Aware of the social responsibilities incumbent on the Sumitomo Rubber Group, we always work to assess what is expected of us and reflect such expectations in our business activities. To this end, regular communication with our stakeholders is indispensable.
Along with the globalization of our business, the scope of our stakeholders has expanded to include ever more diverse people from regions around the world. We strive to demonstrate integrity in all our business activities so that we can earn the trust of all our stakeholders.
Recognizing the growing importance of collaborative value creation with a wide range of stakeholders—including employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and local communities—we are committed to engaging in appropriate collaboration with multiple stakeholders as part of our business operations. In this context, we recognize that appropriately distributing the profits and outcomes generated through collaborative value creation and productivity improvement among multiple stakeholders is essential to maintaining the momentum for wage increases and ensuring sustainable economic growth. With this in mind, we consider it important to return value to employees and show consideration to our suppliers, and we will advance the following initiatives accordingly.
For the relevant article, please visit “Related Information.”
For shareholder returns, our policy is to pay stable dividends with a consolidated dividend payout ratio of at least 40%. In order to ensure stable dividends even if we undertake new structural reforms in the future, we will set the standard of “DOE of 3% or higher and a consolidated dividend payout ratio of 40% or higher from 2026 onwards.” We will also flexibly consider measures such as further increasing the DOE level according to future business performance.
For more information, please visit the related pages.
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Customers  |
Automobile manufacturers, manufacturing companies, sales companies, sports facilities, etc. |
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Business partners  |
Rubber raw materials manufacturers, other materials manufacturers, trading companies, processing companies, etc. |
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Local community  |
Residents, municipalities, local governments, educational institutions, and other organizations near factories and offices |
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Shareholders and investors  |
Number of shareholders: 41,750 (individual and institutional investors, etc.) (as of December 31, 2024)
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Employees  |
Sumitomo Rubber Group: 37,995 Sumitomo Rubber Industries: 7,636 (as of December 31, 2024) |
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For more information, please visit the related pages.
To improve customer satisfaction, the Sumitomo Rubber Group has designated the sales and quality assurance departments of each base as contacts for accommodating customer opinions and requests. We properly respond to these inputs while upgrading our products and services based on the information collected from these sources.
Moreover, we have established customer consultation desks for each business. In this way, we do our best to provide customers with easy access to our contacts for inquiries and ensure that any question or complaint will be addressed swiftly and appropriately.
Since the DUNLOP Tire Sales HQ opened a “Customer Consultation Office” in fiscal 2001, we have been working to further improve the quality of our goods and services by examining and communicating customers’ feedback to relevant departments.
In fiscal 2022, we received 4,625 inquiries and comments regarding product selection, performance, and tire usage, and we responded to them promptly.
As approximately three-quarters of these inquiries were made by phone, we are continuously updating the customer consultation database in order to reduce our customers’ queuing time when they call us with inquiries.
Going forward, we will continue to enhance and expand our reference materials to further reduce search times. At the same time, we will work to improve customer satisfaction by reflecting the valuable feedback we receive from our customers in our products.
The Sports Business HQ has established the “Customer Service Department” as a contact for securing a direct communication channel between the Company and customers of our golf- and tennis-related products. Since then, we have striven to swiftly yet carefully address feedback from customers and thus help each enjoy an abundant sports life.
Furthermore, customer feedback is relayed to all relevant departments and utilized in our product development and quality enhancement activities aimed at securing customer satisfaction.
As a leading manufacturer of golf and tennis equipment, we will confidently and responsibly address customer feedback and thereby enhance the value of the DUNLOP brand.
DUNLOP Home Products, Ltd., a Group company tasked with the marketing of gloves and living supplies for consumer use, has established a customer consultation desk to promptly relay valuable inputs from customers, be it opinions or complaints, to relevant departments to inform their efforts to develop new products and improve the content of services.
Dunlop Tyre Japan, Ltd. held the 14th DTS Nationwide TB Tire Work Competition on September 7 and 8, 2024, at Tyre Land Maebashi in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture. This competition is held once a year with the aim of enhancing the skills of participating staff through both practical and written evaluations related to truck and bus tire replacement. Participants are selected from Dunlop’s directly managed stores and partner stores across Japan.
