. We also
oﬀer a reemployment system to provide employees forced tosuspend their careers due to child-raising to resume their work.
Furthermore, we have introduced a cafeteria-type planthat meets diverse employee needs by enabling them to choose
from a menu of welfare options.

Acquiring a Next-Generation Accreditation Mark

Establishment of In-House Daycare CenterIn ﬁscal 2011, Sysmex Corporation
received the next-generation
accreditation mark (nicknamed“Kurumin”) from the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare for its planned
implementation of systems to support
a balance for employees between workand family life.

Sysmex Corporation has opened the “Sysmex Kids Park,” anin-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

Next-generation accreditation
mark, “Kurumin”

Cooperation between Labor andManagement
Working together to Create a Better Workplace
All regular employees of Sysmex Corporation, except thoseholding managerial posts and some in back-oﬃce operations, aremembers of Sysmex Union, the Company’s labor union. The
Company and Sysmex Union work together to develop systems
that make it easier for employees to maintain a work–life balance.

In-house daycare center, Sysmex Kids Park

Users of Work and Family Support Systems (As of March 31, 2012)
System17

Description

Number of Users

Shorter work hour system forchild rearing

Until the end of third grade of elementary school

26 users

Leave of absence system(childcare leave, childbearing leave)

Child nursing leave prescribed by law, available after one year of age andup to two years

43 users

Reserved paid leave system

Reserved leave with pay for up to 10 days of annual paid vacation fromprevious years can be taken for child nursing leave or short-term nursing leave.

5 users

Reemployment system

System to reemploy people who previously left the Company for childcare
or nursing-related reasons

0 users, 9 people registered

In-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.

26 children

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

Health and Safety Considerations

Human Resources Development

Maintaining and Improving Physical and Mental
HealthFocusing on Human Resources Development on
a Global Basis

Sysmex Corporation encourages its employees to undergo
thorough physical examinations and cancer tests for women,in addition to regular health checkups, for the early detection ofillness. 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 adedicated channel for mental health consultations with specialized
industrial physicians and have established an external counselinginstitution (EAP), enabling employees to seek help easily.
In ﬁscal 2011, we began providing speciﬁc health guidance
in-house on metabolic countermeasures, with dieticians oﬀering
guidance on lifestyle improvements. Measures such as these aredesigned to help employees prevent illness.

Sysmex Corporation aims to provide an environment thatdevelops and nurtures employees’ skills. We have in placesystems designed to enable all employees to cultivate expertiseand skills on a regular and planned basis. Through these eﬀorts,
we aim to cultivate the global human resources that are central
to reinforcing the Company’s management and developing
global business going forward.
In ﬁscal 2011, we began providing training for business skills
in English. We also began a business English training programusing foreign-language instructors inside the company to boost
understanding of other cultures.
We have introduced the Global Apprentice Program targeting
younger employees. We solicit participants internally for thisprogram, which oﬀers employees the opportunity to work atoverseas subsidiaries and is open to employees who aim todevelop global careers. The objective of the program is to fostera core of global personnel within the Company.

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
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, the Company organizes evacuation drills andﬁre drills in cooperation with local ﬁre stations as a precaution
against earthquakes, ﬁres, and other disasters.

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

1.83

1.75

1.62

1.61

1.5

1.0

0.85

1.26

0.96

0.53
0.5

0

0.22
0.01

0.01

0.02

2007

2008

2009

0.01
2010

0.00
2011

(FY)

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

Employees dispatched to overseas subsidiaries as part of global apprentice program(Upper middle) Koki Amano, Corporate Business Administration Division(at subsidiary in United States)(Lower left) Shino Kurisu, Business Management (Japan) Division (at subsidiary in Germany)

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201218

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 global warming countermeasures, eﬀective use of resources and waste reduction, and eﬀective use ofwater resources, etc. and we are working to attain 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 200919

ISO 14001 Certiﬁcation
Sysmex is working toward the acquisition of ISO 14001, theinternational standard for environmental management, for theGroup as a whole.
Between April 2011 and April 2012, four sites newly acquired
this certiﬁcation. As a result, all Sysmex’s factories in Japan, and ﬁveof seven overseas locations, have received ISO 14001 certiﬁcation,bringing the total to 17 sites. We are moving forward with eﬀorts
to acquire certiﬁcation at Sysmex Wuxi and Sysmex Jinan, as well.

ISO 14001 Certiﬁed Sites
Company name

Sysmex Corporation

Sysmex International
Reagents

Site
Kakogawa Factory

Achieved in
April 2000

Technopark

February 2002

Head oﬃce

February 2002

Solution Center

November 2005

Ono Factory

March 2001

Seishin Factory

June 2007

Sysmex Medica
Sysmex RA—

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

Environmental Auditing

Sysmex Corporation and Sysmex International Reagents arein charge of establishing policies and plans, managing the
progress of planned activities, and evaluating their results asmembers of the Environmental Management Committee
chaired by the Sysmex executive oﬃcer in charge of CSR.
In ﬁscal 2010, Sysmex formulated the Sysmex Group
Environmental Action Plan (Sysmex Eco-Vision 2020). We areworking to reduce our environmental impact to achieve theselong-term environmental objectives.
Sysmex has also appointed an environmental manager ineach Group company in Japan and overseas, thus establishinga system to collect groupwide activity information andenvironmental performance data.

In ﬁscal 2011, Sysmex Corporation and Sysmex International
Reagents evaluated overall compliance through a series ofself-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 four nonconformities,
while the external environmental
audits discovered three
nonconformities. Corrective
actions for these nonconformities
External environmental auditing
were promptly completed.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

Sysmex Group Environmental Action Plan (Sysmex Eco-Vision 2020)
Sysmex Eco-Vision 2020
Long-term Environmental Objectives (for Fiscal 2020)
Reduce the power consumption ofdiagnostics instrument by 25%(in comparison with conventional models)• Promoted developments to reduce power consumption.

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions at businessoffices by 50% (per unit of consolidated sales)• Performed water-proof rooftop construction and installed heat-shielding films (Seishin Factory).
• Mounted energy-saving initiatives, setting all personal computers to energy-saving modes,
thoroughly monitoring air conditioned room temperatures, affixing insulative sheets toglass on windows and turning off unnecessary lighting.
• Switched electric power providers, using only suppliers that generate power from renewableenergy (Sysmex Europe).
• Through operation of photovoltaic system throughout fiscal 2011, covered 25% of overall
energy use, or approximately 110,000 kWh (Sysmex Europe, Neumunster Factory).

