Sekisui Chemical Co Ltd

TSE:4204

Earnings Call Transcript 2023-Q2

[Keita Kato, executive]

I am Keita Kato, President of Sekisui Chemical. Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend our presentation on the financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2022, and the progress on the management plan.

I will start with the overview of the first half results for FY '22. The foreign exchange rate for the first half was JPY 134 to the dollar, a significant depreciation of the yen from the assumption.

Page 2 is an overview of profit and loss for the first half of fiscal 2022. Both sales and profit increased significantly for the entire group, and profit at all levels exceeded the guidance announced in July. Due to the effect of foreign exchange gain and the fact that impairment losses were recorded in the previous fiscal year, ordinary profit and profit attributable to owners of parent increased substantially. We will pay an interim dividend of JPY 29 per share, JPY 5 higher than last year and JPY 3 higher than the July guidance.

Page 3 is our results by segment. Although the business environment remained challenging due to factors such as further surging fuel and raw material prices, prolonged COVID-19 situation and the impact of demand fluctuations caused by Russia's invasion into Ukraine, we made steady progress in improving selling prices and achieved a substantial profit growth, especially in High Performance Plastics, HPP, and Urban Infrastructure and Environmental Products companies, UIEP, where we exceeded the July forecast. In fact, UIEP renewed its previous record high profit for the first half.

In the Housing Company, despite the severe impact such as a decline in housing orders due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, among other factors, as well as the sharp rise in component costs, the company secured the same level of operating profit as the previous year owing to an increase in the number of houses sold and higher unit prices.

The Medical Business was hit by the lockdowns in China, but achieved both sales and profit growth, thanks to a certain recovery in diagnostics demand in Japan and overseas, and posted the highest first half profit for the segment.

Page 4 shows results by segments for Q1 and Q2. Sekisui Chemical Group continued to enjoy increasing sales and profits in the second quarter.

Page 5 is the analysis of the first half results. The bar graph on the left shows net sales of JPY 607.8 billion, an increase of JPY 59.8 billion. Although the operating profit was significantly affected by the sharp rise in fuel and raw material prices, we made steady progress in reaching the selling prices and minimize the impact. In addition, benefiting from the improved sales volume and product mix, mainly with high performance products as well as fixed cost reduction, we were able to reach JPY 40.3 billion in OP, exceeding its life forecast of JPY 39 billion.

From Page 6, I would like to explain our initiatives aimed at optimizing our business portfolio as announced in September.

Page 7, please. As we have expanded our business domains in HPP and UIEP in recent years, some of our business activity has started to be conducted in proximity to each other. Therefore, in preparation for the new medium-term management plan that will start from next fiscal year, we have reorganized some of the businesses and products in the 2 companies since October. The objective is to accelerate business growth by pursuing synergies in every aspect, including marketing, manufacturing and technological development. The businesses and products that have been reorganized are illustrated on the slide.

On Pages 8 and 9, we describe the new subsegments with each company, including some products that were repositioned within the companies. We will drive growth in respective new 3 strategic fields. For continuity, the IR-related disclosure for performance analysis and business outlook will be based on the conventional framework for the rest of fiscal '22. Explanations based on the new subsegments after the business reorganization will be provided from FY '23, when we start the next midterm management plan. Please refer to Pages 8 and 9 for details of business portfolio optimization in both companies.

Next, from Page 10, I will walk you through the revised guidance for the second half and the full year of fiscal '22. Although the yen has weakened further than when we revised the plan, the updated plan is based on exchange rate assumptions of JPY 135 to the dollar and JPY 137 to the euro in accordance with the internal standards at the time the plan was formulated.

Page 11 shows the outlook for market conditions. The 2 graphs on the left show the global automobile production and smartphone shipment trends, both of which fell short of the outlook in Q2. For the second half of the year, we expect a greater recovery in automobile production in line with our April forecast. For smartphones, we expect a certain level of recovery after bottoming out in Q2, but we believe it will be below the April assumption.

