Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. (SUI.SG) Earnings Call Transcript & Summary

My name is Keita Kato, President and CEO. Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend today's presentation on fiscal 2022 financial results and the fiscal 2023 management plan. Before I begin the explanation on financial results, I would like to comment on the release on April 14, concerning nonconformity with building standards and residential complexes and detached houses. I would like to express our most sincere apologies for any inconvenience or worry that has been caused for the customers concerned as well as to our investors and analysts who are attending this meeting today. We take this incident very seriously to take prompt action, we are currently conducting inspections and corrective work at the effective customer residences accordingly under the guidance of authorities. In addition, we will make company-wide efforts to strengthen our quality control system and prevent recurrences to regain the trust of all our stakeholders. Now I will go into the explanation of results. First, I will explain the fiscal year 2022 results. The foreign exchange rates for the second half were JPY 137 to the U.S. dollar. Also, please note that fiscal 2022 results are based off the segmentation prior to the business portfolio reorganization between the HPP, High Performance Plastics and UIEP, Urban Infrastructure & Environmental Products divisional companies. Page 2 shows the overview of fiscal '22 results. For the total company, both sales and operating profit increased. Ordinary profit increased significantly, mainly due to foreign exchange gains and net profit increased significantly as well, due in part to the absence of Aerospace impairment losses recorded in the previous fiscal year. Net sales reached a new record high for the first time since fiscal year 1996. Ordinary profit and net profit also reached record highs. On the other hand, net sales, operating profit and net profit fell short of the January guidance due to the deteriorating market environment. As for dividends, as announced, we will pay a year-end dividend of JPY 30 per share for an annual dividend of JPY 59 per share. Page 3 shows results by segment. The Housing Company affected by soaring raw material prices and sluggish housing demand reported a decrease in profit, while other segments secured an increase in operating profit. UIEP and Medical reached full year record high operating profit. Against the January forecast, all segments except Medical failed to reach the forecast due to the sharp decline in global demand and deteriorating housing demand despite company-wide efforts to curb fixed costs. On the other hand, preparation and new businesses and research and development for medium and long-term growth proceeded as planned, which is included in the Other segment. Page 4. Here are segment results broken down into the first and second half. In the first half, HPP and UIEP reported a significant increase in profit mainly due to improved selling prices. But in the second half, HPP and Housing reported a decrease in profit, owing to a decline in demand globally in the electronics market, et cetera as well as deterioration in the housing market in Japan. In the UIEP business, profit growth in the second half was achieved by thoroughly securing spreads, supported by improving selling prices. Medical also posted increases in both the first and second half due to a recovery in diagnostics demand in Japan and overseas. Turning to Page 5. This page analyzes fiscal year '22 results. Looking at the bar graph on the left, net sales were JPY 1,242.5 billion, an increase of JPY 84.6 billion, mainly due to improved selling prices and foreign exchange impact. Regarding the analysis of operating profit on the right, as the sales volume and product mix factor was significantly below the January forecast, operating profit was below forecast by JPY 3.3 billion, achieving JPY 91.7 billion. However, profits for the full year increased year-on-year as we thoroughly engaged in efforts to secure spreads and control fixed cost. Pages 6 through 8 reiterates the business portfolio optimization between the HPP and UIEP divisional companies, which was explained at the first half financial results briefing in October last year. Please use this for your reference as the fiscal '23 plan and beyond will be based off the new organizational structure post reorganization. For your reference, Page 9 shows the results by segment after portfolio reorganization. The numbers in the earnings release are based off post business portfolio reorganization. I will explain the fiscal '23 plan from Page 10. The assumed foreign exchange rates are JPY 133 to the dollar and JPY 142 to the euro based on internal standards at the time the plan was formulated. The exchange rate sensitivity at the operating profit level is about JPY 0.5 billion per JPY 1 move against the U.S. dollar and a weaker yen will have a positive impact on the company's operating profit. Page 11 is about the fiscal 2023 plan and shareholder returns. We plan to achieve record high sales for the second consecutive year with net sales of JPY 1.312 billion. Operating profit is expected to continue to increase reaching JPY 100 billion. Ordinary profit and profit attributable to owners of parent are projected to be JPY 103 billion and JPY 70 billion, respectively. We aim to achieve record high operating profit and profit attributable to owners of the parent. Regarding returns to shareholders, we plan to raise the annual dividend by JPY 7 