SATO, a global leader in barcode printing, labelling, and EPC/RFID solutions announced the official launch of SATO International on 8 January 2015. SATO International is anew group company that will be located in Tokyo, Japan. The company will integrate and drive all aspects of overseas business activities including boosting earnings, improving group synergy, crafting and executing global strategy, supporting sales activities and customer management.
To ensure the rapid execution of the group’s strategy, Kaz Matsuyama, president and CEO of SATO Holdings, will also serve as the head of SATO International, allowing for central management of global business operations and close cooperation between the headquarters and overseas group companies. Yasuhiro Tanabe, who joined SATO in 2014, has been appointed as vice-president ofthe newly for medcompany. Prior to joining SATO, Tanabe spent close to 20 years at Sony in a variety of roles from product planning, marketing and sales, to production and general management. He also spent eight
years of his career working in North America and Asia. Building on his extensive experience, Tanabe will play a key role insteering SATO’s business operations and fine tuning its strategies in overseas markets.
“Globalization and maximization of customer value are two core components of our long-term strategy. SATO International will drive that strategy, expanding ourmarket share and reach, allowing us to effectively provide customers with end-to-end Auto-ID and Data Capture solutions on a truly global scale,” says Matsuyama.
After a decade of growth in overseas markets, SATO currently has offices in 24 countries and a business presence in over 90 countries. In 2003, the company generated 10.1 billion Yen in overseas sales, which accounted forroughly 17% of the total revenue. By 2013, sales figures nearly tripled, with 28.3 billion Yen in overseas sales, and a total of 29% of
all revenue coming from outside of Japan. SATO is targeting a 40% overseas sales ratio for 2020, and expects to see 60 billion Yen in revenue from markets in the Americas, Europe and AsiaPacific. Looking beyond 2020, the company expects to eventually achieve a 70% overseas sales ratio as SATO expands into new regions and increases its market share.