The upper right is the outlook for visitors for the Housing business. Although the first half was partially impacted by the resurgence of COVID-19 in Japan, we expect the second half to recover to the level comparable to the previous year. Below the table is the trend of the new housing starts. We assume that new housing starts in the second half will be slightly lower than the July forecast. Bottom right is the Naphtha assumption. We believe it peaked out in the first half of the year, but it is still hovering around JPY 80,000 per kiloliter, above our original expectation of JPY 70,000.

Page 12 is a revised plan by segment for the second half of the year. As I indicated earlier, we expect an uncertain and difficult business environment due to fuel and raw material prices trending above what we assumed in April and demand fluctuations associated with geopolitical risks. Even in such a business environment, we will continue to maintain and secure spreads and aim to increase sales throughout the group and increase profits in each segment.

In HPP, despite the continuing impact of soaring fuel and raw material prices, such as LNG, we expect a certain level of recovery in demand, better pricing, and sales growth of high functional products such as high-performance interlayer films and aim to achieve sales and profit growth. In Housing, we expect the impact of drop in the first half orders and the soaring prices of steel and other materials to continue, but we plan to increase sales and profits by increasing the number of houses sold, mainly for subdivision and ready-built housing business, raising the unit price and augmenting the Renovation business.

In UIEP, we expect market conditions to improve through a certain degree, and we'll focus on expanding the sales of prioritized products, increasing the sales overseas as well as maintaining and securing spreads, aiming to increase both sales and profit and to record another new record high profit in the second half.

In the Medical Business, despite the delayed approval of the COVID-19 test kit in the U.S., we intend to achieve another record high profit in the second half by steadily capturing diagnostic demand in Japan and overseas as well as reducing fixed costs.

Page 13 illustrates analysis of the revised plan for the second half of the fiscal year. The impact of the sharp rise in fuel and raw material prices, which greatly exceeded the initial forecast made in April, will be largely offset by improved selling prices. We also expect market conditions to recover to a certain extent, and we expect significant growth stemming from sales volume and product mix factor, mainly in high functional products. We plan to increase both sales and profit as in the first half, partially owing to the foreign exchange gains.

Page 14 is our revised FY '22 full year plan by segment. Each segment is expected to achieve profit growth for the full year. On a consolidated basis, we project an operating profit of JPY 100 billion, in line with the initial plan announced in April and the forecast announced in July.

Page 15 shows a revised full year plan by segment after portfolio reorganization as reference material.

Page 16 outlines our revised plan for FY '22 and our shareholder return policy. We revised up the sales outlook to JPY 1.276 trillion, up by JPY 15.3 billion from the July forecast. This would be a record high sales. Profits at all levels are expected to increase significantly and reach record highs as well. Operating profit will reach JPY 100 billion. Ordinary profit has been revised up by JPY 3 billion from the July forecast to JPY 108 billion, mainly due to foreign exchange gains, and net profit has also been revised up by JPY 3 billion to JPY 73 billion.

In terms of shareholder return, the initial plan called for an annual dividend of JPY 53, a year-on-year increase of JPY 4 per share. However, due to a better-than-expected earnings recovery, we have decided to hike the dividend by additional JPY 6 to JPY 59 per share, which would indicate an increase of JPY 10 over the previous year. We plan to increase the interim dividend by JPY 5 to JPY 29 per share and the year-end dividend by JPY 5 to JPY 30 per share.

Next, regarding the share buybacks. We have already acquired a maximum limit of 8 million shares set at the beginning of the fiscal year. And in light of the current cash position and the stock price level, we have set an additional limit of 7 million shares for a maximum purchase of JPY 14 billion. We will continue to provide stable and proactive shareholder return as promised in our midterm management plan. The progress of our midterm management plan throughout 2022 is illustrated on Page 17.

While the severe business environment continues, we believe we have made steady progress in strengthening our business structure by securing and maintaining spread by improving selling prices while managing fixed costs and steadily increasing the benefit of volume and product mix driven by high-performance products. We will continue to strengthen our earnings power, shift to growth, and strengthen our preparation for the long-term vision in the next midterm management plan.

This will conclude my presentation. Thank you very much for your attention.