• Reduce domestic carbon dioxide emissions forlogistics by 11% (per unit of parent-only sales)• Set a target of reducing global carbon dioxide
emissions for logistics• Commenced modal shift from air to ocean transport on exports to Indonesia, for whichratio of air transportation had previously been high.

Reduce carbon dioxide emissions fromdomestic company cars by 50%(per unit of domestic sales)• Conducted eco-drive training at branches and sales offices and held eco-drive contest.
• Promoted introduction of fuel-efficient and hybrid cars.

• Reduce domestic materials for containers
and packaging for products and packing fortransportation by 15%(per unit of parent-only sales)• Set a global target of reducing materials forcontainers and packaging for products andpacking for transportation• Achieved an average 18% reduction in weight on packaging materials used for XN-Series
diagnostic instruments (seven items).

Reduce waste, etc. emissions at businessoffices by 15% (per unit of consolidated sales)• Installed garbage disposers (Ono Factory).

• Domestic: Achieve a recycle rate of 99% orhigher at all business offices covered• Overseas: Achieve a recycle rate of 95% orhigher at all business offices covered• Conducted efforts including review of waste disposal companies.
• Began recycling used reagent bottles.

Reduce water usage at business offices by 30%(per unit of consolidated sales)• Promoted efficiency improvements on water purifying equipment.

Develop products with no animal-derived
ingredients• Promoted a switchover of protein raw materials used in reagents from animal derivatives
to artificially synthesized protein.

Develop paper containers for reagents• Commenced sales of reagents in paper packages in combination with XN-Series diagnostic
instruments.

Establish and operate guidelines for
eco-friendly design• Clarified rules and environmental design guidelines related to handling of chemical
substances that are limited (targeted for reduction or elimination) by the REACH regulationand other regulations.

Achieve an environmental management systemdevelopment rate of 100% for major suppliers• Promoted efforts to obtain ISO 14001 or simplified environmental management system
certification (acquired by 76%, 64 of 84 suppliers).
• Conducted survey targeting 220 suppliers and requesting responses regarding
environmental management systems and environmental conservation activities.

Obtain the ISO 14001 certification at businessoffices covered• ISO 14001 certification received by Sysmex Europe, Sysmex India and Sysmex Asia Pacific.

Promote eco-friendly service models• Promoted expansion of facilities employing SNCS in Asia region.

Promote life cycle assessment• Performed LCA comparing CO2 emissions of newly introduced XN-Series diagnostic
instruments and previous models.

Globalwarming
countermeasures

Eﬀective use ofresources andwaste reduction

Eﬀective use ofwater resources

OthersActivities/Achievements in Fiscal 2011

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201220

Reducing CO2 Emissions from Domestic Company Cars

Global Warming Countermeasures

To reduce CO2 emissions from some 400 company cars inJapan, we are conducting eco-drive training at our branches
and sales oﬃces and holding eco-drive contests.
We are also moving ahead with the introduction of eco-cars
and hybrid cars. In ﬁscal 2011, we introduced 14 eco-cars andseven hybrid cars.
However, because ﬂeet
vehicles were used
more in ﬁscal 2011 thanin the previous year,
emissions per unit ofsales were essentially ﬂat
Eco-drive training
year on year.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Business Oﬃces
We are promoting various measures at each site, in order toreduce greenhouse gas emissions at our business oﬃces. As aresult, in ﬁscal 2011 greenhouse gas emissions per unit of sales
were 16% lower than in the previous ﬁscal year.
At our factories in Japan, we are working on various measures
to bolster production eﬃciency, such as by conserving energy
at production facilities. At all our business oﬃces, including ourfactories, we have introduced
thorough temperature
controls, aﬃxed insulating
sheets, and assiduously
reduced unnecessary lighting.
Energy conservation
measures are designed
Introduction of electric power monitor
according to each site
at Technopark to determine status ofelectricity use throughout the facility
characteristics.

Reducing Power Consumption of Diagnostic
Instruments
To help reduce the amount of energy consumed when customers
use our products, we are pursuing eﬀorts to develop diagnostic
instruments that use even less electricity.

Reducing CO2 Emissions for Logistics

Effective Use of Resources andWaste Reduction

We are also promoting eﬀorts to reduce CO2 emissions fromlogistics processes. For logistics operations in Japan, during theyear we consolidated our logistics centers and revisedtransportation routes to make them more eﬃcient. As a result,CO2 emissions from transportation within Japan were down
8% in ﬁscal 201 1, compared with the previous ﬁscal year.
To reduce emissions resulting from the export from Japan tooverseas regions, whereas in the past we transported instrumentsfrom Japan to Indonesia by air, we shifted transportation of
approximately 90% of these exports to ship. By making changes
such as these, in ﬁscal 2011 we succeeded in reducing CO2 emissions
from transportation to overseas destinations by 19% year on year.
Fiscal 2010

Fiscal 201 1

Transportation within Japan

1,369t-CO2

1,256t-CO2

Transportation to overseas

4,031t-CO2

3,279t-CO2

Greenhouse Gas Emissions at
Business Oﬃces(t-CO2)
24,00010.83

0CO2 Emissions for Logistics(t-CO2/¥100 million)(t-CO2)

2.4

4,000

1.54

1.8

3,000

1,256

1.2

2,000

0.6

1,000

0
2011 (Fiscal year)
Per unit of sales

0

10.35

9.0

2,100

6.0

1,400

3.0

700

2010

0
2011 (Fiscal year)

0

Overseas

Per unit of sales

4,488

4,440

8,131

8,470

7,195

11,711
4,516

Note: See page 24 for information on the boundary of data.

21

CO2 Emissions from Domestic
Company Cars

2,800

12,910Japan

In ﬁscal 2011, we conducted a review of contractors who
process the waste generated by Technopark and Seishin
Factory of Sysmex International Reagents, with the aim ofraising recycling ratios.

(t-CO2)

12,6192009

Reducing Waste at Business Oﬃces

12.0
8.69

6,000

We are working to reduce the amounts of materials for containers,
packaging and packing for instruments, reagents and repair partsin an eﬀort to reduce the weight of materials used. In ﬁscal 2011,
we decreased the weight of materials used in packaging accessories
for the XN-Series, which launched during the year, reducing thisweight by approximately 18% compared with previous items.

(t-CO2/¥100 million)

18,00012,000

Reducing Materials for Containers and Packaging
for Products, and Packing for Transportation

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

2.05

1,344

2009
CO2 emissions

1.84
1,369

2010

Note: These ﬁgures indicate CO2 emissions resulting from the
distribution of products from Japanese factories to distributors.

