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PRESS RELEASE
March 31 2015
LIXIL Group Corporation
LIXIL Takes Landmark Step in Transformation Journey
Operations Start as Four Technology Businesses in Water, Housing,
Building, and Kitchens
Tokyo, Japan – 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. Five 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 LIXIL 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.”
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/