[Ikusuke Shimizu, executive]

I am Ikusuke Shimizu, Company President of High Performance Plastics Company. Page 19 shows the overview of the business performance for HPP. In the first half of FY '22, despite soaring fuel and raw material prices, auto production cuts, and smartphone inventory adjustments, both revenue and profits grew with net sales of JPY 205 billion and operating profit of JPY 21.8 billion, exceeding the JPY 21.5 billion guidance announced in July this year.

For the second half of FY '22, despite the soaring fuel and material prices, we expect net sales of JPY 216 billion and OP of JPY 26.2 billion for the 6 months. And for the full year, we aim to achieve JPY 48 billion OP target under the midterm management plan, thanks to continued improvement in selling prices and sales expansion of high-performance products.

Page 20 is the analysis of the first half results for FY '22. Net sales were up by JPY 34.8 billion year-on-year to JPY 205 billion. The waterflow chart on the right shows the factors behind the change in operating profit. OP increased by JPY 2.5 billion from the previous year. The business environment was extremely challenging with higher-than-expected fuel and raw material prices, other production cost due to the lockdown in China and shortage of components, particularly semiconductors, and inventory adjustment of smartphones from Q2 and beyond, among others.

However, we were able to achieve profit growth exceeding the July forecast, thanks to unwavering effort in securing spreads with higher selling prices as well as the impact of foreign exchange rate. The revised plan for the second half of FY '22 is shown on Page 21. Despite the higher-than-expected spike in raw material and fuel prices versus assumption at the start of the year, as well as continued uncertainty in the business environment, particularly in Europe, we are projecting net sales of JPY 216 billion, up by JPY 27.3 billion from the previous year based on the assumption that the automobile and smartphone markets will recover to a certain extent.

The factors behind the increase or decrease in operating profit are shown on the right. We project the OP to increase by JPY 3.2 billion from the previous year by offsetting the impact of higher fuel and raw material prices, including LNG, with higher sales price by improving the sales volume and product mix as well as a favorable exchange rate.

Next, on Page 22, I'd like to show you the progress of the 3 strategic fields and cost innovation. In the first half of FY '22, sales increased in all 3 strategic fields. Although not indicated on the slide, profit was down in Electronics, while it remained unchanged in Mobility, and increased for Building and Infrastructure. In the second half of the year, we expect a certain recovery in the auto and smartphone markets as well as an improvement in selling prices and the shift to high-performance products.

Based on those assumptions, we are guiding for increase in both sales and profits in all 3 strategic fields. Let me also give you an overview of the situation in each field, starting with Electronics at the top left. Despite a substantial increase in Q1, driven mainly by LCD-related business, sales in Q2 decreased significantly due to smartphone inventory adjustments and a drop in panel production capacity utilization. Sales for the first half in total were up. In the second half of the year, we expect the market to gradually recover in Q3 after hitting the bottom in Q2, with the market returning to the same level as the previous year in Q4. Based on that assumption, we will aim for top line growth for the electronics field by expanding sales in the non-LCD field, focusing on semiconductors.

In the Mobility field shown on upper right, the first half was affected by auto production cutbacks due to the lockdown in China and component shortages, mainly the semiconductor. However, sales increased and profits were generally on par with the previous year, driven by improved selling prices and expansion of high-performance interlayer films. Furthermore, we expect revenue from interlayer film for head-up displays, or HUD, to grow by more than 15% for the full year.

For the second half, we will continue to strive to expand sales of high-performance films, focusing on HUD interlayer film with the market expected to grow at the same level as the previous year in Q3 and higher in Q4. In addition, we will focus on improving selling prices in response to further rising fuel and raw material costs. One risk is a sharp rise in LNG prices, especially in Europe, and we intend to mitigate the impact through additional measures such as fixed cost reductions.

Sekisui Aerospace is making steady progress in strengthening profitability for structural reforms and rationalization. In addition, portfolio reform aimed at developing applications other than aircraft, such as medical products, is also moving forward as planned.

The Building and Infrastructure field at bottom left has been underpinned by brisk demand for chlorinated PVC, mainly stemming from India, and price increases are proceeding as planned. On the back of improvement in selling prices, the thermal installation and noncombustible materials business has been firm despite some slowdown in the domestic construction market. Cost innovation indicated at bottom right is progressing at a faster pace than planned. Supply chain reform through procurement optimization and productivity gains as well as business structural reform driven by a thorough review of the underperforming businesses are outpacing the initial plan, and we expect to overachieve the FY '22 midterm targets. We will continue to augment profitability in the second half, accelerate the growth engine and achieve the FY '22 midterm target and prepare for the next midterm management plan.

