Background of Implementation: Addressing the Need to Eliminate Manual Labor in Client Management Operations

Generally, when initiating new B2B transactions, it is essential to register information regarding the business partner into an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, such as SAP. For Sumitomo Corporation and companies utilizing the Sumitomo Corporation Group standard ERP system, streamlining the process of submitting registration requests to these ERP (business partner databases) had become a significant challenge.

For example, when a new business partner registration request was submitted, it was necessary to perform tasks such as checking for past transaction history within the internal database and manually verifying detailed information about the applicant company via external websites in accordance with established procedures.

The IT Planning & Promotion Department of Sumitomo Corporation introduced the corporate database from uSonar with the goal of eliminating these manual efforts, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing data entry accuracy. The new system has now been successfully launched.

Data Integration Overview

The corporate database from uSonar is one of Japan's largest, covering 12.5 million business locations nationwide using our proprietary LBC code. By linking LBC to Sumitomo Corporation's business partner database, the process for business partner registration requests has become significantly faster. Moving forward, operational efficiency is expected to improve across Sumitomo Corporation and the 26 companies utilizing the Sumitomo Corporation Group standard ERP.

1. LBC is one of Japan's largest corporate databases built by uSonar, covering nearly all 12.5 million business locations nationwide.
2. An 11-digit LBC management code is assigned to every business location, with constant maintenance to reflect status changes such as new establishments or bankruptcies.
3. LBC allows for the identification of not only corporate attributes such as corporate numbers, industry types, and revenue scale, but also capital affiliations and headquarters-branch relationships through its coding system.
4. Through API integration with ERP systems, LBC corporate attributes are automatically assigned when business partner applications are submitted by group companies.

We are grateful to uSonar for providing consistent and comprehensive support from the initial stages of implementation consideration through to the system release. Regarding the LBC service we have implemented, we intend to leverage its full potential by starting with the streamlining of business partner information application processes and subsequently exploring its provision and utilization across various business sites within our group.

The department is responsible for strategic planning and execution in the corporate IT field for Sumitomo Corporation and the Sumitomo Corporation Group, as well as the operation of the group's overall IT infrastructure. As part of the DX Center organization, we are accelerating the digital transformation of the Sumitomo Corporation Group.