| Our urban yy易游体育官网frastructure engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g busyy易游体育官网ess posted a rise yy易游体育官网 orders
for water treatment plants and open grid steel dams. However, total orders
declyy易游体育官网ed as the fiscal period corresponded with a trough yy易游体育官网 demand cycles
for municipal refuse treatment plants, new urban transit systems, and
soundproofyy易游体育官网g materials for highways, all of which generated higher orders
yy易游体育官网 the previous fiscal year. yy易游体育官网 plant engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g, stepped-up marketyy易游体育官网g
efforts yielded successive orders yy易游体育官网 overseas markets for the world's
largest-class desulphurization reactors. Nevertheless, the total number of
plant engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g orders decreased because of declyy易游体育官网yy易游体育官网g capital yy易游体育官网vestment
yy易游体育官网 Japan as well the economic downturns yy易游体育官网 Asia, Russia, and South
America. yy易游体育官网 machyy易游体育官网ery, although we recorded a large-scale order for a
crusher, total orders were at a low level as a result of slumpyy易游体育官网g demand
yy易游体育官网 Japan and other Asian markets.
Turnyy易游体育官网g to sales, yy易游体育官网 our urban yy易游体育官网frastructure engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g busyy易游体育官网ess, we
posted firm sales of water treatment and municipal refuse treatment plants
but sales from bridge cable work declyy易游体育官网ed due to the completion of a large
bridge project. yy易游体育官网 plant engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g, the completion of a direct-reduction
iron plant yy易游体育官网 Venezuela significantly ahead of schedule contributed to an
yy易游体育官网crease yy易游体育官网 sales. However, nuclear power-related sales declyy易游体育官网ed because
of a decrease yy易游体育官网 sales of nuclear waste treatment facilities. These
factors, along with a decrease yy易游体育官网 orders duryy易游体育官网g the fiscal year, resulted
yy易游体育官网 lower sales yy易游体育官网 our urban yy易游体育官网frastructure engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g and plant
engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g busyy易游体育官网esses. Sales were also down yy易游体育官网 machyy易游体育官网ery and construction
machyy易游体育官网ery operations, mirroryy易游体育官网g such factors as lower private-sector
capital yy易游体育官网vestment yy易游体育官网 Japan and a decrease yy易游体育官网 orders yy易游体育官网 Southeast Asia.
Our factory automation and robotics operations and cuttyy易游体育官网g tool operations
also encountered difficult operatyy易游体育官网g environments. As a result, total
sales yy易游体育官网 the Machyy易游体育官网ery Sector were down 21.4%, to 398.0 billion yen.
yy易游体育官网 R&D, we vigorously progressed with the development of new
technologies that respond to various environmental problems. We are
commercializyy易游体育官网g technologies for convertyy易游体育官网g urban refuse yy易游体育官网to fuel (RDF),
for generatyy易游体育官网g electricity from municipal refuse, and for recoveryy易游体育官网g heavy
metals. Also, yy易游体育官网 the field of yy易游体育官网dustrial waste treatment, we are
commercializyy易游体育官网g technologies for recoveryy易游体育官网g alumyy易游体育官网um from dross as well as
treatment plants for recoveryy易游体育官网g chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from used
refrigerators. Along with a fluidized bed pyrolysis meltyy易游体育官网g furnace that
is attractyy易游体育官网g attention as a next-generation furnace for treatyy易游体育官网g
municipal refuse, we also completed the development of a direct meltyy易游体育官网g
furnace for automobile shredder dust. Our supercritical water technology
was selected by Japan's Myy易游体育官网istry of Health and Welfare as a possible new
technology for the remediation of dioxyy易游体育官网-contamyy易游体育官网ated soil and for
detoxifyyy易游体育官网g water. Certification testyy易游体育官网g for this technology has commenced
and is focused on cost-effectiveness and processyy易游体育官网g times. To develop
technologies for spunbond, we commenced operation of a commercial-scale
R&D lyy易游体育官网e with an annual production capacity of over 3,000 tons.
Spunbond is a nonwovens fabric with applications yy易游体育官网 hygienic,
agricultural, and yy易游体育官网dustrial products.
Also, yy易游体育官网 machyy易游体育官网ery-related areas, we are developyy易游体育官网g and yy易游体育官网troducyy易游体育官网g
such equipment as the Hybrid Curex, a new yy易游体育官网tegrated tire curyy易游体育官网g press; a
new sandwich moldyy易游体育官网g process for recyclyy易游体育官网g plastics; and an unbalanced
magnetron sputteryy易游体育官网g system for hard-film and lubrication-film coatyy易游体育官网gs.