(t-CO2/¥100 million)
6.0

4.9

1,891

4.2

4.1

4.5

1,740

1,805

3.0
1.5

2009
CO2 emissions

2010

0
2011 (Fiscal year)
Per unit of sales

Note: See page 24 for information on the boundary of data.

scientiﬁc measurement instruments and from July 2016 fordiagnostic instruments and diagnostic instruments foranimals. To meet the stipulations of the revised RoHS
Directive, Sysmex is adjusting its design and production processes
for products shipped to Europe.

We continued to promote the use of garbage disposers at
facilities that produce large amounts of raw garbage and wasteoil, such as employee cafeterias. In ﬁscal 2011, we installed agarbage disposer at theOno Factory of Sysmex
International Reagents.
Owing to renovations atbusiness oﬃces, however,total waste emitted in ﬁscal
2011 was up 3% year-on- year
per unit of sales.
Garbage disposer* 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).

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, allappropriate precautions are taken in their handling. Manuals
are in place to manage their use strictly, limiting storage andlocations where they are used. Furthermore, these substances
are carefully segregated from general waste for proper disposal.

Effective Use of Water Resources
Reducing Water Usage and Processing Wastewater
Appropriately at Business Oﬃces
Sysmex is working to reduce the amount of water it uses throughsuch eﬀorts as increasing the eﬃciency of water purifying
equipment. However, as production volumes are increasing—notably for the production of reagents overseas—water use inﬁscal 2011 per unit of sales was up 2% year-on-year.
In addition, we upgraded thewastewater processing system at our
Kakogawa Factory to augment facility
operation eﬃciency and boost safety.
This system measures biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD)—an indicator ofwater pollution—in real time, helping toensure that we control equipment
appropriately to keep wastewater above
Wastewater processing system
required standards.

OthersHelping Suppliers Build an Environmental
Management System
Sysmex encourage its suppliers to acquire ISO 14001 certiﬁcationor build other environmental management systems recommended
by local administrations. As of March 31, 2012, 64 of our 84
main suppliers had received ISO 14001 or a simpliﬁed versionof environmental management system certiﬁcation.
Furthermore, in ﬁscal 2011 we conducted a survey of 220
suppliers to inquire their status of EMS certiﬁcation andenvironmental conservation activities. We conﬁrmed that no
major environmental issues had arisen.

Reducing the Use of Substanceswith Environmental Impact

Green Procurement

Conforming with Regulations

We have formulated green procurement standards, which
describe our basic policy on environmentally conscious
procurement activities.

Application of the revised RoHS Directive*, which went into
eﬀect in July 2011, to Sysmex’s products begins in July 2014 forMaterials for Containers, ProductPackaging and Packing forTransportation

Total Volume of Waste Emissions
at Business Oﬃces

Water Consumption at Business
Oﬃces

(t)

(t)

(thousand m3)
227.2
400

(t/¥100 million)

4,000
3,000

2.33

2.50

1,861

2.18
1,775

(t/¥100 million)

3.2

2,000

2.4

1,500

1.6

1,000

1,000

0.8

500

0

0
2011 (Fiscal year)
2009
2010
Materials for containers, product packaging andpacking for transportation
Per unit of sales

0

2,000

1,525

Note: See page 24 for information on the boundary of data.

0.83

1.00
0.74

0.76
1,025

969
170

917
195

799

722

764

2009
Japan

0.75

300

0.50

200

0.25

100

2010

0
2011 (Fiscal year)

0

Overseas

Per unit of sales262

Note: See page 24 for information on the boundary of data.

264

230.7
288

(t/¥100 million)
234.6
240
316
157

180

117

137

147

150

2009

2010

0
2011 (Fiscal year)

Overseas

Per unit of sales

Japan

159

120
60

Note: See page 24 for information on the boundary of data.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201222

To reduce substances included in our products that havean environmental impact, in addition to these green procurement
standards, we disclose on our website lists of substances that
we limit or are working to reduce the use of in our products.
We ask our suppliers of parts and raw materials for theircooperation in this regard.

Green Procurement Standards (Excerpt)
1. Objectives
In accordance with its environmental policy, the Sysmex
Group strives to fulfill its corporate social responsibility bypromoting global environment conservation. Accordingly,
we endeavor to promote the manufacture of environmentallyfriendly products by encouraging the procurement of raw
materials and parts that have low impact on the global
environment. These standards have been formulated tocultivate proactive environmental conservation activities among
our suppliers and enable us to work together toward thedevelopment of a sustainable society.
2. Green Procurement Initiatives
We practice “green procurement” to ensure that our procurement
activities promote a reduction in the environmental impactof 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 thathave lower environmental impact.
2) Expand business with suppliers that take a proactive approach
toward environmental conservation.

Promoting Eco-Friendly Service Models
In addition to expanding the functions of the Customer Support
Center, we are minimizing downtime for diagnostic instruments
in use by constructing the Sysmex Network Communication
System (SNCS, see page 28 for details) 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 usedby company cars and the amounts of CO2 emitted by them.

Establishing Eco-Friendly Production Methods for
the Raw Materials Used in Diagnostic Reagents
Sysmex has established a method of producing fromsilkworms the proteins used as raw materials in certain of its
diagnostic reagents.
In the past, proteins were cultivated in computer-controlledtanks, using cells derived from mammals; the new approach reduces
energy consumption
substantially. As
silkworms can becultivated at room
temperature, simply
using shelves andbreeding containers andproviding them withfood, we anticipate
energy savings andSilkworms to produce proteins
waste reduction.

Activities at Overseas Bases
Eco-Friendly Factory (China)

Sysmex Jinan is building an eco-friendly factory, including(without limitation) greenery on its roof (scheduled to commence
operations in 2012).
Water Recycling (India)
At Sysmex India, all factory wastewater is reused at green
spaces within the factory area, and thus the company is working
to reduce the amount of water it consumes.

Acquisition of ISO 14001 Certification(Germany, Singapore, India)

Sysmex Europe, Sysmex Asia Pacific and Sysmex India have acquired
ISO 14001 certification. Sysmex Wuxi and Sysmex Jinan are also
pursuing initiatives toward this end.

Renewable Energy Use (Germany)

At Sysmex Europe, the Neumünster Factory’s installation of aphotovoltaic system reduced overall power consumption at all
factories in fiscal 2011 by around 25%, or 110,000 kWh. The
company has also switched electric power providers, using
only suppliers generate power from renewable resources.

