Strengthening Data Utilization Features in DX Promotion

ITOCHU Announces Capital and Business Alliance with Expert Data Utilization Group BrainPad

November 20, 2020

ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Yoshihisa Suzuki, President & COO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it has concluded a capital and business tie-up with BrainPad Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Takafumi Kusano, CEO & Representative Director; hereinafter “BrainPad”), a leading company in data-leveraged digital transformation (hereinafter “DX”) support services, with respect to the promotion of DX.

With industrial structural change and inter-industry fusion accelerating in the digital society due to technical innovations such as AI, IoT and big data, interest in DX has been growing in a range of industries, also driven by the digitization of administrative procedures. However, DX focused on business transformation cannot be realized simply because products and services are introduced by system vendors. It is essential to understand issues correctly by gathering and analyzing a huge amount of data generated at a point of contact with customers and continue to use this data after creating new customer experience based on a market-oriented way of thinking.

ITOCHU started to create data utilization examples to expand DX while simultaneously establishing infrastructure and systems that facilitate the creation in 2018, in collaboration with BrainPad which, as a group of specialists on data utilization, has been leading the industry in Japan. Since then, the two companies have been jointly accumulating know-how that can be applied to the solution of front-line issues in a range of business areas. Currently, progress is being made in the optimization of orders issued, inventory and logistics through the utilization of supply chain-related data and the practical application of data utilization such as the enhancement of a point of direct contact with consumers at stores, etc. at each operating site of ITOCHU group.

Through this capital and business tie-up, ITOCHU will expand DX across its group companies. In addition, it will combine the business know-how of ITOCHU group companies in their respective industries and BrainPad's expertise in data analysis and utilization, with a view to encourage the adoption of DX by its clients in a range of industries besides its group companies.
ITOCHU will also collaborate with its group companies that provide DX related solutions, including ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Ichiro Tsuge, President & CEO), a company that has been demonstrating strength in the area of system development and operation, to drive the expansion of existing businesses and the creation of new businesses through the utilization of various types of data, while at the same time seeking to strengthen data utilization functions by facilitating the mutual exchange of human resources between the ITOCHU group and BrainPad.

DX-related initiatives that ITOCHU has been advancing include the acquisition of WingArc1st Inc., a company that conducts data management business, in December 2019 as an equity method company, and the establishment of a business partnership in March 2020 with AKQA Corp, a company that seeks to leverage its strengths in the digital consulting business. Through this capital and business tie-up with BrainPad, ITOCHU will strengthen its DX promotion scheme and will accelerate the creation of business opportunities through data utilization, and in doing so, will contribute to the creation of a digital society in Japan as soon as possible.

Overview of BrainPad Inc.

Company name BrainPad Inc.
Address Shirokanedai Building, 3-2-10, Shirokanedai, Minatoku-ku, Tokyo
Representative Takafumi Kusano, CEO & Representative Director
Number of employees 383 employees (on a consolidated basis and as of September 30, 2020)
Business description Provision of data utilization services aimed at improving corporate management
and digital marketing services
URL https://www.brainpad.co.jp/english/