KANADEN Digital Transformation
We engage in our KANADEN DX initiatives as part of the “ES-C2025” medium-term management plan, with such initiatives encompassing two phases. The first phase is “reform-oriented DX,” which entails optimizing and furthermore advancing reforms with respect to our existing businesses in alignment with changing business dynamics. The second phase is “proactive action-oriented DX,” which entails shifting our management resources created through such reforms to growth fields. The “reform-oriented DX” phase entails updating integrated core systems with completion slated for FY2024. The “proactive action-oriented DX” phase entails establishing a consortium, new business models, and new business domains. In turning to our KANADEN DX initiative, we seek to further boost our competitiveness by more extensively developing our on-site capabilities in a manner linked to our individual-specific strengths and organizational strengths.
KANADEN DX roadmap
Reform-oriented DX
Reform of sales management
We have adopted a KPI-based management approach with our sights set on achieving sales management reform. We seek to strengthen our competitiveness by using our already adopted Salesforce platform, analyzing sales data, and enlisting AI technology.
Reform of sales organizations and enhancement of the quality of sales activities
Through the establishment of the Inside Sales Division, which utilizes digital marketing, we seek to diversify our customer contact points and improve our ability to provide information and our proposal capabilities.
Improvement of productivity and enhancement of asset utilization
Our efforts will involve going digital with our sales operations using the Salesforce platform, expanding business hours, and increasing productivity across the entire Company by streamlining clerical work through adoption of SAP solutions. We will furthermore build an environment conducive to swift situational assessment and decision making by linking Salesforce and SAP.
Proactive action-oriented DX
Consortium formation
We aim to form a “KANADEN Consortium” that ensures connections among our customers, partner companies, and the Company, underpinned by the trust and track records amassed by the Company over many years. We will build an “ecosystem” digital infrastructure for supporting the consortium, to serve as a next generation platform where buyers and sellers come together and execute transactions.
Establishing new business models
We will shift the management resources we create by increasing productivity to new businesses and new services. We will also collect customer information as well as details on market trends and ideas in seeking to enter new fields of business that are not constrained by our existing businesses.
Introduction of sales support system
Previously the sales representatives in each division responded individually to customers, which tended to result in proposals with limited and passive content. In addition, due to inadequate sharing within the Company of the status of transactions, it took time to propose optimal solutions that leveraged the collective strength of the Company, which led to opportunity losses. Utilizing the sales support system we introduced in 2021, we will improve sales quality through more appropriate management, and create strategic and speedy solutions by sharing information with the Company.
- Point1 Creating optimal proposals for customers through the sharing of sales information
- We will use the system to share sales information with all employees, bringing together knowledge and ideas, enabling us to generate proposals with content optimized for customers, and create new businesses.
- Point2 Strengthening sales activity management to further improve sales quality
- Based on data derived from the customer information and business meeting process shared in the SFA system, we will take steps to promote better communication between sales representatives and managers, facilitating prompt and appropriate management.
- Point3 Creating a broad range of contact opportunities with customers through the use of digital marketing
- We will utilize the introduction of digital marketing to leverage non-face-to-face promotions, and increase the number of contact points with customers.
By then sharing this information with all employees, we will link it to the creation of proposals for customers.
- Point4 Creating new solutions
- We will create new solutions by accumulating customer needs and our partner companies’ technical information (seeds) and matching them.
Strengthening the inside sales promotion system
Under KANADEN DX, we commenced inside sales in 2021 in order to optimize our current business style in response to changes in the business environment. To further instill this initiative, we have strengthened our promotion structure by assigning new sales staff who handle both field sales and inside sales. By assigning staff with dual roles, potential customers acquired through inside sales can be effectively transferred to field sales, leading to an improved rate of receiving orders. In addition, the number of potential customers is also steadily increasing through our efforts to increase the number of products and companies listed on the product site, as well as improving the online content, email newsletters, etc.
Subsidy support service
The subsidy support service is an initiative launched in March 2024 to further strengthen inside sales, and provides support
by introducing subsidies to customers who are considering capital investment and supporting their implementation.
Our subsidy help desk and subsidy search system have mechanisms in place to provide complex subsidy information to
customers effectively, thereby creating a support system that is easy to consult. Additionally, the products listed on our
product website are linked to subsidy information, which leads to potential customer acquisition and increased order rates.
Going forward, we will continue to strengthen our inside sales approach, including the subsidy support service, in order to
improve our order rate.
