JBS Conducts Survey on “The Current State and Challenges of Digital Transformation in Medium-Sized Companies”

Japan Business Systems, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato Ward, Tokyo; President: Yukihiro Makita; hereinafter, “JBS” securities code: 5036) conducted a survey on “The Current State and Challenges of Digital Transformation (DX) in Medium-Sized Enterprises” to clarify the current state and challenges of the IT and business strategies that support corporate growth, targeting medium-sized companies that have a wide-ranging impact on the domestic economy.

Starting in 2024, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry launched various policies to support the growth of medium-sized companies* that are between large and small companies in size. Among these medium-sized companies were some with the potential to become large companies through future growth, and they are important entities that have a wide-ranging impact on the domestic economy.

This survey was commissioned and conducted by ITR Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “ITR”). Responses were received from 647 people in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, services, wholesale, retail, and the public sector. The survey revealed that medium-sized companies have a high level of interest in DX, a desire to utilize data and introduce cutting-edge technologies such as AI, and a certain amount of budget to make it a reality. However, the biggest obstacle to promoting DX was cited as a “shortage of human resources,” with the top two responses being a shortage of human resources to lead the transformation. This shortage of human resources is a major barrier to companies promoting DX strategies. Furthermore, the survey also highlighted a “lack of reliable external partners” as a major issue. These results are a reminder of the importance for companies not just of technological innovation, but also partnerships that go beyond the company, changing the mindset of the entire organization, and developing human resources when embarking on DX.

*Medium-sized companies: companies with 100-2,000 employees and sales of 10-30 billion yen, as defined by the proposed amendment to the Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Act.

For details, please see the following.

The Current State and Challenges of Digital Transformation in Medium-Sized Enterprises (Japanese)

• Survey name: Survey on Attitudes Towards Medium-Sized Companies
• Survey period: Wednesday, September 25, 2024, to Wednesday, October 30, 2024
• Survey method: online survey targeting ITR’s unique panel
• Survey subjects: individuals who meet the following two conditions
  1) Works at a company with 100 to 2,000 employees or annual sales of 10 to 30 billion yen
  2) Employees at the department manager level or above who are involved in formulating either their company’s business strategy or IT strategy
• Number of respondents: 647