This year, a total of 13 finalists who advanced through regional qualifying rounds participated in the competition, bringing together a group of competitors with an exceptionally high level of skill. The practical evaluation was divided into three parts: “tire and wheel replacement,” “wheel removal and installation,” and “tire maintenance proposals for customers.” Notably, the “tire and wheel replacement” section featured the introduction of TPMS sensor valve installation for the first time. TPMS sensor installation requires procedures that differ from those of standard tire replacement. As a result, technicians are expected to acquire new skills and procedures and incorporate them as part of standard operations.
The introduction of such new elements has further enhanced the technical skills of the participants, and the level of safe and reliable operations continues to improve year by year. As a result, this year’s competition turned into a highly competitive event where it was difficult to distinguish between the top performers. However, after a rigorous judging process, Mr. Ishizaki from Tyre Land Onahama, Tohoku Company, emerged victorious, earning the prestigious championship title.
The Dunlop Group will continue to promote safer and more reliable service practices in line with the times through the TB Tire Work Competition. By doing so, we aim to enhance the overall service quality and proposal capabilities of the entire Group, while pursuing greater safety and peace of mind for our customers.
Since 2008, we have sponsored DUNLOP Nationwide Tire Safety Inspections to prevent traffic accidents attributable to poor tire condition.
In 2024, this inspection campaign, held throughout Japan at Tyre Select stores, started on April 8, designated as the “Tyre Day” by the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association, through April 30. Through this annual campaign, we conduct various tire inspections, including measuring tire pressure and checking remaining tread depth as well as for any other damage to the tire. In addition to providing customers with professional inspections, we have utilized the campaign period to raise driver awareness of the importance of tire inspections by distributing leaflets at storefronts. Furthermore, we endeavored to facilitate the widespread recognition of the need for periodic tire inspections and maintenance via the websites and official social media accounts (X, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) of the Company’s directly managed stores. Looking ahead, we will continue to provide tire inspections so that our customers can enjoy safe and secure driving.
* Note In 2020 and 2021,we performed these inspections over shorter implementation periods at a significantly reduced number of locations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of DUNLOP Nationwide Tire Safety Inspections, since 2012, we have annually conducted safety inspections for motorcycle tires around August 19, which has been designated “Motorcycle Day.”
On the inspection day, we provide exterior inspections to determine the remaining tread depth, the degree of surface damage or wear, and other tire conditions. We also furnish “check cards” featuring inspection results to customers. In this way, we strive to help motorcycle riders raise their awareness regarding the importance of day-to-day tire inspections.
From 2020 to 2023, safety inspections for motorcycle tires were cancelled to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections.
For information on dialogue with suppliers, please visit the “Supply Chain Management” page.
The Sumitomo Rubber Group is striving to enhance dialogue with residents of local communities and other stakeholders.
For details, please visit the “Social Contribution Activities” page.
The Company will conduct dialogue with shareholders and investors with the aim of enhancing its corporate value based on the following policies:
(i) The Company strives to realize dialogue in line with the interests of various stakeholders, with the officer in charge of accounting and finance and the officer in charge of general affairs playing central roles in investor relations (IR) and shareholder relations (SR), respectively.
(ii) The Company’s relevant departments engage in organic, cross-sectional coordination in order to support constructive dialogue with shareholders, institutional investors, and other stakeholders. As part of IR activities, we disclose various data via the IR section of the Company’s corporate website and, in 2022, established the IR Office. The Company also hosts IR briefings for analysts and institutional investors. In terms of SR activities, the Company issues various publications for shareholders and prepares integrated reports to provide updates on the status of its business operations, ESG management and other matters while maintaining direct engagement with institutional investors. In these ways, the Company strives to improve its corporate value.
(iii) The Company considers the opinions gleaned through dialogue with shareholders and investors valuable to the further enhancement of its corporate value. Accordingly, these opinions are periodically reported to the senior management and the Board of Directors. This enables the Board to deliberate on the necessity of acting on said opinions and study measures for doing so.