Page 23 will be the last page on HPP. Regarding growth engines, we will step up measures for sustainable growth in all 3 strategic fields. We will also focus on nurturing the next-generation growth domains. First, in Electronics at upper left, although the growth of MLCC binder resin has slowed somewhat due to inventory adjustments, mainly in smartphone applications, new adoption of process materials for semiconductors is progressing steadily, and we will continue to focus on expanding sales in the non-LCD field.

Furthermore, with an eye on the next medium-term management plan, we will continue to expand the opportunity of bio-based adhesive tapes and conduct POC on the transparent reflection film for 5G. In addition, we are considering ramping up capacity for some semiconductor rated products to meet future demand growth.

In the Mobility field at top left, we will continue to grow our market share of HUD interlayer film by acquiring business with new vehicle models and by adding acoustic and thermal insulation functions to HUD interlayer film, an interlayer film with high design quality, mainly for AVs, to raise their penetration in the next-generation vehicle segment. Growing the business for heat release materials for EVs is progressing steadily, and we are considering building a new production base in the U.S., following Japan, China, Thailand and the Netherlands.

Moving on to Building and Infrastructure shown at bottom left. We are steadily cultivating new customers for non-flammable urethane and expanding the offering with new products. Although the thermal insulation materials business was affected by high logistics costs, sales in Australia were relatively strong and growth was achieved against last year. We will continue to strengthen our global rollout, including sales expansion in Japan and the United States.

We will be focusing on the following specific opportunities for the next-generation growth domains. Next-generation communications such as transparent reflection film for 5G in Electronics and in Mobility, embedding multiple functions and enhancing the performance of interlayer films as well as expanding into the next-generation mobility application for CFRP products.

In the Building and Infrastructure field, our focus will be on sensing devices like NCL, monitoring sensor for nursing care and next-generation health care and protective materials. That will be all from me. Thank you very much for your attention.

[Toshiyuki Kamiyoshi, executive]

My name is Toshiyuki Kamiyoshi, Divisional Company President of the Housing Company. Let me start my explanation. Please turn to Slide 25. First, I would like to summarize the first half of the fiscal year and present the outlook for the second half. In the first half, we were significantly affected by the surge in component costs, but we were able to maintain operating profit at the same level as the previous year due to an increase in the number of new houses sold and an increase in unit prices by adding greater value to the product. We expect the impact of the surge in component prices to continue in the second half, but we will aim to increase sales and profits in the second half and for the full year, mainly by strengthening the subdivision, Ready-build Housing, and Renovation businesses.

Turning to Slide 26, which shows the first half results analysis. On the left side, net sales fell short of the July forecast by JPY 2.8 billion. But each segment's sales increased, resulting in an increase of JPY 10.4 billion from the previous year to JPY 260.2 billion. As for the analysis of operating profit on the right side, the housing business posted a JPY 900 million decrease due to the seventh wave of COVID-19, a shortfall in the number of houses sold due to weather impact, soaring component costs and FX impact despite progress in raising unit prices, cost reduction and controlling fixed costs.

The Renovation business was also affected by the pandemic and delays in the supply of components, but improved gross profit margins and fixed cost control led to a JPY 600 million increase in income. Other businesses also posted an increase of JPY 200 million due to the strong performance of the Town and Community Development business and the curbing of fixed costs. As a result of the above, the divisional company reported an operating profit of JPY 14.8 billion, which was JPY 200 million below forecast, but about the same level as the previous year.

Next, on Slide 27 is the revised plan for the second half. In the second half of the year, we expect to continue to be affected by soaring component costs, but we will strive to increase sales by capturing orders through strengthened sales activities for subdivision and ready-built housing as well as the Renovation business and by increasing the number of new houses sold. In addition, we will aim to increase profits by continuing and strengthening efforts to raise the unit price and reduce costs. Looking at the left side, we plan net sales of JPY 287.8 billion, up JPY 22.4 billion year-on-year, including the new consolidation of Tochigi Sekisuiheim scheduled for December.

