Special Feature 2021 - Integrated Report 2021
Nidec’s Founding Mission
Global Challenges①
Carbon Neutral Society
Extreme weather events occurring around the world today are widely assumed to stem form global warming—a phenomenon caused by human-induced greenhouse gases (GHGs) —of which 70% is attributed to CO2 emissions. The Paris Agreement, a landmark international accord adopted in 2015, is pushing for a strong global response pivotal in achieving carbon neutrality worldwide by 2050. Given the fact that transportation accounts for about 23% of the world’s carbon emissions, automotive decarbonization can play a huge role in making it happen.
Our initiatives
To combat global warming, the whole automotive industry is racing toward vehicle electrification. The number of new electric vehicles to be sold in 2030 is expected to increase several-dozen-fold from 2020. In recent years, Nidec’s EV traction motor systems, collectively known as E-Axle, have been powering an increasing number of electric vehicles on the road, keeping our path to market leadership aligned with the industry’s decarbonization goal.
Global Challenges②
Declining Birthrate and Aging Population
Declining birthrate and aging population are causing workforce demographics to shrink in high GDP economies, including the U.S., China, Europe and Japan. China, generally known as the “world’s factory,” is likely to be hardest hit, with its working age population projected to decline by approximately 170 million between 2020 and 2050. How to make up for the shortfall is the key to maintaining productivity.
Our initiatives
Industrial robots are drawing a great deal of attention as a viable solution to this problem. Nidec places a strategic focus on the development of motors and reducers for arm robots used in a vast range of industrial fields.
Global Challenges③
Digitalization
The COVID-19 pandemic and associated national emergency procedures, including lockdown restrictions, rapidly increased our reliance on various digital platforms, leading to a boost in overall data traffic with more people getting online for shopping, working and education purposes. Network data traffic will continue to grow as the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) become woven further into the fabric of society, smartphones catch on in emerging countries, and 5G networks take hold across the world. Global data traffic is expected to triple between 2020 and 2025 to an estimated 175 zettabytes.
Our initiatives
Datacenters rely on a large quantity of hard disk drives (HDDs) for online storage and long-term archiving, collectively known as nearline storage. At the same time, they are facing a pressing need for more effective thermal management to prevent their servers from overheating. Nidec’s HDD motors and cooling fan systems come with mission-critical functionalities that fit the demanding requirements of today’s datacenters.