a share to JPY 66, which will be an increase for the 14th consecutive year. We have also established a share buyback program of up to 4 million shares or JPY 8 billion, and plan to cancel 4 million shares of treasury stock. We will continue to provide stable and proactive shareholder returns in fiscal 2023. The shareholder return policy under the new midterm plan, which started this fiscal year will be announced at the midterm management plan briefing which is scheduled to take place on May 23. Page 12 is about the outlook for major market conditions in fiscal year 2023. First, on the left, global auto production and smartphone shipments were both significantly lower than our January forecast in fiscal '22 Q4. We expect the number of automobiles manufactured to recover to a certain degree, mainly in the second half of fiscal '23. Although the impact of semiconductor shortages is likely to remain. Regarding smartphones, inventory adjustments are expected to continue and shipments are expected to fall below the previous year's level through the first quarter of fiscal '23, but we expect a gradual recovery from the second quarter onward. The top right graph shows the outlook for visitors and the new housing business. From the second half of fiscal '22, overall visitors have been recovering, but exhibition visitors were below expectations. In fiscal '23, we expect a recovery in overall visitors driven by an increase in exhibition visitors. As for new housing starts shown underneath housing is expected to recover moderately in fiscal 2023 after bottoming out in the second half of fiscal '22. The bottom right shows naphtha assumptions which are forecasted at JPY 66,000 per kiloliter for fiscal '23. Page 13 shows plan by segment. As I mentioned earlier, we expect the business environment to recover to a certain degree from the second half of the year. And by focusing on maintaining spreads, we plan to increase both net sales and profits in each segment. In the UIEP and Medical segments, we aim to reach record high profits in fiscal '23 again. In addition, we will work on preparing for a sustainable growth towards our long-term vision by accelerating our efforts in commercializing the biorefinery business, which converts trash into ethanol, which is currently being tested in Kuji City, Iwate Prefecture as well as the film-type perovskite solar cell, a next-generation solar cell that utilizes our proprietary technologies, such as sealants and production processes. We will also work on strengthening quality control and materiality enhancement by reinforcing overseas governance systems. Page 14 shows the breakdown of the plan by first and second half. In the first half, we expect the severe business environment to continue and we plan to focus on securing spreads in each segment to ensure an increase in profits in HPP, as improved selling prices are expected to continue to have an impact and market conditions are expected to recover to a certain degree in the second half, we are aiming for a significant increase in profit, driven by an increase in sales volume and product mix, especially in the mobility field, centered on high-performance products. In the Housing business, we plan to increase profit owing to improved profitability of new housing and growth in the renovation and real estate businesses. New housing orders are expected to recover from the second half of the year. In UIEP, we will continue to focus on maintaining spreads to ensure profit growth even in the first half when the severe business environment is expected to continue. In the second half of the year, we expect market conditions to improve to a certain degree and aim to increase both sales and profit and achieved record high earnings on a full year basis for the second consecutive year by expanding sales of prioritized products and increasing overseas sales. In the Medical business, we continue to expect the recovery in global demand for diagnostics. In the overseas diagnostics business, we will focus on expanding sales of blood coagulation reagents in China and new products in the U.S. aiming to record the highest annual profit for the third consecutive year. Page 15 is an analysis of the fiscal '23 plan. As shown in the bar graph on the left, we plan to increase net sales by JPY 69.5 billion, to JPY 1.312 billion, mainly due to an increase in sales volume. Regarding the analysis of operating profit on the right, we aim to achieve JPY 100 billion for the full year by securing spreads in the first half and earning marginal profit through a large increase in sales volume and product mix based on the assumption that recovery and market conditions will happen by a certain degree, thereby offsetting fixed cost increase, such as increased investment in human capital. Page 16 is about returns to shareholders. As mentioned earlier, in fiscal '23, we plan to raise the annual dividend by JPY 7 to JPY 66 per share, which will be the 14th consecutive year of dividend increases. We will continue to engage in active shareholder returns. Page 17 shows consolidated performance. ROIC improved by 0.3% to 7.6% in fiscal '22. The mainly due to an improvement in the invested capital turnover. ROE increased by 4.5%, recovering the 10% level. EBITDA reached a record high of JPY 142.1 billion. We view that our earnings producing power has strengthened steadily. In fiscal '23, we will further promote business portfolio transformation to improve capital efficiency and shift to growth aiming for operating profit of JPY 100 billion. That is all for myself. Thank you for your kind attention.

