FY2026 has started. Like past years, many new colleagues have joined the Mitsubishi Electric Group this year, including new graduate employees. We talked to Mitsubishi Electric President & CEO Uruma about the direction of Group management going forward, his expectations of everyone, and other topics.
1. In the past few years, you have carried out a series of business spin-offs and reorganizations, including the establishment of a new company, Mitsubishi Electric Digital Innovation Corporation, in April of this year.
We continuously review functions, division of roles, and such for the Group as a whole to pursue the optimal operation structure. The establishment of Mitsubishi Electric Digital Innovation is part of this process. It will integrate Mitsubishi Electric’s IT Solution Business & Business Process Reengineering Group with three Group companies under its umbrella. The aim is to consolidate DX and IT resources and accelerate the Group’s transformation into a “Circular Digital-Engineering” company.
Also, in recent years, we have also been advancing organizational restructuring within the group, including the establishment of Mitsubishi Electric Building Solutions and Mitsubishi Electric Mobility, as well as various business divisions. Although the objectives differ for each case, they were all a result of searching for the optimal operation structure from the perspective of strengthening each business.
I hope each of you seriously think about how to strengthen your own businesses without being fixated on past methods or existing organizations and apply your capabilities. A key point for doing so is the use of the Serendie® digital platform developed last year.
The entire world is changing at an ever-faster pace. Amid such circumstances, the Group must break out from being an operative company that emphasizes the operation of existing businesses to become an innovative company that creates added value from new ideas. The use of data via Serendie is indispensable for this. Serendie is a platform for everyone. Lets seriously think about using data to enhance services and create new businesses.
“Things are fine as they are because profits are increasing through existing businesses.” “We do not want to fail from trying new things.” An operative company does not try to take risks. To strengthen businesses in this volatile age, we need to transform into an innovative company that provides new services and businesses using new ideas while taking risks as an agile organization instead of building on the past.
In addition, we must have a flexible and creative organization to nurture new ideas into business opportunities. Over the past three years, we have been advancing organizational culture reforms, but we must not become complacent simply because “the workplace environment has improved” or “the company-wide transformation project has reached a milestone.” We should continue transformation activities in each workplace, aiming for a better organization by forgiving failures and solving issues together.
2. This year, many new graduate employees joined the Mitsubishi Electric Group. Can you tell us about the time when you joined the company together with your message for our new employees?
When I joined Mitsubishi Electric in 1982, I was assigned to the marketing division of Nagoya Works. On-site practical training before my actual assignment included training at the manufacturing line of industrial sewing machines which were being made at Nagoya Works back then. My work clothes were black due to chips from cast objects, and this truly tedious work left a deep impression on me. This experience led me to recognize the importance of our front lines.
I believe each of you new employees has joined our group with your own aspirations and career visions. In this new environment, cherish those aspirations and visions, and do not fear challenges. Build up experience, develop your skills, and maximize your potential. The Mitsubishi Electric Group encompasses a truly wide range of business areas and is a place where diverse technologies and people with rich experience gather. There are many worlds you have yet to discover. I encourage you to explore various organizations and interact with people outside the company to broaden your career horizons.