As for the analysis of operating profit on the right, the Housing Business is expected to be further affected by soaring component costs and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, but we will strive to hedge this impact by increasing the number of houses sold by 190, raising unit prices and reducing costs, and are forecasting an increase in profit of JPY 900 million.

In the Renovation business, we plan an increase of JPY 1.6 billion due to higher sales. In other businesses, the company plans an increase of JPY 900 million, mainly in the Real Estate and Town and Community Development businesses. As a result, the divisional company plans operating profit to increase by JPY 1.7 billion to JPY 22.2 billion and JPY 37 billion for the full year. Moreover, the plan has been revised to reflect the impact of an annual foreign exchange loss of JPY 1.2 billion on imported components due to the yen's depreciation beyond our initial assumption.

Next, on Slide 28, I will explain the outlook and measures for new housing orders. First, please see the visitors chart on the top left. The number of visitors in the first half was 96% of the previous year's level due to the seventh wave of the pandemic and deteriorating business sentiment caused by soaring prices, et cetera. However, numbers are expected to gradually recover from the third quarter onward and reach 100% of the previous year's level as the impact of COVID subsides. Based on this assumption, we plan to achieve 105% in orders in the second half of the fiscal year, as you could see on the right. As for order price per unit, it was 106% in the first half. In the second half, we will continue to promote high value-added products centering on smart and resilience.

Regarding how we aim to acquire orders, we will continue to further strengthen the 3 growth strategies that are in place. In terms of strategies for attracting customers, we will strive to increase the number of customers by strengthening our web presence, while strengthening customer contact points through the development of experience-based facilities in various locations and proposing a fusion of real and virtual services.

Next, in terms of products. Against the backdrop of increasingly severe disasters and rising energy prices, we will strive for overwhelming differentiation to meet the growing need for smart and resilient products, that is Sekisui Heim prominence. Regarding our land strategy, we will launch a new subdivision brand, United Heim Park, which will take over the detached town development project commemorating our 50th anniversary, which has been selling well and strengthened its development.

Finally, on Slide 29, I will explain our Stock Business (Renovation, Real Estate and Town and Community Development). As you can see on the top left, regarding the Renovation business, we will work to increase orders and strengthen our sales structure by expanding periodic diagnosis. We will aim to increase orders by strengthening proposals for resilience products through this effort.

In the Real Estate business at the top right, we will accelerate the nationwide expansion of BeHeim, a brand for purchase and resale, and plan to sell 135 houses, aiming for further business expansion. Finally, in the Town and Community Development business, we have sold a total of 7 projects to date and are making steady progress. Based on this, sales for fiscal year 2022 are expected to exceed the plan.

In the second half of the fiscal year, we will launch 2 more new projects and strengthen our preparations for the next medium-term period. That is all for the Housing Company. Thank you very much.

[Yoshiyuki Hirai, executive]

My name is Yoshiyuki Hirai, Divisional President of the Urban Infrastructure and Environmental Products Company, I will go straight into my presentation. On Page 31, I will explain the overview of fiscal year 2022 first half results and the revised plan for the second half. As shown in the graph at the bottom of the page, our business performance reached first half record highs for net sales of JPY 107.4 billion. Operating income was JPY 6 billion. Despite the surge in fuel and raw material prices, sales and profit increased on the back of a secured spread due to improved selling prices and relatively firm demand.

For the second half of the year, we plan net sales of JPY 125.8 billion and operating income of JPY 12.5 billion. Market conditions are expected to improve and we anticipate higher sales and profit on the back of prioritized products, increased overseas sales, and thorough efforts to secure spreads. As a result, full year operating profit is forecasted at JPY 18.5 billion with an operating income margin of almost 8%, aiming for a record high on an absolute as well as on a percentage basis.

Next, on Page 32, I will explain the results for the first half of the fiscal year. Net sales, as you can see on the left, increased for both Japan and overseas, up JPY 11.3 billion from the previous year. In Japan, improvement in selling prices and significant growth in sales of prioritized products contributed to the increase. Overseas sales grew due to the recovery of demand in pipe materials for semiconductor-related plants, FFU sleepers for railroads in Europe and the U.S. and the U.S. Sheet business, especially for aircraft as well as the impact of the weaker yen.