23

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

Photovoltaic system installed at the Neumünster Factory

Environmental Impact of Business Activities

Period: April 1, 2011, to March 31, 2012

INPUT
EnergyPrinting paper

Electricity 25,935 thousands kWh

Japan andoverseas

Fuel (city gas) 801 thousands Nm3

Japan andoverseas

Printing paper

70.1 t

Japan

9.1 t

Japan

PRTR chemicals

Fuel (LPG)

17.6 tJapan andoverseas

Fuel (kerosene)

57.9 kl

Japan andoverseas

Volume of PRTR* chemicals
handledMaterials for containers, packaging and packing

Materials for containers,
packaging for products and 1,775 t
packaging for transportation

Japan

Water

Fuel

(gasoline for Company cars)

Sysmex’s businessactivities

774.4 kl

DesignWater
consumption

Japan

Production

Transportation

316 thousands m3

Use

Japan andoverseas

Disposal

OUTPUT
Greenhouse gases

CO2

CO2

Waste

Greenhouse gases
emission at businessoffices

11,711 t-CO2

Japan andoverseas

CO2 emissions from
Company cars

1,805 t-CO2

Japan

PRTR chemicals

PRTR* chemicals emitted
and released

Japan andoverseasJapan

Total volume of waste
emission
Volume recycled(recycling rate)

1,025 t
910 t (88.7%)

Japan andoverseas

Japan andoverseas

Water

0.6 t

Japan

Waste water

129 thousands m3

Japan andoverseas

Factories and Principal Business Oﬃces of Group Companies in Japan and Overseas
Sysmex Corporation / Sysmex International Reagents / Sysmex RA / Sysmex Medica / Sysmex America /Sysmex Reagents America / Sysmex Brazil / Sysmex Europe GmbH (Neumünster Factory) / Sysmex Shanghai /Sysmex Jinan / Sysmex Wuxi / Sysmex Asia Paciﬁc / Sysmex India
Factories and Principal business Oﬃces of Group Companies in Japan
Sysmex Corporation / Sysmex International Reagents / Sysmex RA / Sysmex Medica* PRTR : Pollutant Release and Transfer Register. A system used to collect, aggregate and disseminate data on the quantity of toxic chemicals that have been released into
the environment and their sources including those which have been transferred outside of facilities in the form of waste.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201224

Fair Operating Practices

Pursuing Fair Business Practices with Business Partners
To ensure the fairness of its business activities, Sysmex makes a thorough eﬀort to anti-corruption and ensure ethics
compliance. We also work 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
Encouraging Activities Based on Promotion Codes
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.
We revised the SPC in April 2012, adding new operationalrules on providing food, drinks and entertainment to healthcare
professionals.

Educational Campaign for Anti-Corruption
One of 10 principles of the Global Compact states that“Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms,
including extortion and bribery.” Sysmex is striving to put thisprinciple into practice.
In ﬁscal 2011, we reinforced our regulations on bribery on
a global scale, incorporating the content of the UK Bribery Act
and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in the United States. We also
conducted training in Japan regarding the enhanced regulations.
Themed on the healthcare facilities, this training addressed
relations with anti-corruption and the healthcare industry.
We invited outside lecturers to conduct a seminar for Sysmex
executives and performed training for employees whose duties
put them into contact with government oﬃcials overseas. We
also provided an e-learning program for all employees.

Anti-Corruption Education Performed in Fiscal 2011
Seminar for Executives (Global Trends Targeting Anti-Bribery
and Countermeasures)
Conducted: January 2012
Participants: 26 people, including the president, executive oﬃcers
and corporate auditors
e-Learning Program: “Relations with Government Oﬃcials”
Conducted: October–December 201 1
Participants: 1,669 employees
Training on Relations with Overseas Government Oﬃcials
Conducted: February 2012
Participants: 103 employees

25

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

Training on relations with overseas government officials

Security Export Control
Establishing a Security Export Control Structure
Sysmex formulated Security Export Control Regulations in ﬁscal
1997. Since that time, we have worked steadily to reinforce our
security export control system, thoroughly verifying thedestinations and purposes of our exports.
At each department in Japan, a security export control oﬃcer
is appointed who is responsible for ensuring security export control
and employee training on the issue at his or her department.

Respecting Property Rights
Preventing Infringement of Other Companies’
Intellectual Property Rights
Dedicated to intellectual property management, Sysmex strives toprotect and utilize its own intellectual property rights, as well as toprevent infringements on the intellectual property rights of othercompanies. Each 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 patent application study
committee is held, where Intellectual Property members andR&D engineers draw up patent application policies and plans fortechnologies under development. At the same time, the committee
investigates the status of third-party intellectual property rights,
thereby minimizing any risks associated with intellectual property. In
ﬁscal 2011, we ﬁled 101 patent applications in Japan and 230 overseas.
As of March 31, 2012, patent holdings in Japan totaled 546, and 812
overseas. Six of our patent applications were environment-related.
In ﬁscal 2011, we held an informal meeting with theCommissioner for the Japan Patent Oﬃce, explaining Sysmex’s
global strategies and eﬀorts to respond to the issue of imitative
reagents. The meeting also involved a broad-ranging exchangeof ideas with the Japan Patent Oﬃce concerning international
intellectual property strategies.

R&D Ethics Compliance
Establishment of a Committee Including Outside
Members
Being involved in clinical research and human genome andgenetic analysis research, Sysmex has adopted the Ethics
Regulations on Clinical Research and Development and Human
Genome and Genetic Analysis Research, whose basic policies
include respect of human dignity and thorough protection of
personal information. Sysmex has also established a Research
Ethics Examination Committee, which includes outside members
such as legal and science experts, in order to review researchcontent.
The list of committee members and examination results
are disclosed on our website, thus ensuring transparency.

CSR Promotion throughout the
Value Chain
Procurement Policies

them with checklists they can use to self-examine their quality
management systems, and sending Procurement and Quality
Management members to suppliers’ manufacturing plants toassist them in improving quality on the shop ﬂoor.
We have prepared a Quality Assurance Agreement that deﬁnes
the quality requirements, and have been encouraging suppliers
to sign this agreement since ﬁscal 2009. As of March 31, 2012, theKakogawa Factory had concluded the agreement with 119 out
of 148 suppliers that it regularly procures parts and materials
from. We have also produced and distributed guidelines aimed
at deepening the overall understanding of the agreement.

