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. During this initial digital development period, the company has fostered employees’ understanding of digitalization, cultivated DX experts through the DX Expert Training Program, and successfully developed the first DX projects with the potential to become model cases for future DX initiatives. 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 the value and competitiveness of existing business while simultaneously pursuing value creation through new business development.

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 cross-organizational discussions to expedite decision-making. Sojitz is working to strengthen digital literacy at all levels within the organization, from general employees and middle managers to senior management, as well as creating regular opportunities to discuss DX and ensure that employees understand the interlinkage of the company’s management and digital strategies. In addition, the COO of the Digital Department oversees all digital functions necessary for advancing Sojitz’s digital strategy with management centralized under the COO’s concurrent role as CDO and CIO. Sojitz is accelerating DX through the three pillars of its digital strategy: 1) Earning with digital technologies, 2) Improvement of value with digital technologies, and 3) Development of digital infrastructure. In order to leverage these digital functions to find solutions to address diverse business issues, the CDO/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 Expert Training Program 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 program’s 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 Expert Training Program is open to all employees regardless of age or job track, 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 been assigned to digital projects in their respective fields for practical implementation of their digital training. 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. On March 21, 2024, Sojitz concluded a business alliance with SAKURA internet. The company provides one of Japan’s largest GPU cloud services, which are necessary for the development of AI. Sojitz will accelerate co-creation and collaboration on AI and DX businesses by utilizing SAKURA internet’s GPU services and leverage 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.