MOL Establishes Katafuri Ltd. and Launches Cloud-based Ship Quality Management App Service
- Contributing to Digital Transformation of Shipboard Operations and Seafarer Workstyle Reforms -

November 02, 2022

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President & CEO: Takeshi Hashimoto) today announced the establishment of Katafuri Ltd. (Katafuri; Representative: Isamu Sumida; Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) as a wholly owned subsidiary which provides a cloud-based ship quality management app called the "Katafuri App" for companies seeking to digitalize shipboard operations. Katafuri's mission is to contribute to the development of the entire ocean shipping industry by delivering services that lead to digital transformation (DX) and seafarer workstyle reforms for the industry, which is facing challenges such as slow digitalization and labor shortages.

Currently, shipboard operations have tended to vary from ship to ship and from person to person, but the Katafuri App allows users to register work details and procedures, and to report after the work has been performed-all in one place on the app. This reduces the workload of seafarers. prevents missing or inconsistent data, improves operational efficiency, and enables the accumulation, transfer, and follow-up of know-how on the data. On ships with weak Internet access, the Katafuri App can be used by loading necessary data into a smartphone or other device in advance.

[What can the Katafuri App do?]

In order to promote the use of the Katafuri App more widely among companies in need, MOL Techno-Trade, Ltd. (President & CEO: Yoshikazu Kawagoe; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) has been appointed as the sales agent to promote sales activities by leveraging the company's business know-how and network accumulated through the sale of marine products.

Katafuri will not stop at providing ship quality management applications, but will continue to develop and provide essential services to improve the work environment and enhance safety by using the power of digital technology to boost the efficiency of onboard operations. The company name "Katafuri," is a term used among Japanese seafarers to refer to the way they discuss their experiences and knowledge with each other, including gestures. It expresses the founder's strong desire to make ship operations safer and more comfortable by effectively sharing knowledge and expertise among all stakeholders in the maritime industry and thereby revitalizing the entire value chain.

This project was conceived and realized by Katafuri's representative, Sumida, through the MOL Incubation Bridge (Note 1), the MOL Group's new business proposal system. MOL will continue to work as one to contribute to solving social issues with new ideas and approaches.

(Note 1) MOL Incubation Bridge was introduced in September 2019 with the objective of providing opportunities for MOL Group employees to maximize their skills and abilities and proactively challenge by themselves, and has fostered out-of-the-box thinking in the creation of new businesses and services. In the first year of the system, Sumida (who joined the company in 2011) suggested this service and his idea was adopted. Since September 2020, he has been dedicated to the launch of Katafuri Ltd. and has achieved it. This is the fourth project to be commercialized from this program, following the establishment of the corporate venture capital "MOL PLUS," "KiliMOL," which exports used agricultural machinery to Africa, and a mangrove restoration/conservation project in Indonesia.

[Outline of Katafuri]

Company name	Katafuri, Ltd.
Address	4F Toranomon Hills Business Tower, 1-17-1 Toranomon, Minatoku, Tokyo
Representative	Isamu Sumida
Established	July 2022
Business	Services that make ship operations more efficient through the use of digitalization
Shareholder	MOL 100%
Paid-in capital	¥50 million
Website	https://www.katafuri.com/en/company
Inquiry	Representative: Isamu Sumida Email：info.katafuri@molgroup.com isamu-sumida.katafuri@molgroup.com
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[MOL Group 5 Sustainability Issues]
MOL Group will contribute to realizing a sustainable society by promoting responses to sustainability issues, which are identified as social issues that must be addressed as priorities through its business.
We anticipate this initiative to contribute especially to the realization of "Safety & Value -Provide added value through safe transportation and our social infrastructure business-", "Human & Community -Contributing to the growth and development of people and communities-" and "Innovation -Innovation for development in marine technology-".