Number of Suppliers*
China
0.3%

Asia-Paciﬁc
1.2%

North America
4.6%
Europe
4.6%

Fiscal 2011
Total: 324
companies

Japan
89.1%

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

Purchasing Policy Brieﬁng
The annual Purchasing Policy Brieﬁng is an opportunity for us
to meet with suppliers and brief them on the course of ourbusiness and purchasing policy, thereby forging even stronger
relationships with them.
The brieﬁng in February 2012 was attended by 397 people
from 225 companies. We described to participants our businessactivities, purchasing policies for the ﬁscal year.
Throughout the year, we also awarded ﬁve suppliers whose
cooperation wasparticularly helpful
in heightening thecompetitiveness andreliability of our
products, as well as
Purchasing Policy Briefing
their stable supply.

Aiming to Improve the Quality of Supplied Parts
and Raw Materials
To supply top-quality products to customers in a stable manner,
it is essential to maintain and improve the quality of suppliedparts and raw materials. Toward this end, Sysmex supports quality
assurance of its suppliers in various ways, such as providing* Suppliers of parts and raw materials

Strictly Observing the Act against Delay in Payment
of Subcontract Proceeds, Etc., to Subcontractors
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, we
have established an electronic purchasing system to prevent
unreasonable payment reductions and refunds. Each year, we
also provide training on the system. In ﬁscal 2011, 63 people
underwent this training, including new employees assigned to
R&D departments.

In Distributor Relationships, Focusing on the Key
Issue of Compliance
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 held on occasions
such as new launches, to share our policies and activities with
our distributors, helping them to deepen their understandingof the importance of compliance. In ﬁscal 2008, we bolstered our
drive to prevent corruption by establishing a Sysmex Promotion
Code (SPC) in an attempt to involve distributors in the initiative
to maintain business fairness.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201226

Consumer Issues

Pursuing Quality and Satisfaction That Exceed Expectations
While attending to constant improvement of the quality of our products and services, Sysmex is working hard tocreate a 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
By shaping the advancement of healthcare, our global businessactivities contribute to the creation of a fulﬁlling and healthy society.

Currently, all Group companies involved in development
and production are in the process of acquiring ISO 9001 andISO 13485* international quality management system standard
certiﬁcation. As of March 31, 2012, 25 of the 47 Sysmex Group
companies had acquired ISO 9001 certiﬁcation, with 13 Group
companies also having acquired ISO 13485 certiﬁcation.

Core behavior* ISO 13485: Quality management system for the design and manufacture of

Quality Policy

medical devices.

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.
6. We maintain and continually improve the eﬀectiveness of
our quality management system.
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 compliance withlaws and regulations around the world based on the “Sysmex
Corporation Quality Compliance Policy”, and we act accordingly.
At the same time, Sysmex also conducts global internal quality
auditing, to conﬁrm that the system is operating properly.
In ﬁscal 2011, we conducted quality audits of our overseas
suppliers in addition to the auditing we have been conducting
at overseas factories.
Also, beginning in ﬁscal 2011 we concentrated the quality
eﬀorts of the main overseas companies and overseas factories
at the headquarters quality assurance department, and introduceda system whereby they are reviewed by management.
In addition, once a year we hold the Global RA/QA (regulatoryaﬀairs/quality assurance) Meeting, at which managers of quality
management systems from Sysmex Corporation in Japan, theregional headquarters in the Americas, Europe, China, and theAsia-Paciﬁc region, and aﬃliates gather to share information
with the goal of strengthening our response to product regulations
and the quality assurance system.

27

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

Ensuring Product Quality
Used for clinical testing, Sysmex’s products play a vital role inprotecting people’s lives and good health. Being fully aware ofthis responsibility, Sysmex is making constant eﬀorts to maintainand improve product quality by building various systems, notto mention complying with safety standards around the worldin the design and development stages.
In the product development stage, we verify product quality
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 auditsof the manufacturers and meticulously inspecting the products.
The Sysmex global quality complaint processing system
was launched in April 2011. This system allows us to gather
quality information in a timely way from markets around theworld. When we receive information about a bug or malfunction,
we immediately look into the cause and cease distribution of
the product.

After-Sales Support
For Responding to Inquiries both Rapidly andResponsibly
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 to inquiries and requests
both quickly and carefully. We also maintain customer service
contacts at our regional headquarters in the four regions
outside of Japan (the Americas, Europe, China and theAsia-Paciﬁc region).

Supporting Customers’ Precision Control on a
Daily Basis
At hospitals and other healthcare facilities, instrument precision
is controlled to maintain consistent testing data reliability. In
most cases, the condition of instruments is checked by comparing
the measurement results of special reagents known as “control
samples” with assay values and results from the previous day.
Sysmex supports precision control by providing control
samples. Customer instruments are connected to the Customer
Support Center via our online Sysmex Network Communication
Systems (SNCS). Measured values of control samples sent via
the SNCS from customer instruments are received by the
Customer Support Center, which checks for abnormalities andreturns the analysis results to the customer.
The SNCS also helps customers to prevent instrument
failure by detecting signs of problems even before customers
have become aware of them. We will continue to strengthen
our remote maintenance support by utilizing this “predict andprevent” support service and network.

Inquiries to the Customer Support Center
Complaints
0.2%

Consultations on data
3.5%

Others10.4%

Inquiries on operatingprocedures
5.0%

Total forﬁscal 2011:

Inquiries on quality
control
4.0%

94,584Inquiries on products
7.2%

Requests forrepairs /maintenance
69.7%

Instruments registered with the on-line quality
control service (worldwide)(units)

19,43620,00016,59515,000

8,532

5,000

0

2007

2008

2009

Ensuring Product Safety
Preventing Injuries and Infection
We care about the safety of medical technologists and nurses,
who are the users of our products. Accordingly, Sysmex
products are designed and developed in compliance not onlywith the Pharmaceutical Aﬀairs Act of Japan, but with evenmore stringent in-house standards.
For example, to prevent operators of healthcare instrumentsfrom contracting blood infections through wounds suﬀered
while working, we have incorporated a number of ideas in our
products to enhance their safety, e.g., designing all components
used in instruments to be free from any edges that might cause
injury, and automatically housing the tips of piercing needles(for piercing blood collection tubes) when they are replaced.

Safety and Quality Information
Collection and Repair Information Posted on
Our Website
Sysmex posts information about product collection and repair
on website under “Important Product Notices.” In ﬁscal 2011,
we disclosed information about 15 cases of product collection
and repair.

