Tsuneo Murata was born in Kyoto in 1951. In 1974, he graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Doshisha University and joined Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. In 1988, he became Geschaftsfuhrer, or Managing Director at Murata Europe Management GmbH. After being appointed to the Murata MFG. Co., Ltd. Board of Directors in 1989, he served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Senior Executive Vice President, and Executive Deputy President, and became President, Statutory Representative Director in 2007.
In his free time, Tsuneo Murata enjoys cultivating orchids and photography.
Since 2000, information technology has evolved from being a means of connecting people—like previous telecommunication technology—toward serving as a link between people and information as marked by the advances in broadbandization. At the same time, the spread of smartphones has accelerated the increase in the transmission speeds of mobile networks and wireless LANs.
Wireless LAN technology is now bringing a higher-than-gigabit rate into view. The IEEE 802.11ad wireless LAN standards, commonly known as “WiGig” (Wireless Gigabit) and already completed, are said to allow for transmission speeds of up to 7 Gbps. These developments suggest that the year 2015 represents the dawn of a gigabit age for mobile terminals.
The government is accelerating its initiative to spread the use of IoT (Internet of Things) , a network of a broad range of physical items. Western countries have been the first movers in this field. This makes it difficult even for a technologically advanced nation like Japan—should it be slow in introducing the technology—to survive international competition.
In 2016 and after, we will see new peripheral services and contents that keep pace with a further increase in transmission rate. In this issue of metamorphosis, we would thus like to focus on communication technology, since it plays an important role in the communication market.
Murata communication modules represent one of the product groups that have made the greatest contribution to the miniaturization and functional sophistication of wireless communication devices. These ground breaking products have also been a driving force in the process by which we have expanded our business from the manufacturing of general-purpose components to cover the production of modules as well. Our communication module business started out with multilayer LC filters using LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramics) and integrated and sophisticated various functions step-by-step to grow into a major operation that made up more than 30% of our net sales by FY 2015.
In the new markets of healthcare/medical care, energies, and IoT, we will build on our strengths to launch new products and businesses. By working with our customers, we aim to contribute to shaping a future that is safe, secure, and comfortable. That is the very message we would like to convey through the newest issue of metamorphosis.