Results of Operations

Although a substantial proportion of cinema screens worldwide had already been digitalized, the launch of compact projectors meant that unit sales of digital cinema projectors remained at much the same level year on year. In general imaging, meanwhile, sales expanded in Europe as well as in the U.S., with strong sales of imaging equipment for control rooms and other uses.

In the optical equipment sector, sales of USHIO’s photo-alignment system for LCD panel manufacturing gained momentum, but sluggish sales of exposure tools for electronic component manufacturing combined with other factors to reduce sales slightly.

Equipment business sales were ¥91,243 million, an increase of 6.2% year on year. Segment profit jumped 119.1% year on year to ¥2,537 million.

Outlook for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2015

In cinema-related operations USHIO will target growth in its solutions business, including the new audio business it intends to launch. Meanwhile, the general imaging market has been expanding continuously by 10-15% annually and offers ongoing potential for new applications, primarily in virtual reality and simulation systems. We therefore expect increased sales across the market as a whole.

In the electronics market, photo-alignment systems for small and medium-sized high-definition LCD panels should continue to perform well, while growth in demand can be expected for exposure tools for power device and MEMS manufacturing, among other uses. New demand can also be expected for such products as exposure tools for 2.5D interposers and direct imaging equipment for PCBs.

Key Data

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*Sales figures include intersegment sales and transfers.