Mizuno's manufacturing strengths lie in "technology" and "quality." When top athletes in various sports use our products, they can truly appreciate the difference. This difference is not just about numerical specifications, but rather the quality that customers can feel when they perform with our gear, achieved through our technological prowess.
For example, in shoes, we have Mizuno's proprietary core sole technology 'MIZUNO WAVE' and the high-resilience material 'MIZUNO ENERZY.' In golf clubs, we use materials like carbon and titanium. Mizuno's history has always been about pursuing materials and designs to realize our customers' dreams.
On the other hand, some products gain customer support by remaining unchanged. The 'Morelia Series' football shoes, with their long history, maintain a quality fitting that is loved by fans worldwide. Similarly, the 'Beyond Max' baseball bat has seen some model changes but retains its core elements. Providing consistent quality has resulted in many loyal customers, which is a competitive advantage for us.

Additionally, our company has the in-house capability to manufacture products. The new innovation center, "MIZUNO ENGINE," located adjacent to our headquarters, provides a place where we can actually engage in developing gear. With "MIZUNO ENGINE," we have achieved high-speed cycles of "Measure", "Phototype", and "Try". At the mass production stage, our domestic factories can conduct small-scale prototyping, which is unique to us.

A year and a half has passed since the start of "MIZUNO ENGINE," and three notable changes have occurred. First, development, which was previously limited to specific personnel, now involves consultation across different departments and fields. Second, open innovation has progressed, utilizing external opinions and global technologies and materials. Lastly, there has been a change in the values, thinking, and behavior of our employees. These changes have laid the foundation for our company to continuously generate innovation.

The 2023 redefinition of our Purpose, Vision, and Values (PVV) provided an excellent opportunity for all employees to reaffirm our mission of "We are persistent in bringing 'A-mon' quality for the world." While leveraging our manufacturing strengths, we will focus on research and development in the five areas defined by our research and development vision "MIZUNO MIRAI VISION": competition, work, health, education, and the environment. By doing so, we will create 'A-mon' products and enhance our corporate value. I feel that everyone in our basic research and product development departments is moving in the same direction to achieve this goal. We will continue to challenge ourselves in Mizuno's manufacturing to change society through sports via innovation.

* For details about PVV, please refer to [Purpose, Vision, and Values]
(link to: Management and Sustainability Strategy > Mizuno's Purpose, Vision, and Values).