Vision 2032
Continue to Be a "Field of Potentiality" for the Future
The ULVAC Group celebrated its 70th anniversary on August 23, 2022. Taking the opportunity of this anniversary, we have formulated "Vision 2032," the ideal configuration of the ULVAC Group 10 years from now. We will continue contributing to the future of people, society, and the planet through vacuum technology and its peripheral technologies.
What is Vision 2032?
Taking the opportunity of the 70th anniversary of ULVAC's foundation, we have envisaged the ideal configuration of the ULVAC Group 10 years from now. The following process was used to develop the vision as well as to align the corporate culture and values inherited from ULVAC's foundation with the future.
＜Formulation Process＞
27 young project members from five countries spent a year discussing what kind of company ULVAC should be 10 years from now. Initially, the project started with only discussions by project members, but subsequently experts were invited from Tokyo Institute of Technology's Laboratory for Design of Social Innovation in Global Networks (DLab) to participate as facilitators and they provided guidance on scientific methods of organizing and integrating ideas. DLab organized a lecture by a professor in the humanities, which enabled ULVAC project members to gain insights into "vacuum" from a perspective different from that of physics and apply them in discussions. DLab is working with various people, including students and people from companies and public institutions, to design the ideal future, which is different from the future that can be predicted based on scientific and technological developments. ULVAC has been cooperating with the Tokyo Institute of Technology on various initiatives centering on the ULVAC Advanced Technology Collaborative Research Cluster, and as part of this collaboration, ULVAC invited DLab to participate in this project to formulate ULVAC's vision.
Through discussion, we established a hypothesis, that is, "New ideas and new potentials emerge when we create an empty space in our mind and apply our will and passion to it." This hypothesis was tested from various perspectives, including that of the Basic Corporate Philosophy, Business Philosophy, and the founders' aspirations, such as "Deep Considerations about Vacuum."
Vacuum is a Field of Potentiality
-
In his book, "Deep considerations about Vacuum" (Hakujitsusha, 2011), Dr. Chikara Hayashi, ULVAC's third president who was also an expert in nuclear physics, described the "Field of Potentiality" as follows: "A vacuum field is a 'field of potentiality' where certain phenomena may occur. That is a most reasonable explanation, in my opinion. The potentiality of a vacuum field is physically the potentiality for change of energy and change of matter, but it is also the potentiality for change of the individual and change of one's mind through a series of changes. And this change in the mind leads to a change of heart of a person (individual). In the case of a group of people (society), it leads to change in the spirit animating society."
-
Dr. Chikara Hayashi, the third president of the Company
ULVAC's Spirit of Sustainability since the Foundation
-
ULVAC's Business Philosophy was established in 1966 to codify the Management Philosophy that has guided the Company since its foundation in 1952 and the business operations and actions informed by that Philosophy, with the goal of becoming a leading global company. The spirit of sustainability—encompassing such insights as "Corporate sustainability," " Our people is crucial to the growth of the company," "Pursuing reasonable profits," and "Working for the benefit of society"—has been part of our founding DNA, inherited through the generations down to the present day. In addition, "Depending on customers," "Valuing time," and "Comprehensive use of vacuum technology" can be summarized as "our company leads technological innovation through innovation with vacuum technology at its core.
-
As a result of these comprehensive considerations, the project team concluded that ULVAC should continue to be a "Field of Potentiality" for the future. On this basis, the project team exchanged opinions with ULVAC's management and various internal and external experts, conducted a review, and secured the approval of the Board of Executive Officers and the Board of Directors.
The term "Field of Potentiality" alludes to "the margin of each person's mind." Having an empty space in one's minds allows one to absorb more from the outside world. Using the knowledge thus gained, one can venture into the unknown and create the new. This begins when a person becomes aware of the "Field of Potentiality" within one's mind. We believe that the ULVAC Group, where the energy of such people is gathered, will also become a "Field of Potentiality," which will lead to the creation and co-creation of innovation with vacuum technology at its core that will contribute to a sustainable future. How can we inculcate ULVAC's vision throughout the global workforce? How can each employee take ownership of ULVAC's vision? How can we create fields for unlimited potentialities and link the vision to the next mid-term management plan? We recognize these as issues for the future. We will endeavor to ensure that everyone in the ULVAC Group keeps the vision in mind and continues creating value for people, society, and the planet far into the future.