NX Group invests in VALT JAPAN, developer and operator of the NEXT HERO DX platform supporting people facing employment challenges

　NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC. (President: Satoshi Horikiri), has acquired a stake in VALT JAPAN Co., Ltd. (Representative Director and CEO: Takaya Ono; hereinafter “VALT JAPAN”), the developer and operator of the NEXT HERO digital transformation (DX) platform specifically designed for people facing employment challenges, as an investment for the NX Global Innovation Investment Limited Partnership. The two companies signed a capital and business alliance agreement on Monday, August 24.
 

■Profile of VALT JAPAN

　Pursuing a vision of “creating an era where people facing employment challenges thrive”, VALT JAPAN operates a business that simultaneously creates opportunities for individuals whose employment options are limited due to disabilities or intractable diseases to play active roles, while addressing companies’ labor shortages and improving their productivity. Through its core service NEXT HERO – a digital transformation (DX) platform specialized for disadvantaged workers – VALT JAPAN collaborates with more than 2,000 continuous employment support facilities nationwide and has secured business process outsourcing (BPO) contracts in the administrative and digital realms from a cumulative total of over 400 companies.

　Additionally, VALT JAPAN runs its own NEXT HERO Digital Innovation Centers (DICs) that constitute a unique model for offering comprehensive support from practical skills training to employment at companies.

■Background and purpose of the investment

　With the working-age population continuing to decline in recent years, companies are under strong pressure to further expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities and create new job categories. The NX Group is promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as part of its human capital management, while also working to make its back-office and logistics operations more sophisticated and standardized.

　Through this investment, the NX Group is seeking to combine VALT JAPAN’s talent matching capabilities and operational expertise in administrative and digital BPO services with the Group’s nationwide network of logistics hubs and back-office infrastructure to build a new business model where people with disabilities can thrive as valuable contributors.

■Details of the initiative

１．Establishment of dedicated Digital Innovation Center (DIC)
  The two companies will launch a DIC operated by VALT JAPAN for the exclusive use of the NX Group that will identify back-office administrative tasks as well as routine tasks performed using computers and other devices. Leveraging these companies’ expertise, the DIC will handle everything from process design to day-to-day operations and quality control, applying a system that enables individuals with disabilities to perform at a high level with peace of mind.

２．Phased transition to a direct employment system
  After establishing best practices for workflow and quality control at the NX Group-dedicated DIC, people with disabilities will be directly employed at NX Heartful, a special-status subsidiary within the NX Group, and operations gradually transferred to them. This approach is designed to build a sustainable direct employment system and expand employment opportunities.

３．Extension to the logistics industry as a whole
  The two companies will at some future point consider offering logistics operators and other clients outsourced administrative and digital services developed through this initiative to help alleviate labor shortages and boost productivity not only within the NX Group but across the entire logistics industry.
 

　The NX Group will continue tackling social issues through business collaboration with domestic and international startups, striving to add to the overall sophistication of supply chains and to bring about sustainable societies.

■Comments from representatives

Takaya Ono, Representative Director and CEO
VALT JAPAN Co., Ltd.
“NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS is not only a core company supporting Japan’s logistics infrastructure but also a unique entity with a global presence spanning over 50 countries. We view the company’s investment and business partnership as proof that our vision – to connect the human capital of individuals facing employment challenges to Japan’s growth strategy – holds significant meaning in the realm of logistics digital transformation (DX) as well. Moving forward, we will work together to build a new industrial model for Japan as partners dedicated to simultaneously reforming labor markets and evolving logistics infrastructure.”

Koji Ao, General Manager, Corporate Venturing Division
NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC.
“Creating an environment where a diverse workforce can succeed is one of the NX Group’s key management priorities. VALT JAPAN operates a business that balances the creation of opportunities for people confronting employment difficulties with operational standardization and quality control, and we believe there is a high degree of synergy with our company. We intend to leverage this investment to enhance and advance the NX Group’s operational infrastructure while creating sustainable employment opportunities”.

■Profile of investee company