On the right, operating profit increased JPY 2.8 billion from the previous year to JPY 6 billion, exceeding the first half forecast announced in July and recorded record highs as higher raw materials and utility costs were offset by improved selling prices, volume and mix. As for the difference from the plan in July, market conditions did not recover as much as expected and some construction delays resulted in a decrease in volume, but the spread widened.

On Page 33, I will explain the revised plan for the second half. Regarding net sales on the left, we forecast the sales increase in both Japan and overseas leading to a plus JPY 10.1 billion increase year-over-year. In Japan, we will continue to focus on securing spreads and expanding sales of prioritized products. For overseas, like the first half of the year, we expect that demand for pipe materials for plants and the Sheet business in the U.S. will continue to be firm. And we will focus on acquiring new orders for FFU sleepers and pipe rehabilitation.

As for the analysis of operating profit on the right, we are aiming for JPY 12.5 billion, an increase of JPY 1.7 billion from the previous year, by increasing volume in line with the gradual improvement in market conditions and by thoroughly securing the spread. The difference compared to the April plan is that some volume will be carried over to fiscal year 2023 due to construction delays and other factors. And raw materials and utility costs are expected to deteriorate more than expected, but spreads are widening.

Page 34 is an explanation of the 3 strategic fields and structural reforms and productivity innovation. First is the Piping and Infrastructure field on the top left. Sales are expected to increase in both the first and second half of the year with JPY 51.7 billion in the first half to JPY 62.3 billion in the second half. Steady plant demand, especially for semiconductors, and increased adoption of prioritized products are expected to contribute to the increase.

Next is the Building and Living Environment field on the lower left. Sales are expected to increase to JPY 23.6 billion in the first half of the year and remained flat year-on-year at JPY 25.6 billion in the second half. We will strive to capture a firm renovation demand by focusing on expanding sales of new products and prioritized products centering on flat roof drainage systems, which are steadily being adopted as a measure against heavy rainfall.

The Advanced Materials field is shown in the upper right. Year-over-year sales increases is expected for both the first and second half of the year at JPY 25.5 billion in the first half to JPY 29.6 billion in the second half. Recovery of demand for aircraft in the U.S. Sheet business increased orders for FFU sleepers in Europe and the U.S. and expansion of molding products for medical and electronic materials contributed to this increase.

The lower right-hand corner shows structural reform and productivity innovation. During the period of the current medium-term plan, as described on the left side, we have been promoting the transfer of businesses, withdrawal from low-profit products, production reorganization, and transforming sales activities with DX, et cetera. As a result, we expect to achieve a cumulative cost reduction of JPY 5.2 billion over the 3-year period, which exceeds the JPY 5 billion target set in the original medium-term management plan.

Finally, on Page 35, I will explain our growth strategy. First, I would like to talk about sales of prioritized products. They are positioned as premium products that contribute to sustainability. As you can see in the examples of the products on the right, we define them as products with high added value that are expected to grow and substitute for the products in the market. Let me introduce one product, SPR-SE, which is on the far left. Normally, sewer pipes are rehabilitated as a composite pipe using the strength of the existing pipe. But when the existing pipe had aged too much and installing a new pipe is the only way to resolve the problem, this was the only solution available until now. But with this self-supporting pipe, the strength can be guaranteed and it is a one-of-a-kind product that only we can offer.

As shown in the bar graph, sales of prioritized products are steadily increasing. In the second half of 2022, we plan to increase the ratio of prioritized products to 1/4 of domestic sales by strengthening our claim for SDG's contribution, utilizing the Chiba Solution Center and making more sophisticated use of our sales DX.

Next, regarding overseas sales, we expect growth mainly in the U.S. and Europe in the second half of 2022. As shown in the table on the right, we are steadily advancing the regional strategies set at the beginning of the fiscal year. Specifically, we will focus on the development of expediting the launch of FFU plants in Europe, the introduction of new products for pipe rehabilitation and the ramp-up of plant production capacity. This concludes the explanation of the UIEP business.