Hello. I am Tatsuya Nishida, Executive Officer and Head of the Corporate Finance and Accounting Department. I will explain the financial results for fiscal year 2022. On Page 19, the number of consolidated subsidiaries decreased by 7 companies to 148. The increase of 1 company is due to Tochigi Sekisui Heim becoming a subsidiary which was previously an equity method affiliate. The impact of the change in consolidated subsidiaries on the financial results is shown here. Regarding the consolidated P&L on Page 20, I will explain the items from ordinary profit and below. Ordinary profit was JPY 104.2 billion, up JPY 7.2 billion year-on-year, reaching record highs due to an increase in operating profit and a foreign exchange gain of JPY 5.2 billion. Extraordinary losses included a onetime amortization of goodwill of Veredus, which operates a diagnostics business in Singapore and an impairment loss on the investment in PeptiStar a contract manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients, API for peptide drugs. Despite the significant year-on-year increase in profit before income taxes, income taxes decreased since tax effect accounting was not applied to the goodwill impairment of Aerospace in fiscal '21. Profit attributable to owners of parent increased by JPY 32.2 billion. to JPY 69.3 billion, reaching a new high. The next page is about the balance sheet on Page 21. Total assets increased by JPY 29.2 billion. But due to the impact of yen depreciation and new consolidations, total assets are almost the same level as the end of the previous fiscal year. Inventories increased by JPY 43 billion. In the Housing business, the inventory level of land and ready-built housing products increased due to steady procurement of land for sale. The balance of work in process housing under construction also increased. The increase from other inventories was half due to an increase in product inventories and the other half to an increase in raw materials. In addition to the weaker yen, leading to greater overseas inventory on a translation basis and an increase due to a surge in raw materials, there was some impact from temporary volume increase. Tangible fixed assets increased by JPY 12.1 billion due to investments that exceeded the level of depreciation and due to an increase and the translation of inventories resulting from the yen's depreciation. Please turn to Page 22. Net interest-bearing liabilities increased by JPY 41.4 billion, and turned positive because of the cash flows that I will explain later. Most of the increase was due to the reversal of cash on hand. Retained earnings increased due to net income and decrease due to shareholder returns. 15 million treasury shares were purchased and retired during the year. ROIC, ROE, the equity-to-asset ratio and the debt-to-equity ratio are as shown on the table. We were able to improve ROE to 10%. Next is about consolidated cash flows on Page 23. Cash flow from operating activities was an inflow of JPY 71.5 billion. Although profits increased compared to the previous year, cash inflows decreased year-on-year due to an increase in working capital, including inventories and higher tax payments. The increase in tax payments was mainly due to higher-than-normal taxable income in fiscal '21. Cash flow from investing activities resulted in a net cash outflow of JPY 59.4 billion due to an JPY 11.8 billion increase in payments for capital expenditures year-on-year. Regarding free cash flow, there was an outflow of JPY 13 billion. And in addition, there was a cash outflow of JPY 27.4 billion for the purchase of treasury stock, which resulted in the reversal of cash on hand. Depreciation, amortization, capital expenditures and EBITDA by segment are shown on Page 24. Depreciation is on an increasing trend and capital expenditures this fiscal year were about 1.2x depreciation. Goodwill and other amortization have decreased due to the absence of impairment losses recorded last fiscal year. EBITDA by divisional company, which is the source of funds is as shown on the table and is about 2.5x the level of capital expenditures. Plans for depreciation, capital expenditures and R&D expenditures are shown on Page 25. CapEx is expected to increase in fiscal '23 due to investments in new businesses such as biorefineries and DX-related investments. Lastly, on Page 26, I would like to reiterate the overview of fiscal '23 performance and shareholder return plans. We plan to increase dividends by JPY 7 and raise the dividend payout ratio, placing more emphasis on shareholder return. Regarding the acquisition of treasury shares, we are committed to a total return ratio of 50% or more, and we will flexibly implement buybacks in accordance with the stock price, funds available and other conditions. That is all from myself. Thank you for your attention.

