July 20,2023
KDDI Evolva, Inc. (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President, Representative Director: Hajime Wakatsuki; "KDDI Evolva"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of KDDI CORPORATION (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President, Representative Director CEO: Makoto Takahashi; "KDDI"), and Relia, Inc. (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Takashi Amino; "Relia"), an equity method affiliate of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and Chief Executive Officer; Kenichi Hori; "Mitsui.") will establish Altius Link, Inc. ("Altius Link") on September 1, 2023, in connection with a business integration based on a spirit of equality (the "Business Integration") [1].
Altius Link will develop a BPO business in Japan and overseas, including contact centers and back offices. Altius Link aims to become a leading company in digital BPO [2] industry by advancing the sophistication of services through digitalization, including the use of generate AI (artificial intelligence), by leveraging the customer bases of both companies.
As labor shortages due to a shrinking workforce and the acceleration of corporate digitalization due to the spread of COVID-19 have changed the challenges and needs of society and companies. In the contact center industry, the business environment is at a turning point, as a shift from human-led to AI-led operations of conventional services, and a shift from voice to text and the Web due to the digitalization of consumer contacts. On the other hand, it is a challenge for companies to promote all digitalization by themselves.
Altius Link will contribute to customer companies' growth by providing digital BPO including the contact center.
Aiming for heights with digital BPO, toward a trusted partner.
Altius Link's business scale is as follows: it has 240 billion yen of sales, more than 1,300 business partners, approximately 58,000 employees, and approximately 100 locations. It is the largest contact center in terms of sales in Japan [3].
Altius Link will combine the strengths of the following companies to maximize synergies:
KDDI Evolva | Extensive clients including contact center design and operation, telecommunications, infrastructure, etc., IT solutions and dispatch of engineers |
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Relia | Extensive clients including contact center design and operation, municipality, infrastructure, finance, etc., overseas operations (Philippines, Vietnam, and U.S., etc.) |
KDDI | Knowledge in ICT and data fields, leverage of AI chat and metaverse |
Mitsui | Digital knowledge through IT service subsidiaries, discovery and business development of overseas high-technologies and services, and network of domestic and overseas group companies |
When we decided to use Altius Link as our company name, we expressed our strong determination to evolve to the highest level of communication as a single team. We have chosen Altius Link, meaning ALTIUS, which means "higher" in Latin, and to keep the "connection" that both companies cherish in LINK.
In addition, the logo of the integrated company is a combination of "A and L" of Altius Link , which represents A's attitude toward heights with an advanced straight line and a curve indicating its desire to grow organically with people and society. The symbol mark is also a cross between "Q" and "A" indicating our commitment to providing solutions that answer the questions of society and our customers.
For details of Altius Link, please refer to https://www.relia-group.com/altius-link/ (in Japanese only).
Name | Altius Link, Inc. |
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Registered head office | 3-2, Nishi-Shinjuku 2-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo |
Title and Name of Representative | Takashi Amino, President and Representative Director Hajime Wakatsuki, Vice President and Representative Director |
Description of Business | (i) Contact center service; (ii) Back office service; (iii) IT solution service; and (iv) Other related services. |
Amount of Capital | 100 million yen |
Number of Employees | Approx. 58,000 |