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Strategies
The business areas of Energy & Metal Division cover a wide variety of energy resources, mineral resources, and steel. Included are energy resources such as crude oil, natural gas, LNG, thermal coal, nuclear fuel, and bioethanol; raw materials of steel such as coking coal, iron ore, ferroalloys (rare metals=
minor metal), and industrial minerals; the steel products business conducted through Metal One Corporation, non-ferrous metals such as copper and aluminum, and various precious metals. Over many years, Sojitz has assumed responsibility to ensure stable supply of resources to the energy, gas, and steel industries. Besides the leading industrial sectors of Japan, we will also aim to supply resources to high demand emerging countries and continue to work in line with changes in the times and the environment for the further development of our division.
In accordance with our basic policy--“investment and trading are the twin pillars for growth”--we focus not only on the accumulation of resource interests but also on trading activities. We set high value on efforts to expand business in Japan, Asia, and other emerging countries. We continuously pursue competitive upstream concessions and improve asset efficiency through asset reallocation for sustainable growth. We concentrate our business resources in areas where we are competitive and able to exercise our expertise.
As awareness of environmental issues including climate change grows on a global level, Sojitz works to develop new businesses from a sustainability perspective. For example, the Energy & Metal Division is active in the bioethanol business, trading of raw materials for solar cells, and emissions rights trading business in Japan. We have also been engaged in a sugar-cane based bioethanol business in Brazil since 2007. Four large-scale bioethanol plants that were under construction in 2011 were completed consequently. With an annual bioethanol production of 3 million kiloliters, this business has become one of the largest bioethanol producers both in name and substance.
For a further sustained growth, the division will steadily reinforce its business activities by cultivating highly skilled employees on the basis of accumulated prime assets such as competitive upstream interests and long-held trade rights. For the human resource development, we will revitalize job rotation within and outside the division to provide various job opportunities and cultivate employees with high levels of expertise and broad perspectives.
Organization
