Sharp president vows to restore profitability
News On Japan via Japan Today -- Sep 15

The head of Sharp Corp vowed on Friday to restore profitability at the "reborn" electronics giant, just days after it announced sweeping pay cuts to repair a bleeding balance sheet.

Sharp President Takashi Okuda said the Osaka-based firm would book a net profit in the fiscal year starting in April 2013, a marked reversal of the whopping 250 billion yen loss it expects this year.

"Our top priority is to work together to overcome the current difficulties," he said in a statement ahead of the firm's 100th anniversary at the weekend.

"I would like to use this occasion to vow the rebirth of a new Sharp. We will make structural reforms at any cost as we aim to achieve operating profit in the second-half of the fiscal 2012 and net profit in the fiscal 2013."

On Tuesday, the maker of Aquos brand televisions said it would save about 14 billion yen by temporarily slashing salaries for thousands of employees, from the factory floor to the executive boardroom.

Source: Japan Today



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