Kentaro Aikawa
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He joined West Japan Heavy Industries in 1951 and built his entire career within Mitsubishi Heavy Industries until he stepped down as President. West Japan Heavy Industries was created when Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was split into three in 1950, and the three companies merged again in 1964 to form the present Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. He became Executive Vice President in June 1988 and President in June 1989. He was promoted one year after becoming Executive Vice President, apparently on the strength of his record as an engineer in the power systems division.
Selection
In June 1989 he succeeded Yotaro Iida as President. Headcount reductions had been under way amid the shipbuilding slump and headwinds against heavy industry, and in November 1978 a rationalization plan to cut 10,000 jobs over two years had been presented to the labor union. Net sales for the fiscal year ended March 1980 were ¥1,349.2 billion and ordinary income ¥22.5 billion. The choice appears to have been aimed at reshaping the company to earn from power systems and machinery plants instead of shipbuilding.
Initiatives
He went after demand for power plants and machinery plants generated by industrialization in Asian countries. In January 1995 the company merged with Mitsubishi Atomic Power Industries, bringing the design and manufacture of pressurized water reactors in-house. Consolidated net sales moved from ¥2,789.8 billion in the fiscal year ended March 1992 to ¥2,848.5 billion in FY ended March 1995, and net income from ¥105.6 billion to ¥77.9 billion. This way of generating earnings by tilting overseas orders toward Asia produced record profits in fiscal 1996, after he stepped down.
Career
Career
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Apr 1951 | Joined Nishi-Nippon Heavy Industries |
| Jun 1988 | Executive Vice President |
| Jun 1989 | President |
| Jun 1995 | Chairman |
| Jun 1995 | Stepped down as President |