Born in Minobu-cho (former Shimobe-cho) in Yamanashi Prefecture, President Yoshihiko Sano enrolled in the Faculty of Engineering, Osaka City University, after graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan High School. He then joined Nippon Glass Fiber Co., Ltd. (presently the Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.) in 1968. In those days, he was in charge of the development of glass fiber that was to be used for ships and boats, as well as FRPs (fiber reinforced plastics).
In 1975, he joined Nipro Corporation when he was 30 years old. He was responsible for product development, maintenance and sales of artificial dialysis machines – Nipro’s current mainstay product and a product which had just been launched for sales when he joined the company. He visited medical institutions throughout Japan to sell this product.
In 2006, he was promoted to the position of Executive Director and General Manger of the Domestic Division. While in this position, he increased the number of product items from 12,000 to 20,000 by promoting the development and improvement of such products as medical equipment, and secured increases in income and profit consecutively for six years by formulating sales policies that take into account the user’s point of view.
His pet theory is: “What is needed for business is to continue to provide more beneficial products than those of other companies. We should do business not just for our customers’ continued use but so that they can appreciate our products. By doing so, we’ll naturally be able to survive.”
Experience
1975: Joined Nipro Co., Ltd.
1993: Director and Deputy General Manager of Sales Dept., Nipro Co., Ltd.
2000: Director and General Manager of Sales Dept., Nipro Co., Ltd.
2001: Joined Nipro Corporation as Director and Deputy General Manager of Domestic Division
2006: Managing Director and General Manger of Domestic Division
May 2012: President of Nipro Corporation (current)
Company
Since its founding in 1954, by leveraging the technologies and expertise that have been accumulated over many years, Nipro Corporation now offers products and technologies that meet the needs of patients and medical professionals in a wide range of fields, such as artificial organs, circulatory organs, test/diagnostic agents, injection/infusion solutions, ethical pharmaceuticals, and medical glass products. Nipro’s strongest feature is the “Trinity” of the medical device, pharmaceutical and glass product businesses, which work in unison to generate synergies in the company’s operations.
In the future, Nipro will remain committed to comprehensively providing products and technologies truly required from the viewpoints of both users and patients, and promoting the Nipro brand, aiming to secure the largest share of the Japanese and global markets. In doing so, we will intensify our efforts to contribute to the health of people around the world and become a “truly global comprehensive healthcare company.”
