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| Alpine Alpine is active in five areas: Audio, Visual, Navigation, Communication and Drive Assist. Here is an overview of trends in that time in some of those sectors • Sound System – Smaller. Lighter solutions. Increasing digital content. Connectivity to consumer devices • Visual - Legislation offers some direction for minimising distraction but with the technology racing ahead so quickly it is the engineers and ergonomists who are defining the next generation of HMI. Alpine is tackling workload management on several fronts, from conventional solutions through to radical new technologies. Alpine is working on gesture recognition, a technology where hand and eye movement can be used to control features. This has huge potential – it can control a diverse range of functions without the operator touching the hardware. The technology faces challenges, notably the four-dimensional nature of human movement. For example, the same gesture can vary greatly from person to person, culture to culture and sometimes even from the same individual depending on mood. There are other elements we are looking at; defining when gestures begin and end and associated lags for determining the difference between two different gestures that may start the same. • Navigation – Off board, added value features, increasing accuracy, car to car communication, linking navi to engine speed, transmission (automatic kick down before a corner for example) • Integration of consumer devices - Consumer devices are not tested to the same levels as in-vehicle devices and we have consequently witnessed difficulties in car. I believe more control will be required. System integration is key, even in the aftermarket. One of our most successful products this year has been our head unit that has no CD mechanism but offers full control of an iPod. Selling a radio with no CD mechanism would have been inconceivable two years ago • Drive Assist – Top View Camera, How will your products and business sector develop? We have identified our fundamental business domain as in vehicle information systems. We define "information" as being all of the categories we are engaged in: Audio, Visual, Navigation, Communication and Drive Assist (AVNC+D). Alpine will differentiate itself from competitors by continuously providing new value as a system integrator. In information communications equipment, a growing percentage of new automobiles are incorporating integrated audio, visual and information equipment as a standard feature. Moreover, automakers are becoming more demanding in terms of product quality, prices and delivery schedules as global competition heats up. In response, with the aim to be a mobile media solutions company that creates future value by 2015, Alpine is formulating mid-term management policies that emphasize creativity, passion and challenge in the manufacturing process, and strive to create industry-leading products under a low cost structure. To achieve these mid-term management policies, Alpine is promoting measures based on the following strategies in order to expand corporate value, cultivate new business fields, strengthen operations and enhance earnings. There are three issues to focus on. Alpine will promote the following three items: • Corporate Culture – Develop Human Resources and organizations that deliver “First One” products • Business Model – Create a business model utilizing synergies between OEM and Aftermarket • Alliances – Strengthen and expand business base through collaborations and IP strategy. Where do you see the big opportunities? System Integration – vital to be capable of this/
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January 2008
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