Ajinomoto : and Accenture to Establish Joint Venture to Help Drive Ajinomoto Co.’s Operational Transformation

Ajinomoto Co., Inc. and Accenture to Establish Joint Venture to Help Drive Ajinomoto Co.'s Operational Transformation

The new company will help Ajinomoto Co. leverage digital technologies to

enhance and streamline its operations

TOKYO, Nov. 7, 2019 - Ajinomoto Co., Inc. ("Ajinomoto Co.") and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) have agreed to establish a joint venture in Japan to help the food and biotech company accelerate its operational transformation.

The new company, Ajinomoto Digital Business Partners Co., Inc., will run the operations of Ajinomoto Co.'s corporate divisions, which include human resources, office management and procurement. Starting operations in April 2020, the new company will be 67% owned by Ajinomoto Co. and 33% by Accenture.

The new company will leverage the power of robotic process automation, analytics and artificial intelligence - as well as other solutions for business process transformation - to deliver services that enhance the functionality and efficiency of Ajinomoto Co.'s corporate functions, using the insights from these intelligent operations to help Ajinomoto Co. drive tangible business value. As part of its work, Accenture will leverage its expertise in digital transformation in the consumer goods and services industry, as well as its business process services.

"Ajinomoto Co. remains focused on priority product domains and improving employee productivity to realize sustainable growth and become a genuine global specialty company," said Masaya Tochio, representative director, member of the board & corporate senior vice president, Ajinomoto Co. "The joint venture with Accenture will foster the next generation of talent that focuses on higher value-added work to provide competitive services and help Ajinomoto Co. perform a pivot to the operating model that consistently delivers greater customer value."

Atsushi Egawa, country managing director of Accenture, Japan, said, "For organizations to drive transformation by improving productivity and creating new value, they need to incorporate digital technologies into every process through cooperation with external partners. Using our global experience and expertise in digital transformation and our industrialized processes, we will serve as Ajinomoto Co.'s partner throughout their transformation journey, helping Ajinomoto Co. reinforce its foundation for further growth."

Ajinomoto Co. realized that transforming its corporate and other business functions would require using digital and other innovative technologies beyond its existing capabilities. The company has agreed to form the joint venture with Accenture because it realized that such an arrangement would enable Ajinomoto Co. to enhance its corporate capabilities and drive its operational transformation to a greater degree than the company could do on its own. This, in turn, would enable Ajinomoto Co. to achieve its vision of becoming a "genuine global specialty company" driven by cutting-edge bioscience and innovative chemical technologies.

Overview of Joint Venture

(1)	Corporate Name:	Ajinomoto Digital Business Partners Co., Inc.
(2)	Location:	9-1, Hatchobori 2-chome,Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
(3)	Establishment:	April 2020
(4)	Representative:	Yoshimasa Yoshimiya, president and representative director
		(Expected to be appointed in April 2020. Current position is president and
		representative director, Ajinomoto Communications Co., Inc.)
(5)	Employees:	Approximately 300
(6)	Business description:	As an end-to-end professional service company dedicated to running Ajinomoto
		Co.'s corporate functions, the new company will deliver a wide range of tasks and
		foster professional talent that contributes to its transformation.
(7)	Equity ownership:	Ajinomoto Co. (67%), Accenture (33%)

About Ajinomoto Group

The Ajinomoto Group is a global company with specialties in the business of food and amino acids, guided by our leading-edge bioscience and fine chemical technologies.

Based on the corporate message "Eat Well, Live Well.", we have been scientifically pursuing the possibilities of amino acids in supporting the healthy lives of people all around the world. We aim for future growth and continuous contribution to greater wellness by creating value through sustainable and innovative solutions for communities and society.

The Ajinomoto Group has offices in 35 countries and regions, and sells products in more than 130 countries and regions. In fiscal 2018, sales were 1.1274 trillion yen (10.1 billion U.S. dollars). To learn more, visit www.ajinomoto.com.

About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions - underpinned by the world's largest delivery network - Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 492,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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Contact:

Public Communications Department Ajinomoto Co., Inc. [e-mail]

Shigeo Masuda

Accenture Japan

Tel: + 81 45 330 7157 [e-mail]