I am Ikusuke Shimizu, Divisional Company President of the High Performance Plastics Company. First, please refer to Page 28. This page shows business performance trends. In fiscal '22, we were not able to achieve the January forecast due to the prolonged slump in electronics-related demand. However, on the back of the severe business environment of the sluggish electronics market, soaring raw material and fuel prices and delayed recovery of automobile production due to shortage of semiconductors. We were able to increase both net sales and operating profit, achieving JPY 404.1 billion in net sales and JPY 44.2 billion in operating profits on a pre-reorganization basis of the portfolio with the UIEP divisional company. In fiscal '23, mainly due to the securing of spreads and an increase in sales volume based on a certain level of market recovery expected in the second half of the year and beyond, we are forecasting net sales of JPY 427.7 billion and operating profit of JPY 48 billion, a significant increase of profit by JPY 7.9 billion year-on-year. Please turn to Page 29. The bar graph on the left shows fiscal '22 net sales before portfolio reorganization. Net sales were JPY 404.1 billion, an increase of JPY 45.3 billion year-on-year. The graph on the right shows the analysis of operating profit. Profit increased by JPY 1.9 billion year-on-year, but as shown in the table at the bottom, in the second half due to the deteriorating and electronics market and the struggling mobility field caused by the delayed recovery of automobile production, sales volume and product mix declined substantially. Although sales price spreads were maintained, profit declined by JPY 600 million, falling short of the January forecast. Next, the overview of the FY '23 business plan on Page 30. These are the figures after the reorganization of the portfolio. The bar graph on the left illustrates the net sales projection of JPY 427.7 billion, up JPY 31.3 billion year-on-year mainly based on the assumption that market conditions will recover to a certain extent in the second half of the year. On the right, you will find the factors behind the change in operating profit. Despite the higher fixed costs due to investment in growth in human capital, we project a positive OP growth of JPY 7.9 billion for this fiscal year, thanks to the following factors: the better spreads stemming from improved selling prices, mainly in the mobility field, such as interlayer film and applicator aerospace, as well as a JPY 9.3 billion improvement in the sales volume and product mix in the second half, as shown in the table below. As explained on the previous page, the improvement in the sales volume and product mix was just slightly in excess of the negative JPY 8.2 billion impact we experienced in the second half of FY '22. Next, Page 31 illustrates the progress in the 3 strategic fields and our cost innovation initiative before the portfolio reorganization. Net sales and profit in electronics field decreased whereas both net sales and profit grew in the mobility and the building and infrastructure field, although not indicated on the slide. Now let's dive into the respective field. First, in the electronics field at the upper left, sales declined in each quarter due to the rapid deterioration of the market conditions since the second quarter of FY '22. The sales in the non-LCD field declined as well, but we were able to acquire new opportunities. The bar graph at the bottom left indicates the breakdown of LCD and non-LCD sales. Net sales for the LCD fields shown by the gray bar declined sharply due to the smartphone inventory correction since Q2. The sales for non-LCD fuels went down in Q4, mainly due to the challenges with the semiconductor-related business. Next, moving on to the Mobility field in the center. Revenue increased driven by the sales growth of high performance interlayer film with a head-up display interlayer film growing by 16%. For details, please refer to the second graph on the left at the bottom for the high performance interlayer film sales growth. Also sales growth in the fourth quarter of FY '22 was down year-on-year, mainly due to derating market conditions in China, we were able to make up for that to achieve sales level comparable to last year at 100% for the second half of the year. As you can see from the graph above, sales of heat release materials also expanded steadily, mainly for EV applications. For SEKISUI AEROSPACE, demand is recovering on the back of higher production of Boeing 787 and product portfolio reform to expand into the noncommercial aircraft application is progressing in line with the plan. Furthermore, improvement in selling price had a positive contribution and SEKISUI AEROSPACE's performance exceeded the January projection. The improvement in selling price will contribute more substantially from FY '23 and beyond. On the right is a building and infrastructure field. We were able to secure a spread for the chlorinated PVC business as planned. Sales of fire-resistant materials also grew year-on-year despite sluggish domestic demand. The sales of thermal insulation and noncombustible materials is shown by the graph at the bottom in the middle. Although the domestic market slowed down, sales grew steadily by cultivating new opportunities and achieved year-on-year growth. Cost innovation shown on the bottom right led to an improvement of JPY 6.3 billion year-on-year for exceeding the medium-term plan and underpin our profit. Page 32. The last page on HPP shows the FY '23 business plan with 3 strategic fields after the portfolio reorganization. In FY '23, we project sales and profit growth in all 3 strategic fields, with the Mobility field expected to drive the overall growth, thanks to expanded sales of high-performance interlayer film and improved selling price. In addition, based on the assumption that market conditions will gradually recover from the second quarter, we have formulated plan expecting a profit decline in the first half, profit growth in the second half and profit growth for the full year for the electronics and industrial fields. Let's have a closer look at each field. In the electronics at top left, the smartphone market is expected to remain sluggish in the first quarter that gradually recovered from the second quarter onwards, and we expect a certain level of recovery in the second half of the fiscal year. That is the assumption for the sales outlook. The graph at bottom right illustrates our focus on the non-LCD applications. We will strive to grow sales mainly in the non-LCD field by focusing on capturing more customers and applications for products such as sulfur, high adhesion and easily removable release