YKK has kicked off a new four-year business planning period with a major reorganization aimed at speeding up communication and time to market and with an emphasis on digitalization, sustainability, and diversity.
Under the business policy of “Sustainable Growth under the New Normal,” YKK has created a new, enhanced R&D division called the Technology Innovation Center (TIC) that will focus on developing entirely new technologies, materials, and new business. YKK has also committed to invest 2.5 billion yen in digitalization, focusing on customer-facing initiatives such as the establishment of a Digital Business Planning Department tasked with improving customer connections and business speed using digital technology. The company will also enhance its collaboration with customers through partnerships with digital platforms.
Over the next four years, YKK will also build on the substantial advances it has already made on sustainability, investing an additional 2.5 billion yen in initiatives such as eco-friendly product development, solar power generation, and energy-saving measures.
Additionally, YKK will continue to focus on human rights and diversity, the fifth pillar of its Sustainability Vision 2050. Under the plan, the company has committed to becoming more diverse and inclusive and improving work environments throughout its supply chains, and will continue to implement the YKK Global Criteria of Compliance audit, a comprehensive standard based on the ISO26000 guidelines.
“The theme for YKK’s Sixth Mid-term Management Plan is “better products at a lower cost and greater speed, more sustainably,” said Hiroaki Otani, president, YKK Corporation. “YKK aims to be a company that continues to grow sustainably with society. At the core of YKK’s business activities is the ‘Cycle of Goodness,’ the corporate philosophy of Tadao Yoshida, the founder of YKK. This philosophy clearly expresses YKK’s spirit of continuing to prosper together with all stakeholders, and I believe this same concept applies to sustainability. Today, our most precious stakeholder is nature and the environment. We will continue to place sustainability at the center of our business and will continue to be a company for the social good.”