(iv) The Company carries out surveys of the actual owners of its shares to determine the details of its shareholder composition. Results of these surveys enable us to take a more proactive approach to IR and SR activities and promote effective shareholder communications.
| Targets | Methods, frequency, etc. | Examples of themes | |
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IR |
Institutional investors and analysts |
A total of 213 financial results briefings and small-group meetings were held (91 of these were held for overseas audiences). |
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SR |
Institutional investors |
A total of 12 companies (10 domestic and 2 overseas) were interviewed individually online. |
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Sumitomo Rubber Industries has developed an environment supportive of individual shareholders who seek to bring their opinions as investors to inform its business management. As we aim to heed the opinions of as many shareholders as possible, we have made it possible to exercise voting rights online via PCs, smartphones, and other devices.
The number of votes cast via the internet at the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on March 27, 2025, amounted to 1,258,400, down 0.5% year on year, and accounted for 47.9% of total votes.
In addition, the notice of convocation for the General Meeting of Shareholders was delivered earlier and posted on our corporate website, along with its English version. As such, we strive to maintain a supportive environment for all shareholders who exercise their voting rights.
As a result, the ratio of voting rights exercised at the aforementioned General Meeting of Shareholders totaled 87.3% (based on the number of votes), suggesting that a considerable proportion of voting rights were exercised.
The Company and the Sumitomo Rubber Trade Union (which had 6,147 general members as of December 31, 2024, excluding officers or managers) maintain good relations based on the sharing of information by management and an approach of prior consultation. We believe that the growth of the Company and the pursuit of employee happiness are objectives shared by labor and management, and we have a history of productive discussions at the various labor–management committees. For example, we engage in activities in which labor and management are united in the pursuit of their objectives, such as when we organized a Labor-Management Wages Study Group comprising personnel from the union leadership and the Company’s Human Resources Department, with the aim of reviewing the human resources system and working conditions. The study group continues to meet on an ongoing basis.
Through this study group, we have worked to make the paid leave system more flexible and ease conditions for taking shorter working hours for childcare and nursing care. Also, we have repeated discussions on the ideal personnel system. We will continue our efforts to promote workstyle reforms and move ahead with various activities, with labor and management continuing to work in cooperation.
Since the first round of an Organizational Health Survey in November 2019, Sumitomo Rubber Industries has endeavored to improve its organizational culture via the implementation of the Be the Change (BTC) Project, striving to address how employees feel about the Company while implementing similar and other surveys on an ongoing basis.
The Company holds talks attended by officers so that top management members can share their thoughts and visions with employees. Looking ahead, we will hold these events while constantly improving opportunities for meaningful mutual dialogue and pursuing the goal of sharing visions with employees and encouraging them to set their sights higher.
Guided by his own aspirations, starting in 2023, the President visited our business bases to engage in dialogue with employees regarding the Mid-Term Plan. A total of 13 dialogue sessions were held with the attendance of 2,300 employees. Through these sessions, President directly communicated his thoughts on the Mid-Term Plan while sincerely addressing a number of questions from employees as part of efforts to nurture a sense of unity among the workforce. In 2024, under the theme of our vision and ideal state in 10 years’ time, we held sessions at eight locations in Japan and conducted two online sessions, with a total of 3,614 participants. We also held six sessions at our overseas bases.
While our plans call for hosting similar events in the future, we intend to hold sessions in which officers and heads of departments share their policies and otherwise engage with members of each workplace under their supervision.
We will continue to cherish bidirectional communications between top management members and employees in order to secure our ability to take on the challenge of navigating the Group amid a radically evolving, harsh business environment, with all Group members, working as one team.
We held a panel discussion hosted by officers in order to address an issue revealed by recent employee surveys in connection with the incomplete communication of business strategies, which may possibly inhibit a full understanding of subjects among employees. These discussions were livestreamed to workplaces across the board.
The event was particularly focused on helping the discussions’ audience understand each officer’s personality, ways of thinking, and aspirations for the success of the Sumitomo Rubber Group. Thus, each panelist shared his drive to achieve transformation and ideals regarding what top management team should look like. We also utilize a tool designed to enable employees to post their comments in order to facilitate bidirectional communications between top management members and employees and help foster a sense of unity among them.
