Taking "I’m Glad We Chose Fuji" to the World | What is field-driven marketing that connects customer feedback to development?

Historically, Fuji’s marketing function existed as part of the Sales Planning Department. When the Marketing Department became an independent department in April 2026, we took the opportunity to reconsider what our responsibilities should be. As a result, we identified four pillars: value planning, top-of-mind awareness, customer experience, and sales support.

Value planning focuses on determining what value we should deliver to customers. Rather than simply developing products, our role is to deeply examine why that value is needed. Top-of-mind awareness involves ensuring that Fuji is the first company customers think of when considering capital investments. While it is difficult to predict exactly when customers will begin evaluating equipment purchases, we need to make sure that Fuji is already present in their minds when that time comes.

Customer experience is about creating an environment in which customers can maximize the value of their machines after installation. For example, providing easy-to-understand manuals, maintaining member websites, and creating intuitive pathways to important information are all critical marketing responsibilities. Sales support serves as a bridge between sales and development by refining proposal materials and facilitating the sharing of technical information.

One area we are currently focusing on is our VOC (Voice of Customer) process. Sales representatives collect customer feedback and store it as data, which is then reviewed by a committee on a regular basis. In the past, requests that came from only a small number of customers sometimes went unnoticed. Now, however, we have established a system that accumulates all requests and they are reviewed periodically. As a result, even if a request is not adopted the first time it is reviewed, it can be reconsidered if the same feedback emerges a second or third time. Through this ongoing accumulation and evaluation process, we are able to identify what the market truly needs.

Another important focus for us is identifying value that customers want and that Fuji can provide. I believe this is where Fuji’s strength lies and what ultimately leads to customer satisfaction. We are constantly striving to understand the value customers genuinely seek and to provide it proactively.

Fuji’s Marketing Department includes many members with specialized technical expertise, including former design engineers. For example, when proposing software solutions, there are situations where a sales representative alone may struggle to explain the details. However, by having technically knowledgeable team members accompany them, discussions with customers become more in-depth, significantly increasing understanding and satisfaction.

In one case involving software license utilization, a sales representative alone was unable to fully communicate the benefits. A technically specialized team member accompanied the sales representative and was able to explain specifically which license was most suitable for the customer’s operation and how it could improve productivity. This ultimately led to significant results.

Post-installation KAIZEN (continuous improvement) activities are also an important part of our role. We visit customer sites to verify that their electronic component pick and place machines are operating at high operation rates and propose methods to further improve performance. In addition, through an initiative called CTA (Cycle Time Analysis), we assess whether customers are using the most efficient programs possible for their pick and place machines.

Our approach to marketing goes beyond simply selling products. We provide support to customers so that they can genuinely say "I’m glad we chose Fuji." That is what marketing means to us.

Today, our Global Media Section is strengthening communications aimed at international markets. Through success story videos, press releases, and social media management, we are conveying Fuji’s value to customers around the world.

In particular, because Fuji’s international sales ratio is very high, we tailor communication channels according to each region and application. The most important objective is ensuring that customers think of Fuji first when considering capital investments. To achieve this, we maintain a continuous flow of information.

We also work closely with distributors around the world, extending successful case studies and exhibition concepts developed in Japan to international markets. As a result, in fiscal year 2026, we began doing business with approximately 200 new customers. I believe that strengthening our collaboration with distributors and our ongoing communication efforts contributed significantly to these results. Challenges differ from region to region, but visiting local locations firsthand continues to provide us with many valuable insights.

It is extremely important for customers to be able to actually see and touch the products. Fuji products offer advantages in compactness, ease of use, and automation technology, but these strengths are difficult to convey through catalogs alone. By experiencing the products firsthand at exhibitions and showrooms, customers gain a much deeper understanding of their value.

One example that demonstrated this effect was at a recent exhibition. We showcased placement technology that achieved the world’s first successful placement of the next-generation ultra-small electronic component 016008 mm (0.16 x 0.08 mm, 006003"), which is even smaller than the smallest component size currently in practical use. This exhibit generated significant interest. I believe that our press releases ahead of the exhibition, as well as the creative ways we presented our exhibit at the show, played an important role in attracting attention. This experience reaffirmed to me that, in order to deliver outstanding technology to society, the strategy of how to communicate it is just as crucial as the technological results themselves.

Our goal is to be number one in the industry through marketing. Marketing is not simply about promotion. It involves gathering customer feedback, planning value, collaborating with development teams, and delivering that value to the market. We see marketing as the function that designs and orchestrates this entire process.

In manufacturing, marketing cannot succeed by looking at data alone. It is essential to visit customer sites, understand customers, understand competitors, and think about what comes next. That is why Fuji’s approach is "marketing that goes to the field."

Another important responsibility is determining how to bring the outstanding technologies developed by Fuji engineers to the world. Our role is to translate technological strengths into customer value and communicate them in a clear and understandable way. With the Marketing Department as a bridge between engineering and the market, we aim to deliver the value of our technology to customers worldwide.

As a core driver of the business, Fuji’s Marketing Department will continue creating and delivering new value to customers for years to come.