Digitalization: A New Corporate Culture

The Kyocera Group is pursuing company-wide digital transformation (DX) to increase our competitiveness and respond to societal trends ranging from a declining population to changes in the way people work.

Leveraging DX into Corporate Transformation (CX) and Business Transformation (BX) by Enhancing the Corporate Culture and Workforce Expertise

The Kyocera Group is promoting digital transformation (DX) in all business segments in an effort to meet new societal needs while increasing our competitiveness in rapidly evolving markets. To maximize the value we provide our customers, we promote changes in corporate culture and employee awareness about data-centric management and organizational optimization for use as the driving force to strengthen our management base. We consider DX a necessary first step in advancing toward corporate transformation (CX) and business transformation (BX).

Moving Toward Digitalization

Relationship Between DX and Analog Transformation (AX)

As we move forward with digitalization in each department, we see areas where traditional corporate culture and habits present obstacles. The role of DX is to change the culture, overcome past practices, reduce fear of change, and unlock expertise that has become individualized. We will review our "analog" processes and use DX to create synergies that expand our business through an intersection of digital systems, corporate culture and employee knowledge.

Digitalization Timeframes

Since digitalization takes time to show results, we classify initiatives by timeframe - including those expected to bring immediate benefits, those contributing to the medium-term management plan, and those that support long-term growth (10-year horizon). Within the immediate-impact category, we are expanding deployment of cloud applications, applying AI to office processes, and expanding information-sharing over company-supplied smartphones. To support the medium-term plan, we are increasing data-driven operational efficiencies by creating a shared platform accessible to sales, manufacturing, and administrative teams. For long-term growth, we will implement measures for human resource cultivation preparing for ESG and human capital management, and the timely provision of accurate information to society, which bring the Kyocera Group closer to our goal of becoming "The Company" - the enterprise to which all others may respect.

*1　Office365 is a product developed by Microsoft Corporation; reference used by permission.

*2　Marketing Automation

*3　Sales Force Automation

Human Resource Development by Position and Function

DX supports human resource development by enabling better education and training tailored to an employee's position and function. Manufacturing employees may receive periodic training on how to calibrate sensors that provide data from the production line; how to process real-time data for peak machine efficiency; how to use data analysis and predictive AI; and how to support upstream processes for digitalization. All of this is designed to cultivate skills development on the job.
We also hold training on DX concepts for department managers, with sessions explaining the manager's roles and responsibilities for optimal DX implementation. This increases awareness of the need for DX and ensures a corporate climate that emphasizes a bottom-up approach to cultivating new talent. Post-training surveys have shown these sessions to be successful in deepening managers' understanding of DX. We will continue to provide training to deepen employee understanding of digitalization in the workplace.

*4　Data Scientist

*5　Center of Excellence

*6　Structured Query Language

Improving the In-house Environment and Utilization of Generative AI

Kyocera established a closed in-house environment for generative AI to prevent the risk of information leaks. The company also established guidelines for the use of generative AI to mitigate legal risks and address ethical issues. Kyocera focused first on use in administrative divisions, and then reviewed the work to increase efficiency. The company will have the AI process and learn from inhouse information to expand use in sales and manufacturing division operations.