Sumitomo Electric and its global subsidiaries and affiliates undertake product development, manufacturing and marketing, as well as service provision in the five business divisions: “Automotive,” “Infocommunications,” “Electronics,” “Environment and Energy,” and “Industrial Materials & Others.” The automotive segment accounts for 50% of Sumitomo Electric's annual sales.

With the aim of realizing an automotive society characterized by safety, comfort, and environmental responsibility, Sumitomo Electric supplies the global market with a broad range of products, including wiring harnesses for in-vehicle data and energy transmission, and anti-vibration rubber.

Sumitomo Electric produced optical fiber well ahead of other manufacturers, taking note of the product's great capacity for voluminous, speedy, and assured data transmission, ideal for the advanced information age that was to come.

In 1986, Sumitomo Electric developed Z-fiber, pure silica core fiber with the world's lowest transmission loss.

Hard metal products, such as cutting tools, are essential for high-speed, high-performance, and high-precision mechanical processing.

This division also makes sintered parts that are used as structural components in automobiles and home electric appliances, ranking among the top 3 in the world.

Starting in 2013, Sumitomo Electric will expand into two more divisions, “Life Sciences” and “Resources” by making full use of the Group's wide-ranging technological capabilities.