tape used into production and products for device exterior and mechanical applications. In the Mobility field as shown at the upper right, we will continue to focus on propelling sales of high-performance interlayer film, mainly for HUDs and securing spreads by improving selling prices along with the recovery of the automobile and aircraft markets. As shown by the graph below, we expect the sales of high-performance interlayer film to outperform the market growth. And in particular, for the HUD interlayer film to achieve over 10% growth. With the start of operation at our new production base in North America, we will continue to expand sales of heat release materials, mainly for EVs. SEKISUI AEROSPACE will continue with initiatives to turn into profit on a stand-alone basis in Q4 of FY '23, with the aim of returning to profitability on a consolidated basis in FY '24. The bottom left is the industrial field. As in the electronics field, we have formulated our plan based on the assumption that the market will gradually recover from the second quarter. The Q2 profit is to making the selling prices and secure spreads, and this is where we will focus our efforts on. As shown by the graph at the far right, we will grow sales of labor saving and environmentally friendly product, such as thermal insulation materials, long craft tapes for packaging machines and blow-molded products in the second half of the year. Although the first half will be somewhat difficult due to the weak market environment. That will conclude my presentation. Thank you very much for your attention.

I am Toshiyuki Kamiyoshi, President of the Housing Company. Once again, as a Head of the Housing Company, I would like to express my sincere apologies for the inconvenience and consumed costs, not only to our customers but also to investors and analysts by the building code nonconformity incident that was announced on April 14. Now let me start my presentation on the Housing Company. First, on Slide 34, I would like to explain the performance trend of the housing company. In FY '22, while revenue grew year-on-year due to higher unit price for new construction, a recovery in the renovation business and growth in town and community development business. Sales were short of the plan as a new construction market at weaker than expected in the second half, especially in Q4, ultimately closing the year with results below the guidance announced in January. For FY '23, we expect market conditions to remain sluggish and component prices that continue to impact the business. That said, we will strive to offset adversity by improving the profitability. Furthermore, we expect continued growth in the renovation and real estate business. Overall, as Housing Company, we are calling for growth both in sales and profit. Slide 35 is a snapshot of FY '22. As shown by the graph on the left, net sales increase in each segment and the overall sales rose substantially by JPY 22.2 billion, reaching a record high for the company following the previous year. The operating profit analysis is indicated by the graph on the right. The OP for the Housing segment decreased by JPY 2.9 billion due to sluggish market resulting in a lower number of houses sold as well as higher component costs. So though we strove to offset the negative impact by the other segments. The OP for the Housing Company declined by JPY 2.5 billion. Special factors had a negative impact of JPY 1.6 billion in total, including a drop in retirement benefit expenses in the previous year. New consolidation of Tochigi Sekisui Heim and a provision of JPY 300 million for the corrective work and other expenses related to nonconformity with the building code. Next, Slide 36 outlines the plan for FY '23. On the left is the outlook for net sales. We project sales growth in each segment with an increase of JPY 23.6 billion in total to JPY 561 billion. Operating profit on the rig is expected to increase by JPY 2.2 billion to JPY 35 billion, with all the segments achieving profit growth. In the Housing business, considering the current order trend, we project the number of houses sold to come down by 270, which together with fixed costs, is expected to have a negative impact of JPY 6.3 billion. We plan to offset this by an increase in marginal profit of JPY 7 billion. Looking closely at the improvement in marginal profit. While we expect a deterioration of JPY 8 billion in component utilities and FX, we expect an improvement of JPY 9 billion due to measures already implemented in the past 2 years and another JPY 6 billion through additional initiatives on addressing product mix and cost reduction. In the renovation business, although we expect fixed cost to increase due to the strengthening of the sales structure, we project a profit increase of JPY 400 million, driven by higher sales. In the Other segment, the Town and Community Development business is expected to see some pause, but we expect a profit growth of JPY 700 million, backed by greater contribution from the real estate business, among others. Lastly, on Slide 37, let me make some additional comments on each business segment. In the Housing business, we expect market conditions to remain sluggish and expect the first half order of FY '23 to be down by 5% year-on-year. Although market conditions in the second half remain uncertain. We project orders to grow by 8% year-on-year based on the assumption that the number of houses sold would be at the same level as in the first half. The table in the center illustrates the number of orders by type of construction. In FY '22, we started to feel the weakness in the market in the middle of the first half. This had a report effect to the first-time buyers in the second half and for the full year, order was 91% of the previous year. In FY '23, we expect a slight recovery to 101% for the full year, thanks to the subdivision and ready-built houses as well as enhanced competitiveness due to stepping up the smart home features as shown by the right graph. The bottom half of the slide is the renovation business and others. Renovation business is steadily recovering from COVID. Recently, we announced our alliance with renovated through which we aim to reinvigorate the behind purchase and resale business in the condominium renovation business. By doing so, we will strive to capture more opportunities in the general renovation market by also targeting non-Sekisui Heim homeowners, which will be a frontier market for us. In the Other segment, we will make further effort in expanding the venture business, such as the Town and Community Development business. This will conclude my presentation on the Housing company. Thank you very much for your attention.

