Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation has established the Chinese Procurement Center in Shanghai.

Our procurement bases were previously at our headquarters and in Dalian, China. By opening the Chinese Procurement Center in Shanghai at this time, we have positioned our headquarters as the global procurement control center and established a cooperative procurement system consisting of three procurement bases, including the Toshiba Dalian medical equipment factory, which is our overseas manufacturing subsidiary in China. The objectives are expansion and improved efficiency in global procurement.

Shanghai, where we have established the Chinese Procurement Center, is located in the center of eastern China, which is home to the overseas manufacturing subsidiaries of many American and European medical equipment manufacturers. This region also hosts many factories serving medical component/material manufacturers based in the United States, Europe, and Japan, as well as the manufacturing bases of local medical component/material companies.

At the Chinese Procurement Center, not only procurement staff with experience working in Japan and other countries but also professional staff in the fields of product development, manufacturing technology, and quality control work together to promote procurement activities in China, taking full advantage of the great potential of Chinese component/material manufacturers while maintaining the same level of quality as in Japan. This is the first trial of such an organizational structure in the Toshiba Group.

The Chinese Procurement Center is located in the Procurement Office of Toshiba China Co., Ltd., which is Toshiba Corporation's overseas subsidiary for regional coordination. We will also strengthen cooperation with sourcing staff in other business divisions of the Toshiba Group to take full advantage of the synergistic effects of the Toshiba Group's global procurement activities.

In order to address today's extremely challenging business conditions such as the high yen and sales price erosion, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation plans to increase its global procurement percentage to 75% by the end of fiscal year 2014, thus reducing manufacturing costs and countering the effects of foreign exchange imbalances.

About Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation

Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation is a leading worldwide provider of medical diagnostic imaging systems and comprehensive medical solutions, such as CT, X-ray and vascular, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and MRI systems, as well as information systems for medical institutions. Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation has been providing medical products for over 80 years. In October 2003, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, which prior to that time had been operating as the Medical Systems Division of Toshiba Corporation ("Toshiba"), was established as a stand-alone member of the Toshiba group. Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toshiba.
For more information, visit http://www.toshiba-medical.co.jp/tmd/english

About Toshiba

Toshiba is a world-leading diversified manufacturer, solutions provider and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products and systems. Toshiba Group brings innovation and imagination to a wide range of businesses: digital products, including LCD TVs, notebook PCs, retail solutions and MFPs; electronic devices, including semiconductors, storage products and materials; industrial and social infrastructure systems, including power generation systems, smart community solutions, medical systems and escalators & elevators; and home appliances.
Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 550 consolidated companies, with 202,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing 6.1 trillion yen (US$74 billion). Visit Toshiba's web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm