Digital Strategy
Our Group aims to establish a management foundation that enables us to compete successfully on a global scale by implementing a digital strategy centered on “Accelerating the Use of AI and Contributing to the Expansion of Our Resource Circulation Business.” To further strengthen this management foundation, we have updated MMDX (Mitsubishi Materials Digital Business Transformation) to MMDX 2.1.
Under MMDX 2.1, we will pursue DX initiatives in the area of “Circulating resources for a sustainable future,” with four key pillars: Business Related DX, Manufacturing Related DX, R&D DX, and Company-Wide DX, built on the foundation of renewing key operations and system modernization. Across all DX initiatives, we will also work to expand AI utilization, develop and utilize data, accelerate in-house development capabilities, and enhance security measures.
- Mitsubishi Materials Digital Business Transformation
- Enterprise Resource Planning
Under MMDX, we have set the period from the fiscal year ended March 2024 to the fiscal year ended March 2026 as the “DX full-scale operation phase,” and promoted utilization of the data infrastructure while accelerating MMDX Group-wide. We have positioned the period from the fiscal year ending March 2027 to the fiscal year ending March 2029 as the “expanding effectiveness and development phase,” during which we will expand MMDX initiatives into various areas to maximize and further develop their effects.
Specifically, to contribute to accelerating the resource circulation business, we plan to expand the E-Scrap business platform, MEX, to the tungsten business. In the modernization of our core systems, we will continue to renew all systems currently running on core servers. With regard to the deployment and promotion of AI, we have positioned this fiscal year as the “first year of AI” and will expand our activities, organizational capabilities and investments to promote the use of AI across all areas.
Mitsubishi Materials selected as one of the "Noteworthy DX Companies 2026" in "DX Stocks 2026" for the fourth consecutive year
In April 2026, we have been selected for the fourth year in a row, as one of the “Noteworthy Digital Transformation (DX) Companies 2026” following last year in a program run by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), and the Innovation Platform Agency, Japan (IPA).
The selection as one of the “Noteworthy DX Companies 2026” is in recognition of MMC’s DX achievements, and efforts to foster a corporate culture.
We established “For people, society and the earth, circulating resources for a sustainable future” as “Our Commitment.” We will continue to implement management reforms through “MMDX 2.1” and work on a variety of initiatives to fulfill Our Commitment.
We have established a virtual, company-wide DX Promotion Office, a hybrid structure consisting of business divisions, digital divisions, and external support resources (advisors, partners, startups, etc.). Within this DX Promotion Office, theme owners lead initiatives in the four areas of Business DX, Manufacturing DX, R&D DX, and Group-wide DX. The corporate division responsible for formulating digital strategies and promoting related measures, together with Mitsubishi Materials IT Solutions Co., Ltd., which handles system development and maintenance, supports the steady execution of these initiatives.
The following people and their roles have been assigned to the DX Promotion Office:
- Miki Adachi: General Manager, Managing Executive Officer/CTO (Chief Technology Officer)
- Mission and Role:
To enhance the skills, capabilities, and expertise of our employees in order to strengthen problem-solving capacity. To create a workplace where employees can improve independently, voluntarily, and continuously, and to reinforce the framework that supports this.
To advance our core technologies and expand the application of practical technologies.
- Mission and Role:
- Nobuhisa Hayama: Deputy General Manager, CDIO (Chief Digital Information Officer)
- Mission and Role:
To strengthen the management foundation through the execution of the digital strategy. To accelerate DX initiatives and generate greater business value. To establish and make effective use of data infrastructure. To break away from legacy systems through the introduction of ERP and other measures, and to promote IT modernization. To develop advanced digital talent. To foster a digital mindset across the entire Group.
- Mission and Role:
- Norihiro Itano: Deputy General Manager, President and Representative Director, Mitsubishi Materials IT Solutions Co., Ltd.
- Mission and Role:
To execute the planning, development, operation, and maintenance of Group-wide IT systems required for the digital strategy. To establish appropriate information security in Japan and expand it overseas. To promote productivity and efficiency across the Group through the proactive adoption of new technologies.
- Mission and Role:
We developed MEX, an E-Scrap (mainly raw materials for recycling such as discarded circuit boards) business platform for transactions with recyclers around the world, and launched the service in December 2021. By enhancing the transparency of information related to E-Scrap transactions, MEX helps improve supplier satisfaction and strengthens our competitiveness as a preferred destination for E-Scrap. In addition, we developed “SUIREN,” an AI system for estimating metal content*, and are using it to improve estimation accuracy, thereby enhancing on-site operations that support the resource circulation business.
Looking ahead, we plan to expand the scope of MEX beyond E-Scrap to include the tungsten business. We will also actively utilize AI and digital technologies in furnace operations for secondary copper smelting using recycled raw materials in Europe, while advancing technological development in areas such as feed control and automated operation monitoring.
- The amount of valuable metals contained in E-Scrap.
Our Group is advancing Group-wide system modernization to strengthen the management foundation that supports our digital strategy. Aged and complex systems can lead to dependence on individual expertise in maintenance and operations, as well as delays in the adoption of new technologies. These factors may reduce adaptability to changes in the business environment.
To address these challenges, we are moving away from systems that rely on legacy technologies and transitioning to an open, highly scalable system platform, thereby improving system stability and adaptability to change. We are also developing a new system architecture that includes data infrastructure for the collection, storage, and analysis of business data, as well as security measures to ensure the safe use of data. Through these initiatives, we are creating an environment in which the data required for each business process can be used quickly and securely, while building a digital foundation that supports the future utilization of data and AI.
Our Group regards AI as a key technological foundation supporting the “expansion and enhancement of the resource circulation business,” and will actively use AI across a wide range of business areas.
To ensure the effective use of AI, it is essential to develop data into a form that AI can readily use. Our Group is developing an AI-ready data environment covering IT data accumulated in business systems, OT data such as factory operating information, and office automation data generated in day-to-day operations. At the same time, we are also developing rules to ensure the safe and appropriate use of AI.
As the evolution of digital technologies accelerates, human resources with expertise in the digital domain who can drive innovation are essential for maintaining and enhancing corporate competitiveness. This is why we are working to secure human resources to promote DX as a matter of the utmost importance.
We currently offer “Common Digital Literacy Education” and “AI Literacy Education” to enable our employees to adapt smoothly to the digital environment, covering everything from the basics of digital technology including AI to its applications. This education is provided across the Group, both in Japan and overseas. We also offer Advanced Digital Education to train personnel with more specialized skills.
Moving forward, we will provide training programs tailored to the needs of each department and establish systems so that each site can independently promote DX, ensuring sustainable growth and strengthening our competitiveness.