LIXIL Takes Landmark Step in Transformation Journey

March 31, 2015 | By Business Wire News

TOKYO

LIXIL Group Corporation (“LIXIL”), a global leader in housing and building materials, products and services, commences business through its LIXIL Corporation operating subsidiary as four core business units centered around innovation, quality, design, technology and sustainability as its long-term growth drivers, starting from April 1, 2015.

LIXIL Corporation received all the relevant regulatory clearances to proceed with the next phase of its journey to become a truly global company, starting from April 1, 2015, under the new operating model it announced on November 4, 2014. Drawing on the heritage and track record of technological innovations of the core brands that comprise LIXIL, the company will start operations as four core businesses: LIXIL Water Technology, LIXIL Housing Technology, LIXIL Building Technology and LIXIL Kitchen Technology. LIXIL Japan Company is the fifth business of the LIXIL Corporation.

“This is an exciting move for LIXIL – for me personally and for our 80,000 employees,” said President and CEO, Yoshiaki Fujimori. “In 2011, LIXIL embarked on an ambitious journey to transform itself from a deeply domestic Japanese company to a truly global corporation. Under this new structure, we accelerate our globalization by organizing related businesses under their respective management structures to better focus on customer needs and to make more targeted investments in technology and innovation.”

LIXIL Water Technology, the most global of the four businesses, holds a leading market position in all the key regions of the world – Japan, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and the Americas. Four power brands in its portfolio will drive LIXIL Water Technology’s growth: LIXIL, INAX, GROHE, American Standard, and JOYOU. The CEO of this global business is David J. Haines. He remains CEO and Chairman of the Board of GROHE Group S.à.r.l. and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of GROHE AG.

LIXIL Housing Technology is a category leader in Japan’s housing and building products industry, managing a range of products including windows, sashes, doors, interiors, exteriors, structure materials and tiles. This business brings together the legacy brands of Tostem, Shinnikkei, and TOEX. Led by CEO Toshimasa Iue, previously the Chief Marketing Officer of LIXIL Group Corporation, this business also manages small but fast-growing overseas businesses in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Korea.

LIXIL Building Technology is a global leader specializing in curtain walls, building windows and building interiors, with a strong focus on innovative design and superior engineering capability. LIXIL Building Technology includes world-renowned businesses such as the Permasteelisa Group. This business, with a network of over 50 companies including Gartner and Scheldebouw, brings know-how and expertise to landmark building projects, including the Sydney Opera House, The Shard (London), Tokyo Mode Gakuen (Tokyo), Prada Building (Tokyo), and the IFC Building (Hong Kong). This business is led by Nicola Greco, CEO, who will remain CEO of the Permasteelisa Group.

LIXIL Kitchen Technology is an award-winning leader in the design and manufacture of kitchen systems in Japan, with the SUNWAVE brand being a long-held leader in the market. Its core brand offer is ergonomic “Human Fit Technology”, and SUNWAVE is well known for its history of innovations. It also manages a joint venture with Haier in China to design, engineer, manufacture, and sell a full range of kitchen products through both the Haier and American Standard distribution channels. This business is led by LIXIL Group CEO Yoshiaki Fujimori as acting CEO.

While the Technology businesses have their own sales and marketing organizations globally, LIXIL Japan Company, led by CEO Haruo Shirai, has integrated sales and marketing as a shared resource to offer Japanese customers and consumers a “Total Solutions” approach for their housing and building needs. Japan, LIXIL’s largest and most complex market, is the only country in the world where LIXIL is able to offer the full range of products and services from across the four technology businesses.

At the LIXIL Group level, we have two distinctive Japanese businesses related to our products and services. LIXIL Viva Corporation, led by Katsuhiro Mamenari, CEO, includes a chain of consumer “DIY” stores called Viva Homes. The Housing Services Business, which includes real estate services and housing related financial services in Japan, is led by Harumi Matsumura, Executive Officer and Senior Managing Director, LIXIL Group Corporation. These businesses are an integral part of our differentiated “Total Solutions” offer to customers and consumers in Japan.

To complement the strong commercial leadership of the new technology-focused businesses, a best-in-class management organization in LIXIL Group Corporation will draw on the expertise of established global practitioners with leaders in the fields of Human Resources, Finance, Legal and Compliance, Public Affairs, IT, R&D, and Investor Relations.

Fujimori continued, “We offer world-class brands and a commitment to innovation, quality, design, and technology at the core of everything we do. We are building a global culture that embraces diversity, equality, and meritocracy. We have work to do, but this is a very exciting new chapter for LIXIL.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

About LIXIL Corporation

Headquartered in Tokyo, LIXIL Corporation is a global leader in housing and building materials, products and services business. The foundation of LIXIL’s success is our constant investment in technological innovation to improve people’s lives. Drawing on a heritage of over 100 years of technological innovation, LIXIL is grouped into four technology businesses, LIXIL Water Technology (brands include: LIXIL, INAX, GROHE, American Standard, JOYOU, and JAXSON), LIXIL Housing Technology (includes Tostem, Shinnikkei, and TOEX brands, etc.), LIXIL Building Technology (including the Permasteelisa Group) and LIXIL Kitchen Technology. LIXIL Japan Company is the fifth business of the LIXIL Corporation and operates as a customer-focused sales organization with the most comprehensive range of products and services from all four technologies to customers and business partners in Japan. LIXIL produces some of the world’s most fundamental and innovative products and services, and our solutions are an integral part of some of the world’s most iconic and cutting-edge living and working spaces LIXIL brands are present in 150 countries and our businesses employ more than 80,000 people worldwide. LIXIL brings together technology, quality, design and sustainability to enhance people’s lives around the world.

About LIXIL Group Corporation

LIXIL Group Corporation (TSE Code: 5938) is the listed holding company containing LIXIL Corporation, LIXIL VIVA CORPORATION and LIXIL Housing Research Institute, Ltd. The Group is involved in a broad spectrum of housing-related businesses, ranging from the manufacture and sales of building materials and housing equipment to the operation of home centers and a network of homebuilding franchises, and a comprehensive real estate service. Led by President and CEO Yoshiaki Fujimori, the Group posted 1.6 trillion JPY in consolidated sales in FY March 2014.

For more information about LIXIL Group and LIXIL, please visit: http://www.lixil-group.co.jp/e/