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In view of Kajima's severe operating environment, the Company's R&D departments have given strategic emphasis to developing technologies that help obtain additional orders and reduce costs. In particular, these departments have helped win new orders by accentuating Kajima's traditional technological strengths and thereby more-clearly differentiating the Company from competitors. Specifically, Kajima is working to highlight its special capabilities related to such fields as ultrahigh-rise buildings, nuclear power facilities, RC high-rise collective housing structures, PC bridges, and shield tunneling. Among its principal research fields are technologies for resisting, controlling, and avoiding vibrations from earthquakes and other sources. With regard to environmental issues, including global environmental issues, the Company has undertaken a broad range of initiatives for preserving or improving the natural environment. Kajima's cost-reducing technologies have helped improve construction work productivity as well as analyzing and cutting costs throughout the life cycles of buildings. In February 1999, Kajima undertook the organizational restructuring of its R&D system with the goals of increasing the strength and efficiency of its R&D capabilities and making those capabilities more responsive to contemporary needs. The restructuring had the effect of consolidating functions related to the Company's principal construction and civil engineering operations within the Building Engineering Department and the Civil Engineering Department. To bolster its capabilities for meeting future growth in demand for environment-related services, Kajima set up its Environmental Engineering Department. The Company also established an Advanced Technology Department, which handles R&D associated with the most advanced technologies for construction, civil engineering, and environmental operations. Noteworthy among Kajima's recent R&D accomplishments are the application of the Super-RC frame construction method for ultrahigh-rise condominiums, methods for constructing roofs atop existing stadiums (used for the Seibu Dome), the tunnel boring machine (TBM) construction method, wagging cutter shield technology, TBM technology for increased freedom in creating tunnel shapes, soil decontamination technology, a thermophilic methane fermentation process for organic waste, a building-material-integrated color photovoltaic system, an electromagnetic shield method, concrete-filled steel tubular structure technology, and the New NEOS construction method. Believing that sustained R&D programs are essential for maintaining dynamic corporate growth and development, Kajima has long given strong emphasis to such programs and to encouraging synergistic cooperation among each of its technology-oriented departments. This posture has earned the Company a widespread reputation for technological innovation. Regarding R&D investment, Kajima has worked to efficiently meet market needs by tightening the focus of its R&D programs and strategically concentrating its related investment in accordance with that focus. As a result, the Company was able to reduce the value of its R&D investment to17.8 billion yen in fiscal 1999, from 20.2 billion yen in the previous year. As a share of net sales, the Company's R&D investment was 1.34% in fiscal 1998 and 1.42% in fiscal 1999. The following sections are brief descriptions of representative R&D projects completed during the fiscal year.
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All rights reserved, Copyright(c) 1999 KAJIMA CORPORATION |