Developing DX Experts

Digital technologies are indispensable for tying the needs of customers and society to the creation of value. For this reason, Sojitz has positioned digital technologies as a lingua franca in which all employees should be proficient. Digital transformations (DX) are a highly viable tool for evolving business activities and boosting competitiveness. Accordingly, we will be utilizing DX to further our evolution in terms of business models and processes and human resources in order to fuel value creation. At the same time, we are working to recruit related human resources, accumulate data, and install infrastructure to transform our organizations and human capital bases. Through this approach, we are developing an increasingly clear vision of the measures that will need to be implemented on a company-wide basis as we move forward with individual projects.

Sojitz views digital transformation (DX) as a critical foundation for all businesses and related business processes, and the company sees adapting business models to the changes brought about by the digital revolution and new technologies as essential. In October 2021, Sojitz newly established a Chief Digital Office (CDO) as a specialized organization to support DX implementation across Sojitz’s businesses.

Sojitz refers to human resources capable of utilizing internal and external data and digital technologies to transform business models and processes as “DX experts,” and the company is dedicating efforts to cultivating employees with digital fluency.

General trading companies engage in a diverse range of businesses capitalizing on vast base networks that spread across the globe, which can make it unrealistic to advance digital transformation based on a single uniform approach considering the rapid evolution of digital technologies. It therefore is crucial for a large number of employees to exercise the skills and perspectives necessary for utilizing data and digital technologies in their everyday work. With this objective in mind, we have formulated systematic programs for developing such DX experts.

The DX development program is comprised of five levels: entry (all employees), basic (all career-track employees), experienced (300 employees), expert (40 employees), and thought leader (small number of employees). The experienced, expert, and thought leader levels are considered practical application levels. We have also defined two fields for additional practical application-level programs: data analysis, which entails employing data analyses when making business decisions and automating decision-making processes, and business design, which involves executing the ideas and developing the prototypes needed to create new businesses. Through these programs, Sojitz seeks to heighten the specialized skills of its workforce.

Our operating environment is in constant flux, and digital technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace. The required skills Sojitz will therefore continue to advance individual digital transformation projects while introducing flexible and proactive key performance indicators related to human capital development, which will be revised as necessary.