In Feb. 2005, Yokogawa's President and CEO, Isao Uchida, openly boasted (unusual for the Japanese) that their Vigilant Plant systems will win a leading market-share for Yokogawa by the year 2010.

Yokogawa continues to re-assert the commitment that it will lead the world process automation market, with only about 3 or 4 years left to reach fulfillment. Yokogawa reports that it has passed one significant milestone - for the first time winning more than 50% of total sales from outside the Japanese market.

Andrew Bond writes in his respected UK Industrial Automation Insider:

"Yokogawa's dominance of and the effective exclusion of its main competitors from its home market means that it needs to achieve a significantly smaller share of the market outside of Japan than its Western rivals to achieve overall global market leadership. For that reason, the fact that it now derives less than half of its sales, 47.2% in 2006 - 07 to be precise, from its home market could mark a tipping point and herald an acceleration up the international pecking order."

Yokogawa continues to lead both the Chinese and Far East markets and its share in North America and the UK (about 6%) are showing significant growth. Worldwide last year the company grew sales by 11.5% and operating income by 15.6% and increased its return on sales from 6.5% to 6.8%. Significantly, R&D investments will increase from 8.4% to 9.6% in 2008.

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