[Futoshi Kamiwaki, executive]

I will now explain the Medical business. I am Futoshi Kamiwaki from the Corporate Strategy Department. First, please turn to Page 37, which shows our performance. In the first half of fiscal year 2022, we achieved JPY 42.9 billion in net sales and first half record high profits with operating profit reaching JPY 5.5 billion. Although we were affected by the lockdown in China due to the zero COVID policies, demand for diagnostics recovered to a certain degree, both in Japan and overseas. In addition, new pharmaceutical ingredients contributed to earnings in the Medical Business.

Next, the revised plan for the second half of the fiscal year calls for net sales of JPY 45 billion and operating profit of JPY 7 billion, which is JPY 12.5 billion for the fiscal year and is expected to be the highest for the full year as per the midterm plan. In the second half of the fiscal year, although there may be some impact from the delayed approval of the new COVID diagnostic kits in the U.S., we plan to increase profits by steadily capturing domestic demand for diagnostics and fixed cost reductions.

Next, on Page 38. Here is an analysis of the first half results. Net sales were JPY 42.9 billion, up by JPY 3.2 billion. Operating income was JPY 5.5 billion, an increase of JPY 600 million. This was below the July forecast due to lower demand caused by the impact of the lockdown in China and higher fixed costs associated with upfront R&D investments. However, a recovery in demand for diagnostics in Japan and overseas and the contribution of new pharmaceutical ingredients to earnings in the Medical Business secured an increase in earnings, resulting in the highest ever first half earnings. In addition, in September, we completed the transfer of shares in XenoTech, a U.S. company engaged in drug development solutions.

Page 39 shows the revised plan for the second half of fiscal year '22 and its allowances. Net sales were JPY 45 billion, down by JPY 3.9 billion. This includes a JPY 1.6 billion decrease due to the impact of the stock transfer of XenoTech and the delayed approval of the new COVID diagnostic kit in the U.S. Operating profit increased by JPY 700 million. In addition to strong demand for testing in Japan and overseas, we expect sales of blood coagulation reagents to expand in line with the recovery in diagnostics demand in China.

In addition, the pharmaceutical science and other business will see a decrease in profit due to the termination of some transactions of bulk diagnostics, API reagents, but new pharmaceutical ingredients will continue to contribute to earnings. In addition, we expect fixed cost reductions and foreign exchange gains.

Page 40 is about the status of each business segment. First, regarding domestic diagnostics on the top left, demand recovered steadily in the first half of the year. In particular, demand expanded mainly in the biochemistry and immunology fields. In the second half of the year, we will focus on expanding sales of new coagulation devices and a new product launched in September, an antigen test combo kit that can simultaneously detect COVID-19 and respiratory tract infection RS viruses, or COVID-19 and influenza. Especially for influenza, we are assuming that 2022, 2023 is going to be a big flu season. This kit can distinguish between the flu and COVID in a single test, which we believe will be useful in improving the efficiency of testing.

Next is the overseas diagnostics business on the top right. In the second half of the fiscal year, we are preparing to resubmit a partial application for the delayed approval of the COVID-19 test kit in the U.S., and we are also considering alliances with other companies. In China, we will continue to focus on expanding sales of reagents for blood coagulation devices as demand recovers.

In the Pharmaceutical Sciences business, new APIs for which we have received orders from major pharmaceutical manufacturers, made a significant contribution to earnings in the first half of the fiscal year. In the second half of the year, sales are expected to decline due to the impact of the transfer of shares in XenoTech and the termination of transactions with some customers. However, we plan to start operation of a new plant in Iwate in March next year, which will enable us to accelerate preparations for the next midterm and the early realization of investment impact.

Regarding the development of new products, at the bottom right, the number of new products and sales decreased from the April plan due to the delayed approval of the COVID-19 kits in the U.S. However, other products that were developed, such as the combo kit launched in September, are progressing steadily. In addition, we will accelerate development of in-house products at our genetic testing center in the U.S. to expand our business domain and area by launching our own products overseas, aiming to make a full-scale entry into the genetic POCT field. We will continue to strengthen our preparations for the next midterm period.

That is all for the Medical Business. Thank you for your attention.