My name is Yoshiyuki Hirai, Company President of UIEP, Urban Infrastructure & Environmental Products company. Now I would like to start my presentation. I will start with the business performance trend on Page 39. In FY '22, based on the numbers before the portfolio reorganization, sales reached JPY 227.2 billion with an OP of JPY 17.1 billion and 7.5% operating margin, achieving growth in both sales and profit as well as ranging the previous record high full year profit. Although Q4 was low due to the weakness in the construction of detached houses and nonresidential construction demand. Business was underpinned by securing spread with improvements in selling prices prioritized product sales growth and higher overseas sales. Based on the figures after the portfolio reorganization, net sales was JPY 234.3 billion with an OP of JPY 21.2 billion, which will be the starting base for FY '23. For FY '23, we are aiming for 2 consecutive years of record high profit with sales of JPY 241.6 billion, OP of JPY 22.2 billion and operating margin of 9.2%. We expect market conditions to recover from the second half of the year, and we will continue to focus on expanding growth areas such as prioritized product sales and overseas sales in addition to maintaining spreads. Page 40 illustrates analysis of FY '22 results. Net sales and operating profit increased by JPY 15.4 billion and JPY 3 billion, respectively. Although domestic market conditions were below expectation, especially in Q4, we made efforts in securing spreads and expanding sales of prioritized products. Such efforts as well as semiconductor-related capital investment overseas and recovery of U.S. aircraft demand contributed to the growth. Page 41 outlines the plan for FY '23. We aim to achieve sales growth of JPY 7.3 billion and OP growth of JPY 1 billion. In Japan, we expect the gradual market recovery starting in the second half of the year and we'll focus on maintaining spreads and increasing volume by expanding sales of prioritized products. Overseas, our focus will be on sales expansion of chlorinated PVC, plant piping materials and FFU sleepers. A new FFU plant in Europe, we finally start operation in the second half. We will also work to realize synergies from the reorganization of our business portfolio as soon as possible. On Page 42, I'd like to walk you through the status of our 3 strategic fields and structural reforms in FY '22, starting with the state of the 3 strategic fields. In the Piping and Infrastructure field, market conditions were below expectations, but sales increased due to improved selling prices and firm plant-related demand that we successfully captured. The sales for the Building and Living Environment business grew on the back of firm sales expansion of prioritized products such as high flowrate drainage systems, nursing care bathtubs and high-performance bathtubs. Sales of Advanced Materials also grew, thanks to the recovery in aircraft-related demand and firm orders for FFU sleepers mainly in Europe and the United States. As for the sales of prioritized products shown by the graph at bottom left, we enjoyed higher adoption of such products due to a growing acceptance of the SDGs element. Such as easy construction and disaster prevention and mitigation features. However, the Advanced Materials field was affected by the deteriorating electronics market. Looking closely at the geographical breakdown of the overseas sales, the aircraft-related demand recovery in the U.S. and firm demand for semiconductor-related equipment in Asia underpinned the overseas growth. With respect to structural reforms and productivity innovation shown by the bottom right chart, the company achieved profit improvement of JPY 5.3 billion, exceeding the JPY 5 billion target set in the previous medium-term plan. With this result, we believe we have achieved what we intended to accomplish in structural reforms and will accelerate our shift toward growth. Lastly, on Page 43, I'd like to explain our FY '23 plan for the 3 strategic fields. The 3 strategic fields have also been reviewed as part of the portfolio reorganization. Products belong into each field are shown in green letters. In the Pipe Systems shown on upper left, we aim to increase sales by making the spread for piping materials, capturing firm CapEx-related demand in plant piping materials and focusing on expanding sales of CPVC in India. In Building and Infrastructure Composite Materials indicated at the upper right, we will strive on capturing new opportunities for thermal insulation and noncombustible materials with new product launches. While for FFU sleepers, we plan to grow in Europe and Australia by expanding our business with potential customers with whom we have made progress in the product acceptance for application process. In the Infrastructure renovation business at bottom left, we will work with construction partners to develop new customers overseas while still capturing demand for pipeline renewal in Japan, which forms the foundation of our business. Sekisui Aqua System plant enhanced sales in the growing segments, such as final tank renewal and functional tanks. We will appeal the SDGs element in full for the prioritized products with an aim to increase the sales ratio to 26%. Overseas, we will expand sales mainly in Asia and strengthen our overseas marketing activities to prioritize products that have been successful in Japan. This concludes my presentation. Thank you very much for your attention.

