MISUMI Group Inc. has expanded from catalog sales of mechanical parts into parts procurement services using e-commerce and 3D data, and new president Shimizu Arata (清水新) discussed the direction of AI adoption and organizational transformation as generative AI reshapes industrial structures.
MISUMI Group Inc. has evolved beyond its longstanding catalog sales into a system that makes manufacturing design and procurement more efficient, centered on its e-commerce and 3D-data-based parts procurement service meviy. Its growth strategy will be tested on whether it can turn changes in industrial structures driven by generative AI to its advantage.
The article introduces the path taken by Shimizu Arata (清水新), who became president in April 2026, from serving as an outside director and joining the executive team to becoming the company's top executive. It also discusses the company's internal reliance on manual operations and the potential for further growth and improved profitability in its existing businesses.
Shimizu Arata (清水新) recognizes the need to advance the use of AI at an early stage and has indicated a policy of moving generative-AI initiatives from the stage of “using” AI to the stage of “having it work.” With the next several years viewed as a turning point for change, the company intends to redesign its organization and business model.
The discussion explores growth strategies in the AI era and the potential of digital manufacturing, while providing specific details on the background to Shimizu Arata's (清水新) appointment and the direction of MISUMI Group Inc.'s digitalization.