Mitsui & Co., Ltd.: Reimagining global HR to empower people and spark lasting change across 62 countries
Discover a bold move to unify talent worldwide
Operating in 62 countries and regions across industries including chemicals, energy, healthcare, real estate, and retail, Mitsui & Co., Ltd. is one of Japan’s most iconic global enterprises. To stay competitive, it replaced fragmented HR processes with SAP SuccessFactors solutions—empowering employees and increasing agility with innovation and alignment.
| Industry | Region | Company Size |
| Cross-industry | Tokyo, Japan | 9,000 employees |
Project Manager, Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
Reframing the complexity of global HR to enhance clarity and cohesion
Global investment and trading company Mitsui & Co., Ltd. faced a growing disconnect between its global talent and the systems supporting them. With more than 9,000 employees across 62 countries, the company had HR processes that were fragmented, inconsistent, and heavily reliant on manual work-arounds. Each regional office managed its own systems, complicating even the most basic of tasks such as aggregating headcount and identifying potential internal talent.
At the enterprise level, this lack of visibility created considerable risk. Business leaders couldn’t confidently access talent data to inform succession plans or mobilize talent for strategic initiatives. Employees, especially those outside Japan, felt their contributions were not fully visible or recognized in the broader corporate vision and their own career development opportunities.
Past attempts to build a unified HR platform had faltered under the weight of decentralized organizational structures and aging technology, comprising legacy on-premises applications.
What the company needed wasn’t just a system upgrade—it needed a transformation in how it approached people, culture, and strategic workforce planning. But first, it had to unify global HR on a data-driven foundation flexible enough to support the future of its talent and business.
Senior HR Manager, Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
Building a future-ready HR foundation that unites talent and technology
To overcome years of HR fragmentation, Mitsui launched its Bloom Project, a global initiative to unify its talent management systems through SAP SuccessFactors solutions. The goal was to replace a legacy on-premises HR system with a scalable, cloud-based platform capable of supporting both global standardization and local flexibility.
After evaluating multiple platforms, Mitsui selected SAP SuccessFactors solutions for their comprehensive suite of talent management capabilities and ability to serve as a global system of record. The solutions covered critical HR processes including personnel and organizational management, performance and goal setting, succession planning, career development, recruitment, and learning.
With SAP SuccessFactors solutions in place, Mitsui replaced its outdated infrastructure with a modern, adaptable solution, establishing a clear path forward for unified, data-driven HR operations. The implementation project was phased across regions to maintain consistency and coordination. Asia-Pacific and East Asia went live in November 2022, followed by Europe and the Americas in April 2024. Japan—the company’s headquarters and largest HR hub—began its rollout in December 2024, with full usage starting in January 2025.
To help ensure data integrity and flexibility, Mitsui adopted a master data distribution model enabled by the SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central solution. Using the solution as a single source of truth allowed consistent core data to flow into local systems while preserving local autonomy for region-specific needs such as payroll and benefits.
Mitsui also integrated SAP Business Technology Platform with SAP SuccessFactors solutions to build custom workflows for complex HR events, including employee transfers. This approach centralized coordination with region-specific approvals and standardized HR processes globally in ways that keep business operations compliant and locally relevant.
Expanding workforce visibility to accelerate smarter decision-making
The implementation of SAP SuccessFactors solutions not only modernized Mitsui’s HR systems but also gave the company data-driven clarity to manage talent more efficiently on a global scale. For the first time, business leaders across its 124 offices can view real-time insights into employee profiles, including skills, experience, and career aspirations. HR tasks that once required e-mails and spreadsheets now happen in seconds, with more confidence.
At the heart of this transformation is SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, which serves as the company’s global system of record. This centralization of data has significantly improved succession planning, workforce analytics, and cross-regional collaboration. When forming global task forces or planning post-merger integrations, business leaders rely on verified data, not informal networks.
For employees, the change is equally meaningful. A static directory of employees has become a dynamic talent marketplace. Individuals can build rich, searchable profiles that reflect their skills and ambitions and empower them to take ownership of their careers. These profiles support Mitsui’s global mobility and job rotation programs, making it easier for employees to explore opportunities and for HR to match talent to business needs with greater speed and precision.
The intuitive experience and accessibility of SAP SuccessFactors solutions also improved day-to-day HR tasks. A cohesive system supports communication between employees and HR professionals or management throughout the employee journey. This shift delivers more than efficiency improvements—it energizes employees, builds trust, and puts opportunity at everyone’s fingertips.
The Bloom Project also strengthened Mitsui’s cultural cohesion. By involving regional HR teams in the design and rollout of SAP SuccessFactors solutions, Mitsui created a sense of shared ownership and global alignment. A dedicated change management team focused on keeping communication clear and adoption high to help ensure HR professionals operate as a connected, strategic network.
With SAP SuccessFactors solutions tightly integrated into its enterprise architecture, Mitsui possesses a modern HR landscape that supports advanced analytics, continuous data flow, and strong innovation.
Turning HR into a strategic partner in shaping the business’s future
With a unified HR system in place, Mitsui is focused on deepening the strategic impact of SAP SuccessFactors solutions across its global operations. This next phase builds on the foundation laid by the guiding principle of the Bloom Project: transformation is scalable and sustainable when people, platforms, and purpose align.
A top priority is advancing workforce analytics. By comparing employee skills with the capabilities needed to fulfill business strategies, Mitsui’s HR teams can identify gaps, tailor training programs, and support more-effective workforce planning.
Mitsui is also planning to expand its focus on internal mobility. Future enhancements include new features for up-skilling and self-reliant employee career development. SAP SuccessFactors will also facilitate better communication between the company and employees regarding growth opportunities while helping encourage the business to tap into the full potential of its talent.
Beyond talent strategy, HR data will increasingly support broader organizational goals, including diversity and inclusion; environmental, social, and governance reporting; and digital transformation. By linking people data with business outcomes, Mitsui aims to elevate HR’s role as a strategic partner in shaping the future of its talent and the enterprise.