Digital Transformation for
a Bright Future of our planet.
Message from the General Manager of Information and Communication Technology Promotion Headquarters
Keeping pace with the changing times, and continuing as a company for another century
Hitachi Zosen (Hitz) has been keeping pace with various changes while constantly staying ahead of the needs of the times, with a can-do spirit and technology that we have carried on since our establishment. Up until now our strengths have been in manufacturing and engineering; however, we believe that going forward it will be important to add digital technology to the mix and create new businesses.
So we have set digital transformation (DX) as a priority measure in our medium-term management plan Forward 25 and long-term vision 2030 Vision. Starting with our main business of Waste-to-Energy plants, we have been gradually incorporating more digital technology into our products and services. To further accelerate DX at Hitz, in December 2021 we formulated a DX strategy with the three pillars of Business DX, Corporate DX, and DX Platform.
With this DX strategy as our axis, the entire company will work together to propel forward DX, so we can keep growing and continuing as a company for another century.
Munenobu Hashizume Managing Executive Officer, General Manager of Information and Communication Technology Promotion Headquarters
Hitz DX strategy
The Hitz DX strategy consists of three pillars:
Business DX for products and services, Corporate DX for executives and employees,
and DX Platform for propelling forward these two DX pillars.
Business DX and Corporate DX are linked to
the basic policy of the company’s medium-term management plan.
As we work on these two DX pillars, we will create
new value in our existing products and services,
and aim to maximize customer value and increase our profitability.
In April 2022, Hitz was recognized by the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry as a Digital Transformation Certified Company
1. Business DX
Creating products and services from the customers’ perspective
We will use digital technology to connect with customers (including markets and society), and work on understanding the real issues customers have and then creating products and services that solve them.
2. Corporate DX
Creating a comfortable workplace environment for executives and employees
We will use digital technology to drive improvements and reforms in work and business processes, and realize a comfortable workplace environment for executives and employees, as well as raise quality and increase productivity.
3. DX Platform
In order to propel forward the Hitz DX pillars of Business DX and Corporate DX,
we will strengthen the company’s three platforms and focus on training personnel to work in DX.
Three platforms
SAP enterprise resource planning system
Work data platform for data-driven management
Integrating the Hitz Group’s enterprise resource planning system into SAP S/4HANA. By integrating the management of work data required for managing the business and making the status visible in real time, we are striving to improve decision making and work processes, as well as make optimal use of management resources.
IoT Secure Platform
EVOLIoT
A platform that collects, stores, analyzes, and uses product data
This IoT platform makes it possible to do tasks such as understanding the operating status of our products and detecting signs of malfunctions.
As this is an in-house developed platform, we are able to expand it in various ways and provide customers with safe and secure IoT services.
Hitz Advanced Information Technology Center A.I/TEC
Base for remote monitoring and utilizing ICT
A.I./TEC is a base for utilizing ICT such as IoT and AI. It provides operational support services and 24-hour remote monitoring of the company’s products, and develops various products and services using IoT and AI.
DX personnel training
Business reform personnel
These personnel are knowledgeable in Hitz operations, and have a reform-oriented mindset for incorporating digital elements into products.
Digital personnel
These personnel understand Hitz products and work flow, and follow the DX strategy to solve digital issues.
Definition of DX personnel
Propelling forward DX requires skills in both the digital (D) and business reform (X) areas.
We define DX personnel to be “business reform personnel” that add digital elements to our products and services and bring about reforms, and “digital personnel” that understand our products and work flow, and solve digital issues.
DX personnel in our business divisions and digital divisions will form a tag team to propel forward DX in Hitz.
Training and education measures
We are enhancing our training and education measures for the DX personnel that will carry the company into the future.
Hitz AI lab
The Hitz AI Lab is open to all executives and employees. It is where we train our digital personnel through a range of courses on AI, including hands on learning of neural network programming and basic courses on AI.
DX leader training
The DX leader training program is mainly for leaders of business divisions. It is how we train business reform personnel that can create the What (the X of DX), through programs for creating new business ideas using design thinking.
We are planning to offer training programs for various levels of employees, from management to younger workers. Our aim is to train 500 DX personnel by FY 2025.
DX Initiatives
We are moving forward with the DX of various products and introducing case studies of initiatives that are progressing towards commercialization.
Munenobu Hashizume
Managing Executive Officer General Manager of Information and Communication Technology Promotion Headquarters
Joined the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) in 1988. That same year he was transferred to NTT Data—a spin-off company of NTT—and put in charge of the development of debuggers for large mainframe computers and system development for corporations. He was then appointed to General Manager of the Telecom Business Division, and then to President of NTT Data Teranos Corporation, and later to Executive Manager of the Public Technology Division at NTT Data.
He joined Hitachi Zosen (Hitz) in 2018. In 2019 he was appointed to General Manager of Information and Communication Technology Promotion Headquarters, where he proposed the policy of “from passive IT to active IT.” He has been involved in formulating the company’s DX strategy, implementing measures for DX personnel training, launching operations of the company’s in-house developed IoT Secure Platform, setting up a telework system during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other initiatives for powerfully driving forward the digital technologies and capabilities of Hitz.