Mr. Oswald Schmid is the CEO of Bekaert (headquartered in Belgium), the world’s leading steel wire manufacturer. Mr. Schmid gave an interview in Tokyo to Japan Metal Daily. In response to the industrial world hastening to pursue measures against climate change, he stated that the entire Bekaert group will work together to contribute to decarbonization.
Bekaert has a history spanning over 140 years, and Mr. Schmid emphasized “As the pioneer in the industry, we are always seeking to become the harbinger of new practices, and we would like to continue to cultivate new possibilities.” He then stated “We will aim to expand our business by actively investing in offshore wind power generation and businesses related to hydrogen (in all countries/regions) while focusing on innovation, digitalization and sustainability.” He also explained that the company’s policy is to contribute to the establishment of a recycle-based society by concentrating on all matters related to life cycle assessment, such as reducing CO2 emissions of their plants and by providing various solutions through their products, and in addition the company will pursue developing growth drivers along their supply chain.
Furthermore, Mr. Schmid discussed the company’s current situation regarding developing products and services based on the ‘3 S (Safe, Smart and Sustainable)’. He made reference to ‘VUCA (pronounced voo-ka)’, an acronym that describes how world affairs are volatile and therefore difficult to make predictions regarding the future, and stated “If young people feel empathy toward our motto and policies regarding manufacturing, and if they find it meaningful to become a part of Bekaert, this may motivate them to feel they would like to work with us.”
In terms of the various measures that Bekaert will pursue, Mr. Schmid stated “Bekaert on its own will not be able to pursue these measures, and it will be essential to have partners with regards to technology and other areas.” He also commented about the company’s business pursuits in Japan spanning over 50 years. “We first entered the Japanese market with the establishment of our Japan branch in 1968 (Bekaert Asia NV Tokyo Branch, the predecessor to the current Japan branch Bekaert Japan). Since then, in addition to making steady progress with ‘Bekaert Toko Metal Fiber’, our metal fiber product joint venture in partnership with Tokyo Rope Mfg., we have been building good relationships with many partners in a wide range of business fields including those in the automobile industry.”
During the above-mentioned period the local staff and others have steadily worked on meeting high quality standards and have contributed to strengthening the company’s presence in the market by making full use of the technologies and knowledge of the Bekaert group. Mr. Schmid expressed gratitude toward all the company’s partners and stated that it is important to further deepen their cooperation. He emphasized “While utilizing our core strengths (including technology) that we have been developing, we would also like to pursue sustainability in areas outside of those strengths.”
