DX Strategy

• At Sojitz, each of our employees makes full use of digital technologies as a means of providing business solutions to today’s social issues. Through co-creation and collaboration with diverse partners, Sojitz will realize its vision for 2030 to become a “general trading company that constantly cultivates new businesses and human capital.”

  Tomomi Arakawa
  CDO, CIO
  COO, Digital Department

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Sojitz has worked to pave the way for company-wide digital transformation (DX) initiatives under Medium-term Management Plan 2023, and the company has expanded employees’ mindset and cultivated DX experts in this initial development stage to successfully introduce the first DX projects with the potential to become model cases. In the new Medium-term Management Plan 2026, we will embrace digital technologies in all of our businesses in accordance with our “Digital in All” approach as we strive to raise corporate value and competitiveness for existing business and pursue value creation through the development of new business.

Sojitz implements DX suited to the diverse business foundations of each division, and DX initiatives are promoted through the united efforts of Sojitz employees and management. Sojitz’s president serves as the chair of the DX Promotion Committee, which regularly holds meetings to share overall progress on DX initiatives and hold cross-organizational discussions to expedite decision-making. Sojitz is working to strengthen the digital literacy at all levels within the organization from employees and middle managers to senior management as well as create a regular space for DX discussions to ensure employees understand that the integration of the company’s management strategy and digital strategy. In addition, the COO of the Digital Department who also serves as the CDO and CIO, and the digital functions necessary to promote the three pillars of Sojitz’s digital strategy (1. Earning with digital technologies, 2. Improvement of value with digital technologies, and 3. Development of digital infrastructure) have been consolidated under the CDO and CIO role. In order to leverage these digital functions to find solutions to address diverse business issues, the CDO and CIO meets regularly with business division COOs to discuss each business division’s DX initiatives and to work towards joint realization of DX solutions.

Sojitz’s in-house DX training curriculum was introduced through a systematic rollout beginning in 2021 and includes five levels (Entry, Basic, Experienced, Expert, and Thought Leader) and two skill fields (Data Analysis and Business Design). The DX curriculum continues to be reviewed and updated to keep up with the rapid evolution of digital technologies.

Under Medium-term Management Plan 2023, all employees successfully completed the Entry level training, all career-track employees completed the Basic level training, and 300 employees completed Experienced level training. In Medium-term Management Plan 2026, we aim to have 50% of career-track employees (approximately 1000 employees) complete the Experienced level training and for 10% of this group (approximately 200 employees) to achieve Expert level. The DX training program is open to all employees regardless of age or job group, and a wide range of employees from assistant-track employees to general managers and other management-level employees have completed the Experienced level training to date.

Sojitz employees who have completed the Experienced level training have joined the digital development teams within their organizations and have been assigned to digital projects for practical implementation in their respective fields. Employees who have reached the Expert level have taken on leadership roles in their organizations and on digital projects to promote value creation on the front lines of business.

Sojitz positions AI as a core technology, and the company is focused on creating DX businesses that leverage AI technology. On March 21, 2024, Sojitz concluded a business alliance with SAKURA internet, a company with one of Japan’s largest GPU cloud services. (GPU computing resources are necessary for AI development.) Sojitz will continue to accelerate co-creation and collaboration on AI and DX businesses based on SAKURA internet’s GPU services while leveraging the technological capabilities of Sojitz Tech-Innovation (a fully owned Sojitz subsidiary) and other AI startups in order to provide business solutions that meet the demands of Sojitz’s diverse business industries as a general trading company.