My name is Futoshi Kamiwaki, Head of Business Strategy Department. I'd like to start my presentation on the Medical business. Page 45 shows the business performance trend. In FY '22, we achieved sales of JPY 89.7 billion and operating profit of JPY 12.5 billion, marking another record high profit following the previous year. In addition to a recovery in diagnostic demand in Japan and overseas, increased influenza testing demand in the U.S. contributed to the growth. In the Pharmaceutical Sciences business, new pharmaceuticals ingredients business is making solid contributions. We project sales of JPY 95 billion and OP of JPY 13.5 billion for FY '23. We anticipate the continued recovery in diagnostic demand in Japan and overseas, and will focus on expanding sales of new products, aiming to achieve record high profits for the third consecutive year. Page 46 analyzes the financial results for FY '22. Sales increased by JPY 1.2 billion, with operating profit growing up by JPY 1.3 billion to JPY 12.5 billion, in line with the January guidance. Diagnostics business in Japan and overseas and Pharmaceutical Sciences business both achieved profit growth. FX also contributed to another year of record high profit. Next on Page 47 is the plan for FY '23. Sales are expected to increase by JPY 5.3 billion to JPY 95 billion, with OP projected to grow by JPY 1 billion to JPY 13.5 billion to achieve the third consecutive year of record profits. This is based on our expectation of continued recovery in the diagnostics demand in Japan as well as a significant increase in overseas diagnostics business, mainly driven by sales expansion of blood coagulation reagents in China and new products in the United States. In the Pharmaceutical Sciences business, new pharmaceutical ingredients will continue to contribute to earnings in FY '23. As for fixed costs, we plan to invest mainly in human capital, including raising the salary and increase new product development costs, such as for genetic testing in the U.S. Page 48 shows the overview of business. For the domestic diagnostics business in the upper left corner, demand for outpatient testing recover steadily and demand for COVID-19 testing kit was also firm in FY '22. In FY '23, we have expectations for the growth mainly propelled by clinical chemistry and immunology domain as well as sales expansion of blood coagulation reagents. In the overseas diagnostics business shown at top right, blood coagulation reagent business in China contributed significantly to the sales for FY '22 as well as the influenza testing kit business in the U.S., which the demand got strong in the second half. For FY '23, we will continue to focus on expanding sales of blood coagulation reagents in China and new products in the U.S. In the Pharmaceutical Sciences business, shown at the bottom left, new pharmaceutical ingredients business with a major pharmaceutical company had a huge contribution to the earnings in FY '22. In FY '23, despite the impact of the termination of contracts with some customers in the Enzymes business, we will continue to focus on acquiring new businesses, mainly for new pharmaceutical ingredients, and realize the fruits of our investment in the new Iwate plant, which started operation in March. Lastly, the new product development trend is shown at the bottom right. New product launches and sales declined in FY '22 from FY '21 due to a significant impact stemming from the delay in getting the approval for the COVID testing kit in the U.S. For FY '23, we project an increase in the new product sales compared to FY '22, driven by sales expansion of new products in the U.S. This will conclude my presentation on the Medical business. Thank you very much for your attention. [Statements in English on this transcript were spoken by an interpreter present on the live call.]