Teijin Limited Scaling DX through people

Teijin Limited, founded in 1918, is a leading Japanese company in the textile industry. Guided by its purpose, “Pioneering solutions together for a healthy planet,” the company focuses on solving complex social challenges across three key sectors: Mobility, Infrastructure & Industrial, and Healthcare.

Teijin, a manufacturer and developer of high-performance materials such as aramid and carbon fibers, is conducting DX training for employees across the group as part of its company-wide digital transformation. The goal is to create an organization where all employees autonomously utilize digital technologies and data to enhance corporate value.

Teijin began focusing on DX around 2017, initially using IoT and machine learning to improve factory efficiency. As digitalization accelerated, the 2022 mid-term management plan highlighted the need to enhance employee education.

Tatsunori Saito, Senior Manager of DX Promotion Department emphasized the importance of enhancing basic IT literacy, particularly considering Japan’s growing labor shortage. He expressed concern that securing talent capable of leading factory operations will become increasingly difficult. While technologies such as AI and digital twins present promising avenues for automation, he noted that failing to act could result in a significant decline in productivity and expressed a strong sense of urgency about the situation.

Despite deploying engineers and data scientists to the factories, DX adoption did not take off as expected, largely due to their lack of on-site knowledge. Without understanding the real-world context behind the data, they struggled to identify effective solutions. To address this, Saito emphasized the need to strengthen IT skills among field-experienced employees so they could collaborate more effectively with data scientists.

Tatsunori Saito said, “True business transformation happens when on-the-ground expertise is effectively combined with data science. Our goal is to develop talent within each business unit who can serve as a driving force for digital transformation.”

Teijin began by identifying the qualities required of future leaders—those who would carry forward its 105-year legacy while driving transformation in a new era. As a foundation, the company referenced Japan’s Digital Skill Standard (DSS), which outlines DX-related roles and skills, and adapted it to reflect the unique characteristics of each business area, including materials and healthcare.

In collaboration with Fujitsu, an early DX leader, Teijin accelerated its talent development efforts by implementing the “Career Development” service—offered through Fujitsu Uvance Work Life Shift—which supports the development of talent essential for driving digital transformation.

Fujitsu has been advancing DX through its ‘Fujitra’ (Fujitsu Transformation) project since 2020, including efforts like redefining its corporate purpose and renewing core systems. Teijin chose Fujitsu’s training service for its hands-on experience, valuing lessons learned from both successes and setbacks.

Fujitsu was advancing its ‘Fujitra’ initiative at the time, and Teijin found themselves at a similar stage. “We felt they had real-world know-how and a clear understanding of the challenges involved in DX,” said Saito.

The DX talent development framework is structured as a three-tier pyramid: basic, intermediate, and advanced. The basic level is further divided into a Literacy Course for foundational IT skills, a Manager Course focused on digital decision-making, and an Advanced Course for high-performing participants.

To shape the intermediate and advanced levels of the DX talent framework, support was provided in defining the ideal talent profiles, roles, and skill development roadmaps. This effort, guided by Fujitsu’s expertise, resulted in a structure featuring four talent types and eight roles. Special focus was placed on developing “Business Architects”—individuals responsible for driving transformation through business model innovation and project
leadership. The definitions were refined through in-depth interviews with business units, ensuring they reflected Teijin’s unique operational needs.

Fujitsu brought in a diverse group of experts from both inside and outside the organization to deliver a structured curriculum covering key areas of digital knowledge. Among the most well-received sessions was a workshop on organizational transformation management, which allowed participants to simulate the full DX lifecycle—from planning and promotion to execution and operations. Another course that received strong feedback focused on the basics of writing Requests for Proposals (RFPs). Many participants appreciated the opportunity to learn how to analyze project goals and define requirements—skills that had often been neglected in the past, as tasks were frequently handed off entirely to vendors.

“The program highlighted key elements of digital transformation that are hard to gain from standard training,” said Taichiro Yanabe, Chief Consultant. Before the course, participants and their managers aligned on a shared DX vision. Afterward, many began drafting concrete DX proposals with their supervisors. The training also sparked more active communication across teams. Unlike training for a specific task, true development lies in helping individuals recognize what they lack,” said Masanori Shirai, Strategic Planning Group Leader of DX Promotion Department.

Saito emphasizes the mindset needed for DX talent development in one word: passion.

“People are drawn to passion. Driving DX requires a spirit of challenge and a willingness to embrace change. We aim to create an environment that fosters this mindset. While measuring the impact of training remains a future challenge, we look forward to continued support from Fujitsu,” he said. Teijin positions DX training as a strategic investment to drive innovation.

Fujitsu is proud to support this initiative and, through Fujitsu Uvance, remains committed to leveraging digital technology to foster individual growth, boost organizational productivity, and strengthen employee engagement.