Gathering and Analyzing Information as the Foundation of Management Decisions, Moving the World from Nagasaki

ONE DEJIMA Co., Ltd. supports the core operations of Ocean Network Express (ONE), a container shipping company boasting the world’s sixth-largest fleet capacity, from its base in Nagasaki. The company’s “Business Intelligence Team (BI Team)” works in close collaboration with ONE’s Strategic Yield Management Department, supporting the company’s critical business decisions through information research and analysis. We sat down with the Head of ONE’s Yield Management Team and the President of ONE DEJIMA to discuss the experience and future prospects available within the BI Team.

Supporting ONE’s Business Growth through Multifaceted Market Trend Research and Analysis

Yield Management Team, Strategic Yield Management Dept, M&C Division, Ocean Network Express Holdings, Ltd. / Takashi Kato (Right)

President and Representative Director, ONE DEJIMA Co., Ltd. / Naoto Toyama (Left)

Could you give us an overview of the businesses of ONE and ONE DEJIMA?

Toyama: ONE is a shipping company established through the integration of the container liner divisions of Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha. Headquartered in Singapore, it operates a global shipping business, including the transportation of cargo that does not transit through Japan.

ONE DEJIMA, in turn, is a “regional-born global KPO company”*, supporting various core business operations for ONE, such as human resource, accounting, and information analysis. A key characteristic is its operation as a part of the Singapore headquarters, while based in Nagasaki Prefecture. Being a smaller entity than the headquarters allows us to leverage flexibility to pursue new business development.

*KPO: Abbreviation for Knowledge Process Outsourcing, meaning “the outsourcing of intellectual production activities,” which requires advanced knowledge and expertise, such as market research and data analysis.

What are the roles of ONE’s Strategic Yield Management Department and ONE DEJIMA’s BI Team?

Kato: The Strategic Yield Management Department is part of the Marketing & Commercial Division, responsible for a wide range of tasks including managing transportation costs, formulating strategies to improve profitability, forecasting load factors and freight rates, competitor analysis, and responding to environmental regulations.

ONE holds the sixth-largest market share in the container shipping industry globally and handles over half of all container cargo moving to and from Japan. As a department focused on enhancing profitability within such a company, we are required to quickly capture changes in market trends from various information sources and support rapid decision-making for ONE’s overall strategy and planning.

The BI Team, newly established within ONE DEJIMA in September 2024, is intimately involved with the Strategic Yield Management Department. Its main duties involve researching and analyzing information necessary for ONE’s marketing, such as conditions in countries/regions targeted for growth, market trends for strategic cargo, and the financial analysis of competitors. The BI Team was established because ONE previously did not have an in-house department specializing in research and analysis.

Why did you establish the BI Team within ONE DEJIMA and in-source the research operations?

Kato: Currently, ONE is focused on acquiring new customers and increasing strategic cargo, with a goal of boosting cargo volume by 1.5 times. Under this business strategy, we aimed to focus on business in the Adriatic Sea region of Europe, and the BI Team recently took charge of that research. They comprehensively investigated the industrial trends around the Adriatic Sea, as well as the services and cargo movements of competing companies. The resulting report, designed to be utilized for ONE’s strategy formulation, successfully led to the launch of a task force based on its findings. We intend to increase such success stories going forward.

The topics that the BI Team researches range from macro to micro. An example of a cargo-specific theme is “solar power generation panels.” Where are they produced, where are they moving as cargo, and what is the global share? What is the global market share? What correlation exists between the transportation of solar power panels and customs tariffs? Through questions like these, a multifaceted survey and analysis were conducted, incorporating not only a business perspective but also political, economic, and legal viewpoints, which were then compiled into a report. This process visualizes the current state of the market surrounding ONE, providing insights to the frontline sales and trade teams on which customers and how ONE should approach, thereby contributing to ONE’s overall strategy.”

Fostering a Multifunctional Team that Extends Beyond Research and Analysis

What is the future vision for the BI Team?

Toyama: Going forward, the BI Team will not only handle the research and analysis of various information but also develop capabilities to accumulate and control this body of information. To grow into a core team that handles information comprehensively, we want to strengthen the team by welcoming individuals who have the ambition to “work globally from a Nagasaki base.”

Moreover, the BI team also committed to produce reports that directly contribute to ONE’s sales activities, marketing, and profit margin improvement, rather than merely organizing collected information. By elevating its significance as an organization with “rich assets for research and analysis specializing in the shipping industry,” it is poised to become indispensable to ONE.

In addition, the BI Team has the potential to act as the “brain” for ONE DEJIMA itself. For instance, by leveraging the global market research skills cultivated through supporting ONE, we believe the BI team could drive initiatives like assisting local companies with overseas expansion, consequently becoming a driving force behind ONE DEJIMA’s new ventures. Therefore, we aim to build a multifunctional team that goes beyond mere research and analysis.

Working in a Global Environment, Driven by Analytical Thinking

To realize this vision, what kind of people are you looking to join the BI Team?

Toyama: One thing to highlight is that we are looking for individuals capable of Analytical Thinking. The BI Team’s role is not just to research and stop there; to ensure ONE’s future growth, they must structurally understand the current situation, formulate information-based strategies, and connect them to action. Those with the ability to think, for example, “If I were to start a trade business from scratch, where and how would I begin to gather the necessary information?” would be able to thrive in the BI Team.

Kato: Current BI Team members have diverse professional backgrounds, not necessarily in shipping. Some come from government service, others from the logistics industry, and others from sales in different fields. While we would be pleased to welcome those with shipping industry experience, individuals who have polished their portable skills as business professionals are welcome, even if they lack industry or job-specific experience. If I were to emphasize one trait, since the work is primarily research-focused, I think those who are naturally curious, and often ask “Why?” about various things will be able to perform well.

The BI Team is also suited for people who can leverage teamwork and communicate fearlessly with international colleagues. Regarding English skills, we have abundant internal training programs, and the skills will naturally improve through practical work, so please do not worry too much about it.

Finally, could you tell us about the appeal of working in the BI Team?

Toyama:  The career path after joining the BI Team is diverse. You might be sought after by the headquarter as a “talent who understands market trends,” or there may be opportunities to work at overseas bases such as Singapore. We would be delighted to welcome those who want to help support the growth of ONE DEJIMA and the BI Team.

Kato: Nagasaki has a long history as a center for foreign trade and connections to the world. It is also deeply familiar with shipbuilding and shipping. We believe that a unique feature of ONE DEJIMA is the opportunity to be involved in core, global operations for ONE while being rooted in this historic region.

The BI Team actively creates opportunities for members to travel to other countries, participate in local discussions, and hear about the real situation firsthand. In the Adriatic Sea project I mentioned earlier, we compiled the report while interacting directly with European stakeholders.