Rohm Semiconductor: sustainable technologies for a changing world

Contributing to a changing world through the development of technologies that reduce environmental impact and create a greener society is one of ROHM Semiconductor's objectives. We talk to Alessandro Zanarella, Country Manager for Italy.

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Rohm

by Laura Reggiani

Founded in 1958 in Kyoto, Japan Rohm has become a global company and supplier in the electronics industry, which over the years has increasingly expanded the range of products it offers. Managing the strategic development and implementation of products aimed at the automotive and industrial sectors in the Italian market is Alessandro Zanarella, Country Manager for Italy and Israel, from 2019. Zanarella, who has almost thirty years' experience in international strategy and business development, having previously held various roles as Sales Director, Country Director and Field Sales Engineer at multinational distributors such as Ebv Elektronik, Future and Arrow, explained the company's strategies, which today focus on the development of power and analogue solutions "capable of solving social problems, contributing to customers' needs in terms of energy savings".


The full article is published in Issue 9 of Elettronica AV


Rohm Zanarella Who is ROHM Semiconductor today and what is its business model?

Rohm has come a long way since it was founded in 1958. Starting out as a resistor manufacturer, it expanded to transistors and diodes in 1967, and in 1969 it added integrated circuits and other semiconductor products to its range. I believe one of the milestones was in 1971, when, in contrast to the Japanese corporate culture of the time, the company entered the US market by establishing a sales office and design centre for integrated circuits in Silicon Valley. This is a 50-year presence outside Japan, which we are celebrating this year, and which has since been modelled on other Japanese companies, and has become common practice. Other milestones include 2010, when we started mass production of the first components, diodes and mosfets, in silicon carbide technology; once again we were pioneers in technology. Today, ROHM is a key player and a global electronics supplier, with a turnover of approximately 3.3 billion dollars, over 22,000 employees covering the whole world, state-of-the-art production facilities in Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, China and even Europe, basing its business model on a precise management vision, which sees us focused on the development of power and analogue solutions capable of solving social problems by contributing to energy savings and product miniaturisation.

What are ROHM's strengths and differentiation from other competitors in the market?

I believe that one of our strongest points, and therefore one of our most distinctive features, is that we have applied an integrated vertical production system right from the start, covering the entire production process, from the diffusion of the silicon wafer to assembly. Another strong point, perhaps linked to the previous one, is the focus on quality. Since its foundation, ROHM has consistently pursued a level of quality above the industry standard under the motto "Quality First". Since then, we have always sought to improve the reliability of our products by mechanising and automating all processes. The implementation of these strategies has also enabled us to reduce the impact on deliveries and always meet the deadlines agreed with customers, and to be recognised by the market as a serious and reliable supplier.

Can you take stock of 2020 and tell us about the outlook for 2021?

Our fiscal year, which ended on 31 March, was one of consolidation and growth, not only in terms of sales, but also in terms of market recognition. In terms of global results, the negative impact of Covid-19 was minimal, while expectations for 2021 are good, thanks to the rebound in automotive and industrial-related markets. In these early months of the new fiscal year, our products, both analogue and power, have been in strong demand from customers, who have resumed production activities and increased orders significantly.

So how is the situation from your point of view? Do you think there will be long-term repercussions?

As I said, we consider ourselves to be very well positioned and, as a vertically integrated manufacturer not dependent on external suppliers, we are able to respond flexibly to changes in demand. It is the manufacturer's task, supported by the information and planning of the customers, to anticipate possible fluctuations in demand well in advance, and ROHM plays its role very well in this respect. We are also making major investments to further optimise our supply system and production chains with the aim of ensuring even more stable supplies to our customers, and in this regard we have recently completed the construction of a new production facility called Apollo in Japan, a state-of-the-art factory which will be operational by the end of the year and which will significantly increase our production capacity.

The Italian market is very particular. How are you structured to follow it?

The Italian market, as is well known, is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises that are the backbone of our economy. To support this market there is not only a team of people dedicated to technical and commercial service, based in our local offices in Vimercate, near Milan, and who represent a "Contact Partner" point of reference for customers, but, above all, there is the collaboration of distribution, which allows us to be capillary and to follow even companies with limited purchasing needs. In fact, we use the major international players, Avnet, Future and Rutronik, who represent our eye on the market and who are able to intercept the requests of companies, as well as catalogue distribution, which supports us by providing an excellent service for all immediate needs for samples or development boards and tools. In recent years, we have also repositioned ourselves commercially, we have improved our support for distribution and the share of products sold indirectly is constantly increasing.

You come from a long experience in distribution. What has changed in the last 20 years in the electronics market and what do you hope will change in the future?

I have worked in distribution for around thirty years, starting out in the field as a young salesman and working my way up to management positions that have enriched me professionally and personally. But I have never forgotten where I started and this still helps me to understand the needs of the customer and the role of the salesperson. Twenty years ago, the role of the salesperson was to provide the customer with useful information and then sell them the required products, but today a consultative model is required. The market has become more complex; the customer needs attention and specific technical expertise, solutions tailored to the needs of his application and truly innovative products. What I see, working every day in the field, is an explosion of new applications, combined with the need for ever greener technologies. New application areas that were previously unthinkable, such as electric mobility, autonomous driving and renewable energy, are increasing the use of electro- nics, and this can only be positive, especially if it also helps to make our society, and the society of the future, more sustainable.


The full article is published in Issue 9 of Elettronica AV


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