Sharing Customer Feedback on Product Quality
and Safety within the Company

13,464
10,65910,000

Customer Support Center2010

2011 (Fiscal year)

At Sysmex, information on product quality and safety is centrally
controlled at the Safety Information 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.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201228

Product Quality and Safety Information Control System
Patients

Efficacy/Safety
Information

Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare
Pharmaceuticals andMedical Devices Agency

Proper testing/diagnosis

Medical technologists andother clinical professionals
Gatheringof Efficacy/
SafetyInformation

Gathering
Provisionof Efficacy/of medical
Safetyinformation
Information

Customer
Information

Sales reps

DirectreportingInformation
provision,
response

Instructions/guidance

Information
provision,
response
Gathering

ReportingInformation
Sharing,
cooperation

Vigilance
Division

Information provision/transmission
Gathering of Efficacy and Safety Information

Sysmex Group

Information
Sharing,
cooperation

Partners bothin Japanand Abroad

Subsidiaries
and affiliates
outside of Japan• Literatures bothfrom Japan and abroad
Gathering • Academic Information• Research Data
• Information on
new developments

Calling Attention to Counterfeit Reagents
To assure accurate testing results, Sysmex asks our 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.

Academic Supports
Holding Scientiﬁc Seminars for Clinical
Professionals
Sysmex keeps clinical professionals updated on scientiﬁc
information by sponsoring seminars and study sessions for
doctors, nurses, and medical technologists. In June 2011, nine
venues, including the main sites in Kobe, Tokyo, Sendai andFukuoka and ﬁve satellite sites, were linked by satellite relay
in conducting the 34th Sysmex Scientiﬁc Seminar under thetheme of “Cancer Genomes and Epigenomes: The future of
testing at the genome level”.
We are also active in holding seminars overseas, includingin Asia. In ﬁscal 2011, we held seminars in Indonesia, China andTaiwan. The seminar in Taiwan was attended by more than 400
participants, and was our ﬁrst in that country, where we recently
established a wholly owned subsidiary.

29

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

Sysmex Scientific Seminar in China

Sysmex Journal International Available in Morethan 100 Countries
We distribute Sysmex Journal International to healthcare facilities
and college libraries in more than 100 countries around theworld, thus keeping many clinical professionals updated on
current clinical medicine and medical testing.

Publishing Picture Books Explaining Diseases
and Testing
Sysmex compiles educational picture books on diseases andtesting, which we distribute to 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 interest ofchildren and other readers who may lack medical knowledge. We
have received favorable feedback from the readers of these books.

Stable Supply of Reagents
For Accurate Execution of In Vitro Diagnostics,
which Is Indispensible to Treatment
Sysmex is expanding support structures and facilities to ensurestable product supplies. In ﬁscal 2011, we upgraded and madeadditions to the Ono Factory of Sysmex International Reagents,
expanding capacity. By expanding the production area we haveincreased the factory’s production capacity to 1.5 times its
previous level, and made smooth transition to mass productionof new products possible. Part of the new wing has been
established as a testing area for strengthening and expanding
new production technology. We are also moving forward withrevising the materials procurement process as part of ourdisaster response.
We are also expanding reagent production facility in Sysmex
Jinan to meet rapidly growing demand in China. The new facilities
are scheduled to commence operation during 2012.

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, andalso facilitates our employees’ personal participation involunteer 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 throughdonations, sponsorships and involvement in 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.

Since ﬁscal 2004, Sysmex has contributed funds to a course at
the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine. The course,
entitled “Assessment of Clinical Testing (Sysmex)”, involves basic
and clinical research for the scientiﬁc determination of theeﬃcacy of clinical testing, such as new testing methods, the use of
biomarkers and laboratory diagnosis evaluation, in a clinical setting.
Sysmex also seeks to invigorate educational and research
activities at local universities, and contributed funds toward
the construction of a hall at the Kobe University School of
Medicine. The university has named one part of the facility“Sysmex Hall” in appreciation of the Company’s funding support.

Endorsing “Pink Ribbon” to Support Breast
Cancer Patients
Since 2004, Sysmex has continuously supported the Pink Ribbon
Campaign, which promotes the early detection and treatment ofbreast cancer, by sponsoring symposiums and through otheractivities. In 2011 we participated in the “Smile Walk” held in
Kobe. We also actively support Pink Ribbon Campaign awarenessactivities, such as in-house lectures and movie screenings as wellplacing “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.

Established May 2012

Japan
Participating in the Kobe Medical Industry
Development Project
The Kobe Medical Industry Development Project aims to create a
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,
The University of Tokyo, and Professor of the Faculty of Science andEngineering, Waseda University), a leading expert on hematology,
we are working on research to develop immunodiagnostics
technologies for proper diagnosis of autoimmune disorders andimprove the eﬃcacy and safety of cell therapies.

Pink Ribbon Smile Walk (Kobe)

Participation in the Ecocap Movement
Sysmex has participated in the Ecocap Movement since 2008.
PET bottle caps are sent to Ecocap Movement oﬃces, anddonations corresponding to the number of caps are sent todeveloping countries to pay for vaccinations. The number ofcaps sent so far by Sysmex is equal to about 1,000 vaccinations.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201230

Accepting JICA Trainees

Local Community Development Support

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 2011, Sysmex accepted trainees from Africa three times,
who toured plants and oﬃces and received technical instruction.

We contribute to and sponsor a variety of events in an eﬀort toassist in the development of our Kobe community.

Internships and School Visits
Sysmex Corporation accepts ambitious students on internshipprograms every year. In ﬁscal 2011, Sysmex received two students
from an internship program with Lomonosov Moscow State
University in Russia. These students worked as assistants insurveying overseas markets as well as in other capacities.
In addition to taking high school and graduate school
students from the Kobe area, we also cooperate in the“Try-yaru Week” workplace experience program held
annually for Hyogo Prefecture junior high students. In June
2011, we accepted two Kakogawa junior high students, who
spent three days experiencing testing work.
We have also registered with the Kobe Career Education
Personnel Bank, and conducted school visits at a junior high anda high school. We also participated in “4th Annual Science Fairin Hyogo”, an event participated in by companies, universities,
and research institutions, at which Hyogo Prefecture math andscience students present their research results.

• Kobe Luminarie
Sysmex is a regular sponsor of Kobe Luminarie, an annual
illumination event that originated as a memorial for thevictims of the 1995 Great Hanshin–Awaji Earthquake andwhich is held in the hopes of reconstructing/restoring Kobe
and all of Hyogo Prefecture.
• The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Concert
Sysmex is a regular sponsor of the “Evening of Poetry Readingand Music” event, at which actress Keiko Takeshita recites poemsby residents with themes such as “dreams,” “hope” and “love.”• The Kobe Biennale: A Festival of Integrated Art
Sysmex sponsors the Kobe Biennale, a celebration of art andculture held once every two years to advance artistic culture
and revitalize Kobe.
• The Kobe Oji Zoo Animal Sponsor Program
The program invites individuals and businesses to support thezoo by sponsoring particular species of animal at the institution.
We elected to support the giant pandas, among the most popularof the zoo’s inhabitants.

