Build a new “Team Kajima”

Construction and real estate development are industries firmly rooted in the local community and must be built around local people and companies. An effective way to achieve this and expand our business is through mergers and acquisitions.

The key to any corporate acquisition Kajima undertakes is the process of selecting new partners who understand and are willing to buy into Kajima’s corporate culture and philosophy of "valuing clients, focus on quality, safety and timely completion" which Kajima has preserved since its founding. We also look to see if a new partner has many repeat clients, whether they have the trust of clients in terms of quality, and whether they maintain high-caliber employees and value their growth.

Each of our local subsidiaries in Kajima’s overseas operations have built business platforms tailored to their respective markets. Platforms require a business model that earns profits, and people and organizations that execute business models. In some cases, the business platform may differ from region to region, but in recent years, synergies derived from cross-regional collaboration have become more pronounced.

In the case of multinational corporations, construction projects may be undertaken not only in one country or region but across multiple countries or regions. For this reason, many clients who use Kajima's design and construction services ask us to share our understanding of their requirements and know-how gained in implementing and materializing their visions to Kajima Group companies operating in other countries and regions. As corporate acquisitions increase and the number of group companies expands, we are establishing a system that enables us to exchange information with each other and provide better services across the world.

In addition, Kajima has been able to assist both Japanese and overseas clients with their needs in areas where we had no previous experience. For example, when a major U.S. entertainment firm was seeking a specialty contractor to create specially designed sets and massive artificial rock works for their new theme park in Japan, our Australian group company, Scenario- Cockram, worked with Kajima’s project team to provide the design, manufacturing and installation supervision required for the project to meet the client’s needs.

In our real estate development business, we have established a business model based on short-term turn over for logistics and distribution facilities in the United States, which encompasses land acquisition, construction, leasing, and sales to investors. This model is now being adapted for implementation in Europe. "People bringing their know-how" entails sending employees with experience in the development of logistics facilities in the United States to Europe to develop warehouses suited to the local market.

In this way, the business outreach in each region expands such that it overlaps and links with others creating an extensive network. I refer to this as a "multi-faceted and interwoven network" and believe this to be a pivotal feature of Kajima's overseas operations.