Opening van de Fujifilm productielijn (Engelstalig)

Toespraak | 08-12-2011

Your Royal Highness, Your Excellency, Mr Komori, ladies and gentlemen,

I would first like to say a few words to Mr Komori. Mr Komori,

I am delighted to see you here today. May I say once again how very much we appreciate your loyalty and your tireless commitment to our countries’ friendship. Last year, Her Majesty the Queen underlined this by making you a Commander in the Order of Orange-Nassau. In 1991 she paid a visit to Fujifilm in Japan. And the presence today of both you and His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange makes these ties even stronger. As Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, I attach great importance to our bilateral relations. I will therefore be visiting Japan next spring.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Now let’s take a closer look at Fujifilm and this particular location. Congratulations to Fujifilm on its new production line!

During our factory tour, we saw giant rolls of aluminium being hung, roughened, coated and customised. It was a stunning sight! They told me that this factory produces the largest offset plate in the world. A plate that can be used to print a 96-page newspaper! I’m glad to say that Dutch papers are never that thick, even on Saturdays. I don’t think they’d fit through the letterbox!

Fujifilm settled in Tilburg 28 years ago, partly because of the availability of clean groundwater. The company certainly needs a lot of clean water for its production processes. But clean groundwater is not the only thing that has made this company flourish. Its success has also been due to three other important factors.

First, sustainable production. I applaud your choice of 'sustainability' as today’s central theme. Since Fujifilm settled in Tilburg, the Netherlands has set tough environmental norms. But Fujifilm opted for sustainability standards that went even further than Dutch law required. It greatly reduced its use of harmful chemicals. And it started to produce items to help its clients protect the environment. Take the new low-chemical offset plate, which enables printing companies to cut down on chemicals.

Fujifilm has also significantly reduced its use of groundwater. And it has bought five wind turbines, which provide 20% of the electricity it needs. But Fujifilm has an even loftier aim for the future – 100% energy-neutral production.

The second secret to Fujifilm’s success is adaptability and innovation. When Fujifilm settled in Tilburg everyone used traditional rolls of film. Twenty years later, the digital camera was here. The company, however, had seen this coming and smoothly switched to new products, like photo paper.

Today, the same adaptability and innovative spirit has inspired you to develop membranes – very thin filters used to purify gases and liquids. They can even generate ‘blue energy’ from the difference in salt concentration between salt and fresh water. With all these initiatives Fujifilm is helping to address two important social challenges, the depletion of fossil fuels and climate change.

You splendidly combine enterprise, innovation, and economic growth. And you show us that sustainability, profitability and meeting challenges can indeed go hand in hand!

The third factor behind Fujifilm’s success is the outstanding business climate that the Netherlands has always tried to provide. I am proud to say that Fujifilm and 400 other Japanese companies have invested in the Netherlands because of our excellent infrastructure, our strategic location and state-of-the-art logistics.

This government is doing everything it can to improve our business climate even more, especially in the top sectors of our economy. Fujifilm belongs to the ‘high tech’ top sector, which excels in innovation and production potential for foreign markets. For sectors like this we have introduced new tax incentives for R&D and measures to attract the necessary talent. We also encourage companies in top sectors to work closely with knowledge institutions and with government. This ‘Golden Triangle’ of cooperation is needed to generate the know-how to develop innovative and profitable products that also meet our social challenges.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Clean groundwater, sustainable production, adaptability and innovation, a good business climate and – last but not least – outstanding bilateral relations. Let’s continue to work on all of these success factors. I am proud of Fujifilm. And I am proud of their new, sustainable and innovative production line in the Netherlands.

I wish Fujifilm every success for the future.

Thank you.