The IT industry will be reborn as a new industry that draws out the possibilities of digital-President Hiraoka of Nihon Unisys
"The IT industry is about to be reborn as a new industry." Akiyoshi Hiraoka, President of Nihon Unisys, has been pushing forward with the structural transformation from a one-month business to a service-oriented business. Let's take a look at the path to change, "For the past ten years, we have overcome difficult times without increasing the number of employees, and have become able to produce good results."
The basic direction is to provide and create social value. To that end, in the medium-term management plan that started in fiscal 2018, we set four focus areas, such as "smart towns that aim to create better communities" and "neobanks that support the creation of new financial services."
They started with the hypothesis that "probably there will be a social problem there and a market will be born", but as expected, new markets such as energy management and digital payments centered on digital marketing are beginning to emerge. . There are growing expectations for smart towns, as well as the issue of elderly people, vacant homes, and the creation of towns on a district-by-area basis, such as shopping refugees.
Mr. Akiyoshi Hiraoka, President and CEO of Nihon Unisys (Photo courtesy of Nihon Unisys)The electric vehicle (EV) charging stand business that started in 2009 was probably the pioneer. Charging and settlement systems for charging services have spread to car sharing and MaaS (mobility services), and in combination with energy management systems, etc., we can see how they will contribute to the realization of a clean, low-carbon society. The question is, can you persevere and continue your business until it becomes profitable? By the way, it took 10 years to monetize the charging station.
The other is the issuance of a "non-fossil certificate". Using blockchain to prove “definitely non-fossil-derived energy” and providing economic value to companies working towards zero carbon emissions. We match businesses that want to use clean energy with electricity retailers that provide clean energy, and provide a virtual plant system that combines existing energy and clean energy into a single power plant that stably supplies clean energy. There are also companies that operate clean energy exchanges.
Environmental protection legislation will accelerate such movements. For example, in March 2021, the Cabinet will approve the bill to promote recycling of plastic resources, and the social responsibility of companies and consumers that handle plastic straws and spoons will be increasingly questioned. Therefore, we will use the power of digital to visualize it and encourage companies and consumers to change their behavior toward the disposal of plastic straws and spoons. We will match companies and consumers working to reduce plastic straws with companies that provide products and services that help them.
Businesses that make full use of such digital technology are starting to emerge around the world, but no one will call them IT companies. “It will become a new industry that will bring out the digital potential of purchasing energy, adding value to it and selling it to power retailers and others,” says Hiraoka. It seems to be one of the paths that IT companies are aiming for.
The computer industry, the system industry, and the IT industry have changed their names, and now companies that develop gadget-based services using digital technology, companies that provide cloud services using the Internet, and value-added businesses on cloud services There are companies that develop Traditional IT companies that use IT tools to streamline and streamline their business processes will also have a chance to promote their own digital transformation (DX) and be reborn as a company that solves social issues and creates social value. is. Only IT companies with experience and know-how in working with business systems in all industries know both systemization and business knowledge.
The culture of these companies will be different from traditional IT companies. For example, IT companies that make a living in system construction can be said to have a culture that does not tolerate review, that is, failure. Of course, reviews are necessary to realize the high-quality systems demanded by society, but they make it difficult to innovate.
For this reason, Nihon Unisys calls the sales department the business innovation department. Let engineers play a role in innovation as well as sales. There are companies that set up "Dejima" to challenge new business, but Mr. Hiraoka said, "The company cannot change with this," and "Giving each person multiple roles will change their values, create diversity, and create diversity. I will become a person who can do more interesting things.” As a result, about 70% of employees act with an awareness of innovation. It seems that the bystanders who watch the work of employees who challenge new businesses are gone.
Nihon Unisys, which has gone through the first stage of stabilizing business performance and the second stage of transformation, is now entering the finishing stage of becoming a digital company. We will be paying close attention to what President Hiraoka will include in the next medium-term plan, which will start in fiscal 2021.
