Fujitsu picks Macquarie for first Australian digital transformation facility

Japanese technology giant Fujitsu has launched its first Australian digital transformation centre (DTC) at Macquarie University’s campus in Sydney.

The Austalian DTC is Fujitsu’s sixth in the world, and will provide a technology-assisted workshop space and resources to current and prospective customers in Australia and New Zealand who are seeking innovative solutions to their digital transformation challenges.

Its strategic location at Macquarie University gives the firm the added advantage of access to some of the best and brightest young talents in the country.

This week, we launched our very first Digital Transformation Centre in Australia, in partnership with @Macquarie_Uni. We celebrated the launch with some of our customers and partners, and it was also great to have @JAforBennelong in attendance as well! https://t.co/CetXGmEo1o pic.twitter.com/lFsQvxDtx4

— Fujitsu Australia (@FujitsuAU) October 3, 2019

“We have a strong focus on encouraging innovation, and the DTC is a place where imagination can meet possibility to shape a successful digital future,” Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Mike Foster said.

“Working closely with Macquarie University paves the way for future collaborative ventures between Fujitsu and the university, where corporate and academia can work together on innovative projects that would benefit from a diversity of talent.”

“Organisations can work with Fujitsu at the DTC to help address business challenges and redefine business problems with a view to jointly create a solution that takes into account different points of view,” he added.

Fujitsu’s DTCs are modelled after a successful co-creation template first developed at the firm’s home ground of Japan. 

Collaborative engagement lies at the very heart of these centres, which bring together Fujitsu experts and other partners in highly focused workshops to discuss real-world problems faced by businesses trying to navigate the digital landscape.

Customers are invited to present these issues, identify their key business and IT decision-makers and work with Fujitsu’s employees in developing solutions.

The combined knowledge of all participants helps create a dynamic mix of knowledge, creativity, ideation and concept development, which are the necessary prerequisite to successful complex problem-solving. 

With Fujitsu facilitating these sessions, the DTCs will discuss, ideate and develop proofs of concepts that are later refined and modified to deliver tangible outcomes and solutions. 

The firm’s ‘design thinking’ methodology, Fujitsu Human Centric Experience Design (FUJITSU HXD), is used to create these innovative concepts.

The same co-creation technique to address business problems has been employed by Fujitsu in other projects, including a recent joint initiative with Macquarie to help radiologists detect brain aneurysms; the use of drones and video analytics to identify threatened plant species; and the ‘Police Car of the Future’ project, which uses technology to improve the functionalities of police vehicles. 

The Australian digital transformation centre will bolster Fujitsu’s worldwide capability and reach, with other centres already established in New York, London, Munich, Tokyo and Osaka.

Fujitsu’s cooperation with Macquarie builds on a strong relationship between both parties. The centre, according to the university, will provide Fujitsu and its customers access to expertise within the university, as well as resources.

“Macquarie University has a strong record of innovation performance. Our students and researchers have been responsible for groundbreaking discoveries and solutions that have changed the world,” said Bernard Mans, Interim Executive Dean, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University.

“The Fujitsu DTC will provide Fujitsu and its customers with access to exceptional Macquarie University talent and know-how, to help organisations create a clear roadmap to digital transformation success.”