Preserving the Environment
An Eco Team formed by Sysmex Corporation employees whoare interested in environmental preservation activities has
been conducting various activities since ﬁscal 2008.
As it did in the previous year, in ﬁscal 2011 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 participated in these activities.

Junior high students in the “Try-yaru Week” program

Technopark Festa: A Community Event
Sysmex Corporation holds Technopark Festa, inviting community
residents to visit the Technopark R&D Center every year.
Technopark Festa aims to strengthen our relationship with thelocal community.
More than 500 people attended the Technopark Festa in
November 2011, at which we provided lectures and facility tours.
We also opened the Japanese garden at Technopark to the
public in April, and had about 400 visitors.

31

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

Tsurukabuto Forest afforestation project

The Americas
Ongoing Participation in an Philanthropic Eventfor the Elimination of Cancer
Sysmex America has continued to participate in fundraising
events for the elimination of cancer since ﬁscal 2009. In
ﬁscal 2011, Sysmex America sponsored charity events for theAmerican Cancer Society, the American Heart Associationand the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

established to inspire employers to encourage volunteer activities
among their employees. Sysmex America’s employees serve asadvisors to students at three Chicago public high schools andalso provide ongoing ﬁnancial support.
Sysmex America was awarded Honor Roll status by theCenter for Companies That Care for its local community
contributions and outstanding workplace practices for four
consecutive years since ﬁscal 2008.

Highway Cleanup
Every year, Sysmex America participates in a highway cleaning
campaign for the highways around the company. In May 2011,
eight members of Sysmex America participated in the event.

EuropeOngoing Support for Children

Presentation of charity funds (Georgia Branch of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)

Events for Children
Sysmex America invites children to visit its workplaces every year,
oﬀering them a variety experiences.
This year’s event had the theme “Future Heroes,” with thechildren using cardboard to fashion images of their heroes. We
also held a trash cleanup competition and photo exhibition, anda grand time was had by all.

As in the previous year, in ﬁscal 2011 Sysmex Europe andSysmex Deutschland held a charity lottery, with the cooperationof suppliers, to raise funds for Christmas gifts for needy children,and donated proceeds totaling 3,000 euro to philanthropies
for children with disabilities, a non-proﬁt spinal donor center,and others.
We also donated desks and other ﬁxtures used at exhibitions
to local schools.

Contracting out Work to Organizations
Supporting People with Disabilities
Sysmex Europe and Sysmex Deutschland contract out work suchas materials selection and carton stacking to organizations that
aid the physically-challenged in becoming more self-reliant.
These organizations dispatch workers with disabilities to Sysmex’s
manufacturing line.

Children touring the company

Supporting Local High School Students

Reagent manufacturing (packaging by workers with disabilities)

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 was

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201232

ChinaSysmex Reference Counter for Blood Cell
Counting Contributes to Testing Standardization
The Beijing Institute of Medical Device Testing (BIMT) selected
the Sysmex Reference Counter as the national standard forblood cell counting in China. The BIMT handles the registrationof medical devices under the State Food and Drug Administration(SFDA), and this is the ﬁrst time the reference counter has been
employed.
The adoption of the Sysmex Reference Counter provides abasis for further eﬀorts toward more precision in blood cellcounting and further standardization of testing by registered
testing organs aﬃliated with the SFDA.

Participation in New Zealand Walking Event
Volunteers from Sysmex New Zealand took part in a walking
event held by Oxfam* in ﬁscal 2011, during which they walked
100km in two days.
The event was held to raise funds for poor people indeveloping countries.
* Oxfam: An organization dedicated to supporting people suﬀering from poverty
in developing countries. Oxfam is active in over 90 countries, and seeks toeliminate poverty.

Tree-Planting throughout the Region
Sysmex employees throughout the Asia-Paciﬁc region havejoined to create the Greener Sysmex Team, with the goal of
making Sysmex a more environmentally friendly company. In
ﬁscal 2011, the team was active in tree-planting and greening
projects in each region.
Mangrove planting was undertaken by Sysmex Thailand
in April 2011 and by Sysmex Malaysia in November 2011. Sysmex
Philippines also conducted tree-planting in May 2011, while
Sysmex Indonesia did so in February 2012.

Sysmex Reference Counter provided free of charge on loan to the Beijing Institute ofMedical Device Testing in China

Asia-PacificSupport for Students of Health Informatics
Sysmex New Zealand sponsored an essay competition for
health informatics students at the Auckland University, withthe goal of cultivating students with innovative ideas so as tobring about better healthcare through information technology.
The award for the best student essay was presented in
September 2011, with the award presentation preceded by alecture by Sysmex staﬀ.

33

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

Tree-planting (Indonesia)

Visits to Homes for the Elderly in Malaysia
The Sysmex Malaysia Greener Sysmex Team visited a home forthe elderly run by a local NPO in ﬁscal 2011. In addition to
donating food and sundries, the volunteers had lunch andenjoyed chatting with the elderly residents.

Independent Opinion

On Reading the Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012
1. As a Company Oﬀering “Trust and Conﬁdence”
Sysmex’s Corporate Philosophy, the “Sysmex Way,” lists
one of the Company’s precepts as “building trust andconﬁdence,” and as we see in the name* of this report, theCompany emphasizes the notion of trust and conﬁdence.

