Abstract

Image sensors are the "electronic eye" in smartphone cameras and other devices. The image sensor business of Sony has the largest market share in the world and is a major contributor to its profitability.
However, this business had been called a "problem division," a "loser," and a "burden on the company" within Sony. The center of the business was located in Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, in a remote area. And the top management of the company was secretly considering the sale of the business.
How in the world did Sony semiconductors weather the many hardships they endured, and how did they come to be considered the company's core business? It is an exhilarating story of an amateur general manager and a group of professional engineers who turn things around!

Author’s Information

Tadashi Saito
Tadashi Saito was born in Kochi Prefecture in 1953. After graduating from Tokyo Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering and Economics, he joined Sony in 1976. He worked in the Corporate Planning Office, Corporate Strategy Department, etc. He was appointed CFO of Electronics HQ Electronics in 2001 and became Executive Officer in charge of Corporate Strategy in 2004. In 2008, he became EVP, General Manager of Semiconductor Business Group, and in 2012, he became Executive Officer, EVP, CSO, retiring in 2015.
（Information is current at the time of publishing.）