Social Contributions

Basic Approach

As sound citizens, we aim to be a corporation that gets involved in the community and contributes to society through business activities, for example by striving for solutions to social problems. As members of the community, we will comply with laws, regulations and other rules, respect local customs and culture, and consider the social impact of our business activities.

Alps Alpine Group Code of Ethics (excerpt)

3-1. Community and Regional Contribution through Business The Alps Alpine Group will fulfill its tax obligations and contribute to development in regions, countries and communities where we operate, for example through job creation.
3-2. Coexistence with Society and the Local Community We will build cooperative relationships with countries and communities where we operate and support the sustainable development of those countries and communities through participation in local cultural and environmental protection activities, assistance and personal development.
3-3. Safe Business Activities We will strive to keep our business activities safe so as not to undermine the safety of local communities. In the event of a problem or issue occurring, we will respond swiftly, appropriately and in good faith and act to prevent any escalation or recurrence while following the direction of persons in charge internally and competent authorities.

Areas of Contribution for Coexistence with Society and the Local Community

1) Coexistence with the community We will seek coexistence with the community by invigorating the regional economy through the supply chain and participating in local activities as members of the community.
2) Development of human resources for manufacturing We will apply our technology and draw on the expertise of employees to assist the development of future generations for the manufacturing industry.
3) Protection of the natural environment Aiming for sustainable development, we will engage in community efforts to preserve the environment and protect ecosystems; and we will endeavor to minimize the environmental impact of our business activities through ongoing enhancement of manufacturing technologies.
4) Resolution of social issues We will contribute to a sustainable society through our continual pursuit of technological advancement and new product development.

Examples of Social Contribution Activities

Coexistence with Society and the Local Community

Workplace Experience for Junior High School Students

In October 22, two students of Ishikawadai Junior High School (Ota-ku, Tokyo) tried their hand at a variety of jobs at Alps Alpine Headquarters as part of a workplace experience program. A goal of Ishikawadai Junior High School is to provide an education that nurtures in students a richness of humanity and the creative ability to collaborate with others on finding solutions to problems. The participating students went about each activity in earnest and even put forward their own ideas.
At the end of the program, the students expressed gratitude, saying more paths were now open to them looking to the future.

Students visiting from Ishikawadai Junior High School

Students visiting from Ishikawadai Junior High School

Organic Cotton Project

Employees of Iwaki R&D Center (35 in June 2022 and 24 in November 2022) experienced organic cotton seed and seedling planting (June) and harvesting of the crop (November) at farms in the region.In Fukushima, the amount of idle farmland and abandoned fields continues to rise due to the effects of harmful rumor resulting from the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, as well as a shortage of successors. The Organic Cotton Project aims to generate vitality and jobs in the region by utilizing that land to grow cotton organically and then commercializing and selling the harvested cotton. The cause resonated with Alps Alpine, which decided to take part. The Alps Alpine Workers Association will play a central role as we look to ongoing participation.

Having a go at organic cotton planting and harvesting

Having a go at organic cotton planting and harvesting

Alps Alpine and The 77 Bank Enter Cooperation Agreement for Manufacturing and Industry Promotion

In September 2022, Alps Alpine and The 77 Bank, Ltd. entered into a cooperation agreement with the aim of contributing to the promotion of local manufacturing and industry through activities based on tight, mutual collaboration.

The objectives of the partnership include advancing support for digital transformation and IoT activities, resolving the managerial issues of suppliers, and revitalizing local communities. It involves information-gathering about problems faced by local businesses and relationship-building, as well as the deployment of veteran human resources with vast expertise in monozukuri and manufacturing operations.

Alps Alpine and The 77 Bank Enter Cooperation Agreement for Manufacturing and Industry Promotion

Development of Human Resources for Manufacturing

Ota Monozukuri Science School

Alps Alpine Headquarters in Tokyo regularly hosts Ota Monozukuri Science School workshops with employees as instructors. The company recently received a certificate of appreciation for its promotion of educational activities. The Ota Monozukuri Science School program supports the aims of Ota-ku, an area of Tokyo with an established manufacturing industry, to develop young talent and has been run on a regular basis with Headquarters employees serving as instructors since November 2003. So far 2,774 children have participated in a total of 182 workshops.

A monozukuri workshop

A monozukuri workshop

Furukawa Technical High School Experience-Based Learning Program

In November and December 2022, Furukawa Plant 2 invited first-year students of Miyagi Prefecture Furukawa Technical High School (mechanical engineering department) to take part in an experience-based learning program as a way of teaching them both the difficulties and the joys of manufacturing. A highlight was the diligence of the students in the metallic surface polishing workshop as they vied to produce the shiniest finish, with the top three winning prizes.
We will continue our efforts to give local students hands-on experience of monozukuri at Alps Alpine to stimulate interest and curiosity in manufacturing.

Surface polishing in progress

Surface polishing in progress

Alps Alpine Employee Receives Medal with Yellow Ribbon

On November 3, 2022, Furukawa Plant 2 employee Koji Suzuki was announced as a recipient of the Medal with Yellow Ribbon in the autumn 2022 conferment of honors. The Medal with Yellow Ribbon is awarded to experts at the forefront of their field with skills and accomplishments to make them role models. Governor of Miyagi Prefecture, Yoshihiro Murai, presented the award and a certificate at a conferment ceremony at the Koyo Grand Hotel in Sendai on November 8.

Koji Suzuki joined Alps Alpine in 1981 and has been involved in tool manufacturing since 1992. This honor recognizes the exceptional metalwork skills he has accumulated over many years. He has previously been designated a Miyagi Master Craftsman by Miyagi Prefecture, in 2016, and a Contemporary Master Craftsman by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, in 2021. Mr. Suzuki currently works at the Monozukuri Master Training Center at Furukawa Plant 2 and devotes his time to imparting his knowledge to younger generations.