Katsuhiko Kokubu
Professor, Graduate School of Business
Administration, Kobe University

The clariﬁcation of trust and conﬁdence as Sysmex CSR
policy is the central theme of this report.
Highlight 1 introduces a new product, the XN-Series,

standards, which is important for a company generating
three-quarters of its net sales overseas. At the same time, thewhich is designed to be safe for users and theCompany notes that it is in the process of formulating a CSR

environment. Various other aspects of trust and conﬁdence

plan by analyzing the status of its CSR activities in 2011 based

are addressed throughout the report, and we can see thaton ISO 26000, and determining the important issues based

it lies at the core of the Sysmex Group’s management.

on that analysis. The next step should be to formulate a* The Sysmex Sustainability Report is called the “Anshin Report 2012”
in Japanese; anshin is Japanese for the “trust and confidence.”

medium- to long-term vision for CSR, as it has done for its

2. Establishment of a Policy on Corporate Citizenship
Activities and Philanthropy

2020, and then creating a clear action plan. Sysmex is making

Sysmex established its Policy on Corporate Citizenshipgiven that the Sustainability Report is published annually,

Activities and Philanthropy in May 2012, indicating how

the degree of progress for the given ﬁscal year should be

the Company will pursue global social contribution as adisclosed in a way that is easy to understand.

environmental policies by creating the Sysmex Eco-Vision
steady progress in its environmental and CSR activities, but

good corporate citizen. How to pursue international social
contribution through its business is a serious CSR issue

4. Communication with Stakeholders

faced by Sysmex, and it is an area in which we expect

While the company does take many opportunities tomuch of the company. I think the Company will produce

engage in dialog with stakeholders, the next step shouldeven greater successes if it sets concrete targets for social

be dialog along the important shared theme of the Sysmex

categories and conducts results-based management.

Group’s CSR. In establishing and executing a CSR plan, it
is important to get opinions from those on the outside.

3. Global Development-Aware CSR

I urge Sysmex to do so in order to get stakeholders toThis report is structured according to ISO 26000. I givebroadly understand its CSR, and to ensure transparency

Sysmex high marks for its consciousness of internationalin the Company’s activities.

In Reply
I am grateful for Dr. Kokubu’s frank but courteous opinion.
Sysmex is aware of the importance from a social
responsibility perspective of building trust and conﬁdence toour stakeholders, and we will continue to actively seek to do so.
In addition, we are making step-by-step progress

Kenichi Yukimoto
Member of the Managing Board
and Executive Officer
Senior Managing Director
CSR

based on our newly established Policy on Corporate
Citizenship Activities and Philanthropy, to contribute to

We intend to take needs of stakeholders fully into accountthe development of healthcare and resolving the issues

in the establishment of the plan.

faced by regional communities.
We will draw up a concrete CSR plan based upon theimportant issues derived from our analysis of ﬁscal 201 1.

We will continue to work steadily to step up our CSR
activities to meet the expectations of all our stakeholders,
including Dr. Kokubu.

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201234

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

Paid-in capital¥9,187 million (As of March 31, 2012)

Line of business

Development, manufacture, sales, andexport/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

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

Head Oﬃce

Consolidated subsidiaries 46 (7 in Japan, 39 abroad)

Business Activities
Diagnostics ﬁeld

for predicting the eﬀects of anti-cancer

quality of laboratory operations.

The diagnostics ﬁeld involves instruments,

drugs slated for commercial launch. Our

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 ofknow-how that we have amassed in the

blood cells (hematology) and determining thediagnostics business, Sysmex applies the

Other ﬁelds (Healthcare, etc.)

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

We commercialize and sell devices that canenjoy a high reputation with customers, whoanalysis to the creation of innovative testing

estimate hemoglobin levels without blood

place us as the number one brand in eachand diagnosis technologies. Our priority

sampling, and a series of support software

market segment. By combining quality

R&D area here is the deﬁnitive diagnosis

for health management and childcare

instruments with a broad range of otherand recurrence prevention of cancer, andservices. We are also involved in the

products and services, such as reagents,

we are currently introducing technologies

development of particle measuring analyzers

software, instrument maintenance services,for rapid detection of cancer cell metastasis

for industrial ﬁeld, utilizing the particle

and academic support, we are oﬀeringin lymph nodes to markets around the world.

analysis technology that was originallysolutions that increase the eﬃciency and

We are also involved in R&D of technologies

developed in the diagnostics ﬁeld.

Consolidated net sales

Consolidated operating income /Consolidated net income

Net sales by destination(¥ million)(¥ million)

AsiaPaciﬁc
7.2%

ultimate goal is to contribute to better
patient QOL.

Financial Data

150,000

110,724 111,842 116,174

124,694

20,000134,743

15,000100,000

15,033 15,134

10,00050,000

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

2011
(FY)

8.3
9,221

9.6

9.7

10,771 11,238(¥ million)

8.8

10

150,000

12,380 11,904

8

9.9

6
4
2

2007

2008

2009

2010

R&D expenditure
R&D expenditure per net sales

35

12,007

2007

2008

2009

2010

Net income

2011
(FY)

Consolidated total assets
(%)

6,000
0

11,411

Sysmex Sustainability Report 2012

2011
(FY)

0

109,027

Japan
29.5%

Consolidated
net sales FY2011

118,521 120,702(¥ million)

Europe27.7%

Americas(U.S., Canada,
and Central andSouth America)
21.2%

Number of employees (consolidated)
130,059

142,285

5,000
4,000

100,000

3,333

3,550

2007

2008

3,913

4,248

4,596

2010

2011
(FY)

3,000
2,000

50,000
0

China
14.3%

134,743

Operating income

R&D expenditure(¥ million)

12,000

8,013

9,764

5,000

0

18,0009,131

15,70818,288 19,205

1,000
2007

2008

2009

2010

2011
(FY)

0

2009

Global Network

Aﬃliates
Sales

Production

Development

Distribution

Controlling company

Principal Third-Party Awards (Fiscal 2011)•Received the Good Design Gold Award 2011 for in-vitro diagnostic
system employing Silent Design®*1•Received the “Invention Award” in the 2011 National
Commendation for Invention, sponsored by the Japan Instituteof Invention and Innovation, for technologies related to its
white blood cell classification and counting method andassociated reagents.
•Received Technology Award from the Japan Society of Clinical
Chemistry for ‘A Novel CK-MB Activity Assay Kit “L-System
CK-MB” Using Anti-human Mitochondrial CK Antibodies’•Selected for the Honor Roll 2012*2 (Sysmex America)•Received awards from multiple medical institutions in thePhilippines for contributions to regional healthcare throughscientific seminars and workshops (Sysmex Philippines)* 1 Silent Design®: A proprietary design concept of Sysmex Corporation that, in
addition to functionality and performance rises, concentrates on enhancing
instrument usability by clinical laboratory technicians.

* 2 Honor Roll 2012: Corporate ranking that selects companies for their contributions
to employees and their families, as well as to the welfare of local communities.
Survey conducted by the Center for Companies That Care, an NPO.

* 3 Best Places to Work in Healthcare: Corporate ranking that selects and awards
companies in the healthcare ﬁeld that are good places for employees to work.
Based on a survey conducted by Modern Healthcare, an industry journal.

•Selected as one of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare*3(Sysmex America)

Sysmex Sustainability Report 201236

1-5-1 Wakinohama-Kaigandori,Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, Japan