Wide range of products
Comprehensive capabilities; from passive components to ICs and power devices
This interview was originally published in the ROHM Group Integrated Report 2024.
Since our establishment as a manufacturer specializing in small-sized resistors, ROHM has consistently worked to develop unique products. In the 1960s, after gaining recognition for the high quality and reliability of our resistors and steadily increasing sales, ROHM decided to take on the challenge of diving into the field of ICs. However, Japan had few engineers and scarce literature on the subject at that time, making it a daunting challenge for ROHM, which was still a small company. What made this bold endeavor possible and led to the development of groundbreaking ICs was the spirit of challenge passed down from our founder: the belief in actively finding a way forward in the face of any adversity.
In the process of pursuing ambitious goals, ROHM created products such as diodes, transistors, and LEDs one after another. We continued to expand our business areas to include optical devices and modules, and in recent years, have also focused on power devices including SiC. ROHM has continued taking on challenges in response to market and customer needs, expanding its product range. As a result, we are able to offer comprehensive proposals that resolve customer issues.
Main Business
Employees’ Perspective
Enhancing our proposal capabilities by leveraging our strength in designing new circuits that combine various products
As a Field Application Engineer (FAE*), my job is to provide technical support and propose applications to customers. Specifically, I offer circuit proposals using ROHM products, provide application support, evaluate device applications, handle customer inquiries, and design evaluation boards and sets. I visit customers with sales and business unit engineers to resolve issues that arise during customer evaluations.
For example, while switching from Si to SiC enables high-speed switching, surges and the like can make SiC unusable. Since ROHM handles both Si and SiC, we can propose products that capture the characteristics of each and match customer needs. In this case, we proposed a circuit combining ROHM’s ICs and general-purpose devices, successfully suppressing SiC surges and leading to customer adoption.
I believe our corporate culture that encourages tackling new technologies is unique to ROHM. We can design circuits that combine various products to form new technologies, and incorporate them into customer proposals. To leverage this strength in solving social issues, we need to develop products that customers truly need. I aim to gather feedback from customers about the functions and characteristics that ROHM currently lacks and provide this input to business units to drive next-generation development.
*FAE: Stands for Field Application Engineer, which is a job in which an individual who does not belong to the product development division is responsible for selling products to particular regions or customers. This position is held by an engineer who provides customers with technical support for products and various applications