Koji Suzuki after receiving his medal of honor

Koji Suzuki after receiving his medal of honor

Protection of the Natural Environment

Plant Community Cleanup Activities

In May 2022, Furukawa Plant 2 held a community cleanup with around 120 people taking part. Focusing on roads, stations and other areas they routinely frequent in the plant vicinity, each person set about the task with feelings of gratitude toward the community. Participants said they were pleased to be able to help fulfill the company's social responsibility by doing their bit for the community in areas not normally attended to. This activity will continue into the future.

More than 100 employees turned out

More than 100 employees turned out

Beach Cleanup and PET Bottle Recycling Campaign

In May 2022, Iwaki R&D Center undertook a beach cleanup. Around 50 people took part, collecting 33 bags of burnable garbage, 13 bags of non-burnable trash and five bags of PET bottles. The PET bottles were sent to the textiles firm that organized the event and will be turned back into resources (yarn). Comments from participants revealed how glad they were to have contributed to a reduction of marine plastics, which is a pressing issue.

Beach Cleanup and PET Bottle Recycling Campaign

Coastal Cleanup Plogging Event

Plogging is an activity that entails picking up trash while out jogging. In April 2023, Iwaki R&D Center ran a plogging event as a way for employees to make up for a general lack of exercise while caring about the community. Around 50 people took part, cleaning up an area stretching approximately five kilometers. They collected 16 bags of burnable trash and five bags of non-burnable trash. The volume of trash surprised participants, who said they were glad so many people could finally come together again now that the COVID-19 pandemic was over to get some exercise and do good.

Picking up litter

Picking up litter

Resolution of Social Issues

Alps Alpine × Tohoku University Co-creation Research Center for Connected Value Creation

On March 1, 2023, Alps Alpine and Tohoku University established the Alps Alpine × Tohoku University Co-creation Research Center for Connected Value Creation for the purpose of identifying and exploring research themes that will lead to future value creation in new domains.
The co-creation research center will leverage synergies gained from combining the strengths of both parties – Tohoku University's applied research in the fields of communication systems, user interfaces, artificial intelligence and image recognition, and Alps Alpine’s core sensing, communication and human-machine interface technology and system design capabilities. The center will seek to drive innovation and the development of human resources to support those efforts.Professor Shinichiro Omachi of the Tohoku University Graduate School of Engineering will provide assistance for operation of the center. Professor Omachi heads the university’s Intelligent Information System Research Center (IIS Research Center), which already offers support to companies in the Sendai area and plays a role in advancing Tohoku University’s collaborative efforts in the region. The Alps Alpine × Tohoku University Co-creation Research Center for Connected Value Creation will coordinate with local authorities and other corporations that have similarly established co-creation research centers at the university with an eye to resolving social issues and thereby contributing to the Tohoku region.

An opening ceremony was held at Tohoku University<br>(Left: Alps Alpine President & CEO Hideo Izumi; right: Tohoku University Executive Vice President Takuro Ueda)

An opening ceremony was held at Tohoku University
(Left: Alps Alpine President & CEO Hideo Izumi; right: Tohoku University Executive Vice President Takuro Ueda)

Alps Alpine, NTT Data and ZENRIN Collaborate on Transport and Local Issues

In January 2023, Alps Alpine, NTT Data Corporation and ZENRIN Co., Ltd. started collaborating on solutions to nationwide transport issues and local community and social issues, making use of mobility data.
Demonstration testing of a proposed platform for collecting dashcam images and video from rental vehicles and delivering almost real-time information to rental car users got underway in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2023. Using a smartphone or other device to select a particular destination or town center from an online map, rental car users can check images and video of roads and surrounding areas.
This helps users to ascertain current congestion levels and causes on the road and at their destination, leading to changes in behavior, such as avoidance of congested areas. The ability of tourists to move around sites efficiently would improve customer satisfaction and alleviate traffic congestion with benefits also for local residents.

Alps Alpine, NTT Data and ZENRIN Collaborate on Transport and Local Issues

Electric Cart Sharing Verification Project (Sakai, Osaka)

In June 2022, Alps Alpine implemented a project in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, to verify a program for shared use of an electric cart that users could ride on a sidewalk without a driver's license. The cart incorporated an Alps Alpine-developed Obstacle Detection Unit.
Using an electric cart developed by Fukushin Electric Co., Ltd. that is equipped with Alps Alpine's Obstacle Detection Unit, elderly residents and others who have difficulty moving around on foot are able to get to familiar places, like the grocery store or a clinic, by themselves.
In November 2021, Alps Alpine entered into a partnership agreement relating to smart city initiatives – specifically, the establishment of support for new forms of mobility – with NTT Comware Corporation, ZENRIN Co., Ltd. and Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., as well as the city of Sakai, which is undertaking efforts to support elderly residents from the perspective of mobility. The verification project builds on that agreement by trialing real-world implementation of services jointly explored by the parties.
Within an aging society, our aim is to contribute to a new style of community development that looks to better safeguard the comfort and safety of local residents.

Electric Cart Sharing Verification Project (Sakai, Osaka)

Devices Help to Prevent Children from Being Left Behind on Buses

To help prevent incidents in which children are left behind on buses, marketing company for the Japan market Alpine Electronics Marketing has launched a disembarkation confirmation device (MLIT permit: A-042) and an automatic detection system, featuring Alps Alpine sensor technology, for detecting the presence of people on board. Making use of a cloud system available through partnership with Techno Craft Corporation, the technology aids efforts to avoid cases of children being left behind on kindergarten buses due to human error or other reasons.

Devices Help to Prevent Children from Being Left Behind on Buses