Overview of KITZ Corporation

KITZ holds the top market share in Japan for valve manufacturing and sales, and ranks within the top 10 globally. Founded 72 years ago, the company has 5,352 consolidated employees. With sales of 159.9 billion yen in fiscal year 2022, it is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market.
Leveraging its strength in fluid control for liquids and gases, KITZ boasts a high market share in various piping valves used in residential homes, condominiums, buildings, factories, and oil refining plants.
For more details, please visit: https://www.kitz.co.jp/who/

Background of Implementing uSonar at KITZ: Accelerating Expansion into Growth Markets via Medium-Term Management Plan

In its current medium-term management plan, KITZ has established a policy to accelerate the expansion of growth markets, such as the digital market (data centers and semiconductor manufacturing equipment) and the green market (next-generation energy like hydrogen and fine chemicals), while continuing to serve its core markets, including general construction and industrial plants.

Determining uSonar Implementation Essential for DX Promotion

To advance into these growth markets swiftly and reliably, the IT Control Center (Information Systems Department) is promoting digital transformation (DX) to evolve the group's overall information infrastructure. In particular, to address the need for information gathering in growth markets, the company identified that research on both corporate customer demand (for sales) and parts manufacturing outsourcing partners (for procurement) was essential, leading to the implementation of uSonar products (see figure below).

Usage Scenarios and Benefits of Implementation at KITZ

In terms of sales, we previously researched and collected corporate information for new business development through word-of-mouth referrals, internet searches, and visits to libraries. Since we began using the combination of Salesforce and uSonar, we have been able to instantly create target company lists, significantly reducing the man-hours required for new business research and improving efficiency.
Furthermore, in terms of procurement, since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an increase in incidents such as the sudden bankruptcy of parts manufacturing partners and delivery delays. Previously, we relied on internet searches and word-of-mouth evaluations to find alternative parts manufacturing partners or those suited to new markets. By using uSonar, we have been able to significantly reduce the time spent on research and have expanded the comprehensiveness of our candidate list.

Comments from Takashi Ishijima, Executive Officer and General Manager of the IT Control Center, KITZ Corporation

In our current medium-term management plan, we have set goals for expanding our growth markets alongside our traditional core markets. We are building a track record of expanding demand in the digital and green markets, including air conditioning equipment for data centers, valves used in semiconductor manufacturing equipment, filtration systems for ultra-pure water used in computer processing, and equipment for hydrogen stations, which are considered next-generation energy sources. To realize the expansion of these growth markets, we need to develop marketing strategies that more broadly identify and approach customers with demand in each market. However, the challenge has been that corporate information is not only difficult to collect but also constantly changes and becomes outdated. Since introducing uSonar, we have felt the effects of DX promotion so dramatically that our staff have remarked, 'What were we doing all this time?' We have high expectations for uSonar, which provides comprehensive, up-to-date corporate information and allows us to efficiently narrow down our target prospects.

uSonar for Salesforce Adoption in the Manufacturing Industry

In the manufacturing industry, companies advancing DX are aiming to improve their new business development capabilities and order win rates by thoroughly accumulating and analyzing customer information, such as sales negotiation data, through the introduction of SFA/CRM systems like Salesforce. On the other hand, a new task accompanying the introduction of Salesforce is the need for information accumulation and updates, which increases the input workload for the sales team.
In short, there is a requirement to 'automate and streamline information accumulation and updates as much as possible to reduce the operational burden on the front lines.' This is where the customer data integration solution 'uSonar' proves effective.
Learn more here: URL https://usonar.co.jp/service/usonar/

Public Relations, uSonar Co., Ltd.:
03-5388-5300 ir@usonar.co.jp