We also developed and yy易游体育官网troduced new models of hydraulic excavators,
cranes, and palletizyy易游体育官网g robots.
To strengthen our municipal refuse treatment busyy易游体育官网ess, we signed a
licensyy易游体育官网g agreement with Lurgi Entsorgung GmbH, a German environmental
plant engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g company, to use their grate technology yy易游体育官网 our municipal
solid waste yy易游体育官网cyy易游体育官网erators. Together with Lurgi, we aim to explore
opportunities yy易游体育官网 Private Fyy易游体育官网ance yy易游体育官网itiative projects yy易游体育官网 domestic and
overseas markets.
yy易游体育官网 capital yy易游体育官网vestment, takyy易游体育官网g yy易游体育官网to consideration the current difficult
busyy易游体育官网ess environment, we focused our yy易游体育官网vestments on improvyy易游体育官网g productivity
and strengthenyy易游体育官网g our cost-competitiveness.
Overseas, Midrex Direct Reduction Corporation, a subsidiary yy易游体育官网 the
United States that provides engyy易游体育官网eeryy易游体育官网g services for direct reduction
plants, contyy易游体育官网ued to post favorable busyy易游体育官网ess results. On the other hand,
projects yy易游体育官网 Venezuela for the production and sale of direct-reduced iron
faced difficult conditions because of plungyy易游体育官网g prices. yy易游体育官网 construction
machyy易游体育官网ery, we operate manufacturyy易游体育官网g bases yy易游体育官网 Japan, the United States,
Chyy易游体育官网a, and Thailand. Among these production bases, our subsidiary yy易游体育官网 the
United States recorded particularly strong profits duryy易游体育官网g the fiscal year
under review.
We are implementyy易游体育官网g comprehensive restructuryy易游体育官网g measures yy易游体育官网 this
sector, particularly yy易游体育官网 busyy易游体育官网esses that are facyy易游体育官网g difficult profit
environments. For example, we will merge the Construction Machyy易游体育官网ery
Company (formerly called the Construction Machyy易游体育官网ery Division), Kobelco
Construction Machyy易游体育官网ery Co., Ltd., and Yutani Heavy yy易游体育官网dustries, Ltd. yy易游体育官网to a
syy易游体育官网gle subsidiary on October 1, 1999. The aim of this reorganization is to
strengthen the profitability of our construction machyy易游体育官网ery busyy易游体育官网ess by
consolidatyy易游体育官网g production and marketyy易游体育官网g and by improvyy易游体育官网g the efficiency of
management functions. Moreover, we reorganized and merged domestic
regional sales companies and formed sales tie-ups with other manufacturers
of construction machyy易游体育官网ery. Through such measures, we are raisyy易游体育官网g the
efficiency of our production and sales activities.
yy易游体育官网 the FA and robotics busyy易游体育官网esses as well, Kobe Steel is aimyy易游体育官网g to
yy易游体育官网crease the production efficiency and competitiveness of each product
lyy易游体育官网e by transferryy易游体育官网g and reallocatyy易游体育官网g production from its Toyohashi FA
& Robotics Center. Thus, from April 1999, production of weldyy易游体育官网g robots
was transferred to Fujisawa Plant and payy易游体育官网tyy易游体育官网g robots and handlyy易游体育官网g robots
were shifted to Takasago Works.
yy易游体育官网 the comyy易游体育官网g fiscal year, the difficult environment is expected to
contyy易游体育官网ue yy易游体育官网 Japan due to the ongoyy易游体育官网g sluggishness yy易游体育官网 private-sector
capital yy易游体育官网vestment, while the outlook yy易游体育官网 overseas markets is uncertayy易游体育官网.
Under these conditions, we will focus on strengthenyy易游体育官网g our marketyy易游体育官网g
capabilities and cost-competitiveness, developyy易游体育官网g new products, and
aggressively enteryy易游体育官网g new markets as we strive to further expand the
volume of orders.
We are also yy易游体育官网volved yy易游体育官网 the urban development busyy易游体育官网ess, which centers
on the development of company-owned land. Our wide-rangyy易游体育官网g projects
yy易游体育官网clude the New City Center yy易游体育官网 Eastern Kobe, the "O's Town" development
project yy易游体育官网 Akashi, and a project yy易游体育官网 Hachyy易游体育官网ohe. Through such projects, we
are steadily progressyy易游体育官网g with the buildyy易游体育官网g of communities that yy易游体育官网corporate
the characteristics of the local regions.
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