Stakeholder Engagement

We strive to earn the trust of our stakeholders by providing value to them. As part of our efforts to enhance stakeholder engagement, we are implementing the following types of communication.

The 2024 General Meeting of Shareholders was held immediately after the announcement of the Mid-term Management Plan, and the Group CEO gave an explanation of the Mid-term Management Plan. At the General Meeting of Shareholders, we answered questions from shareholders. After the General Meeting of Shareholders, we held the round-table discussion with our shareholders, which had been suspended after the COVID-19 pandemic, to receive various opinions directly from our shareholders and engage in interactive communication.

In order to promote dialogue with our shareholders, we are implementing the following initiatives.

We will continue to enhance the openness and accessibility of our General Meeting of Shareholders while taking sustainability into consideration.

We believe that improving employee engagement is an important foundation for our sustainable growth. Every three years, Advantest conducts the Gallup Q12^® employee survey, which we use to improve employee engagement.

In addition, we continue to expand learning opportunities for our employees through a variety of training programs designed to enhance their competencies. We have also introduced an e-learning platform that provides educational content for all employees, and we also provide access to external paid e-learning tools for those who wish to use them, so that we can continue to support our employees as they grow as professionals.

In order to promote communication with our employees, we send out messages from the Group CEO and CxOs, and hold dialogue sessions throughout the year. In Japan, we hold monthly Morning Meetings and all hands meetings at each office, as well as New Year's greetings (January), Spring Labor Talks (starting in February), the ceremony to mark the company's founding (July), the Central Labor Negotiations and social gathering (September), etc. In 2024, events to celebrate our 70th anniversary were held at each location. In Japan, we held an “Employee Appreciation Day”, with around 2,000 employees, their families and alumni gathering at Saitama Super Arena, and celebrated the 70th anniversary with an online connection between sites and venues in various countries.

Advantest continuously strives to strengthen relationships with our customers in various ways so that we can contribute to solving their challenges in this ever-changing market.

We hold an annual user group conference, "VOICE," together with our voluntary customers, where we present the latest market information, including technical papers and the latest testing solutions. We also provide opportunities for our engineers and participants to interact and communicate with customers and partner companies.

We also organize technical seminars for our customers in various countries around the world and co-host technical exchange meetings with our customers to strengthen our relationships with them.

We would like to develop together with our suppliers through close collaboration. We periodically conduct CSR surveys for our suppliers and hold interviews based on the results of the surveys, with the goal of building a more resilient supply chain.

Furthermore, we facilitate opportunities for suppliers and our top management to engage in dialogue to foster sustainable relationships with our business partners.

We will continue to maintain strong partnerships with our business partners.

To foster further innovation, we continue to collaborate not only with our customers and suppliers, but also with industry organizations, educational institutions, and other ecosystem/business partners. We have established partnerships with academic institutions and private companies in Japan and overseas, and are working to develop the electronics industry through joint research and development and regular technology exchange meetings.

In addition, our involvement in local communities allows us to contribute to the creation of a society in which people can live more prosperous lives. We provide academic support and support for the development of the next generation through donation of lectures and educational programs to higher education institutions in Japan and overseas, as well as the hosting of science and craft education for elementary school students near our business sites in Japan. We also provide humanitarian assistance, including support for those affected by war and for victims of large-scale disasters.

We perceive the global environment as one of our major stakeholders and are committed to contributing to a sustainable global environment through our business activities and global environmental conservation activities. We are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the introduction of renewable energy and the reduction of energy consumption by shortening the manufacturing periods for our major product lines. We also contribute to the realization of a circular economy by improving recycling rates, eliminating hazardous substances, and providing green products. In addition to our business activities, our employees in Japan and overseas are involved in efforts to protect the global environment, and we also conduct activities in the community, such as tree planting and beach cleanup activities. For instance, the Gunma R&D Center, our research and development base, has one of the largest biotopes of any private company in Japan, contributing to the preservation of the local ecosystem.