Honmono Story 1 A&D


	December 2006
	Honmono Story 1

This editorial website includes personal
observations by Masa Eto on an array of topics,
from world affairs to business. Mr. Eto is the
managing executive officer of the International Division at A&D Company Ltd.

"Pioneering "AM/PM TimeWise""

"Another Milestone in Our Relentless Pursuit for Innovation"

The AM/PM TimeWise is a simple concept which came about as a result of our dedication to our philosophy, which is the relentless pursuit for "Honmono"* or "the real thing."

When we review our consumer blood pressure business, it is safe to say that we have pioneered most of the key technology and features that are prominent in blood pressure monitors available on the market today. Takeda Medical was the first in the industry to introduce affordable K sound units in 1980. They quickly realized that a promising market was there and decided to reduce the price of monitors even further, by developing oscillometric technology, which works without microphones and reduces the number of components.

In 1984 they launched oscillometric models for consumer use, again a first in the industry. Having seen a price war emerging as competitors followed suit, they quickly introduced their second generation oscillometric model, the UA-700 Series, in 1986. As the market began to explode and a price war was declared, Takeda Medical and A&D merged in 1988.

We continued to work on the improvement of the oscillometric method but at the same time we took "ease-of-use" very seriously and created a new model in 1993, the UA-777, based on a new concept: "One Button Operation", "Three-line Display" and "Large Bold Display".
http://www.aandd.jp/editorial/archive/1998marmasa.html

This new concept was in conflict with our competitive pricing but we persisted for the benefit of our consumers. This concept along with the highly accurate and reliable third generation oscillometric method earned us number one ratings for the UA-767 and UA-702 in a prominent consumer magazine in the US. These units were named top notch and best buy respectively in 1996. Since then, this concept of "One Button Operation", "Three-line Display" and "Large Bold Display" has been adopted as an industry standard.

In 2002, we pioneered yet another new concept IHB (Irregular Heartbeat) that detects heartbeat irregularities along with WHO classification offering customers more comprehensive blood pressure measurement.
http://www.aandd.jp/editorial/archive/2002july_pioneeringIHB.html
This new technology led to the release of the UA-767Plus and with these added functions a user can tell where his/her blood pressure level is and can immediately detect any heartbeat irregularities. Therefore, more importantly a consumer can tell when he/she needs to visit a doctor. Consumers who want to be actively involved in monitoring their own blood pressure are benefiting from these functions pioneered by A&D.

Our increased knowledge of blood pressure monitoring at the consumer level has encouraged us to develop a monitor with separate time data analysis functions. Memory capability and a clock are basic time-related functions but we have found from our research that many users stop using these functions soon after purchase. However our awareness of the importance of detecting trends and/or warning signals from blood pressure readings, which fluctuate daily has led us to develop new technology.

Blood pressure readings are essential in the monitoring of people suffering from hypertension, those who are borderline hypertensive or those on medication. Some people suffer from morning surges in blood pressure or masked hypertension, which can only be detected early in the morning. Fluctuating measurements supported by time tracking technology can easily detect these symptoms as well as the effects of anti-hypertensive drugs on patients.

Our engineers have developed "AM/PM TimeWise" technology, which simply displays morning and afternoon data separately. The user should continue to monitor his/her blood pressure as normal. Simply press the MEMORY button and the AM button, to display average morning blood pressure measurements followed by all BP data taken in the morning. PM readings can be checked in the same way by pressing the MEMORY and PM buttons. We have just launched the UA-853, which incorporates this "AM/PM TimeWise" function. Unlike other memory functions, which can confuse users or may be seen as inessential, this function offers consumers an invaluable tool for monitoring their own health at a glance, and which guarantees ease-of-use.

Our philosophy for innovation is not to overload consumers with functions, buttons and large data memory, but rather to offer consumers true ease-of-use for his/her continued monitoring as well as easy access to understandable BP results.

Our pursuit for innovation never stops and we have come very far in the development of consumer blood pressure monitors, which began with the pursuit of accurate measurement, affordable prices, then ease-of-use and innovative technology for everyday monitoring. Whether good or bad, I foresee our innovations being followed and copied by our competitors but with our innovative thinking and relentless pursuit for the most innovative and trusted monitors we will continue to push ahead of the competition as our philosophy of Honmono is deeply embedded in our organization.

* Honmono when literally translated into English means real thing, but at A&D we use it to mean more than a thing or product, implying the philosophy and people who make things happen. We all work by the belief that "we strive for "Honmono", welcome challenges, and are relentless till we deliver solutions."

You may address any comments concerning this editorial by email to Mr. Eto