FUJIFILM Holdings and TradeWaltz Inc. Commence Trials of the Trading-related Information-sharing Platform “TradeWaltz®” – Promoting Digital Transformation of Trade Operations –

March 30, 2021
FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation
TradeWaltz Inc.

　FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno) and TradeWaltz Inc. (President: Hirohisa Kojima) are pleased to announce that they will start a trial of the trading-related information-sharing platform “TradeWaltz®”(*1) on April 1, 2021.

　The trial is intended to enable FUJIFILM Holdings to introduce TradeWaltz Inc.’s trading-related information-sharing platform “TradeWaltz®”, which enables unified management of trade operations through electronic data, on a trial basis and to verify its effectiveness. This is the first time that TradeWaltz® will be used in the manufacturing industry.

　In trade operations, not only manufacturing companies but also people from a wide range of industries, such as logistics companies, insurance companies, banks, and customs, are involved in carrying out the necessary procedures for import and export. Many highly confidential documents, such as bills of lading(*2) and letters of credit(*3), are used in trade operations. The necessary documents are prepared on paper and sent by mail, which takes a great deal of time. In addition, since each industry uses a different system, it is necessary to post the documents to the company’s own system, resulting in a heavy workload.

　TradeWaltz® is a trading-related information-sharing platform that enables the unified management of documents related to trade operations through electronic data, with high security achieved through the use of blockchain (*4) which has a data structure that makes it difficult to falsify information. TradeWaltz® enables the sharing of various documents among industry participants on the same platform, and each participant can edit the documents by entering necessary information. In addition, since the progress can be checked in real time, the necessary procedures for trade operations can be carried out smoothly. In the demonstration tests conducted so far, the time required for trade operations has been reduced 40% to 60% compared to a conventional system, and a significant improvement in operational efficiency has been achieved.

　FUJIFILM Holdings will start using TradeWaltz® to promote digital transformation (DX) of its trading operations in its global production and sales system with many bases around the world. TradeWaltz® has been introduced on a trial basis to FUJIFILM Logistics Corporation, a logistics subsidiary of FUJIFILM Holdings. We will verify the effectiveness of TradeWaltz® in the trading operations of Fujifilm and Fuji Xerox products. Based on the results of this trial, we will consider the full implementation of TradeWaltz® in the future.

　In addition, MOL Logistics Co., Ltd. and Maruzen Showa Unyu Co., Ltd., logistic partners of the Fujifilm Group, will also participate in the trial.

Diagram of TradeWaltz®

FUJIFILM Corporation and Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. under FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation will participate in TradeWaltz as both an exporter and importer.

FUJIFILM Holdings will promote digital transformation using ICT technology in a wide range of fields, not only to improve operational efficiency but also to create innovative products and services. TradeWaltz Inc. will further expand the number of users of TradeWaltz®, which has grown to seven companies (*5) through this trial, and contribute to improving the efficiency of trading operations.

Announcement: From April 1, 2021, Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. will change its name to FUJIFILM Business Innovation Co.

* The contents of this article are current as of the time of publication. Please note that the information may differ from the latest information (e.g., termination of production or sales, changes in specifications or prices, changes in organization or contact information, etc.).