Clarion Accelerates Globalization with SDL Technologies

MAIDENHEAD, U.K. & WAKEFIELD, Mass. – May 10, 2016 – SDL (LSE: SDL) today announced that Clarion, a global leading provider of in-vehicle information solutions, has significantly improved the consistency and engagement of its online experiences after deploying SDL’s Web and Language Solutions. Clarion launched two new corporate websites, one in Japanese and one in English, and subsequently rolled out 42 country websites in 39 languages, in just seven months. Before adopting the SDL solution, the process of localizing content for one country site could take up to six months. 

Clarion selected SDL to deliver a more personalized and culturally relevant online experience, as its previous system was not robust enough to support a global web presence. The challenge of consistently managing content changes from the corporate website to the local language websites in a sustained manner proved to be a major issue. This led Clarion to turn to SDL due to its reputation of enabling exceptional global operational efficiency and scalability gains when it comes to delivering locally relevant digital experiences.

The intuitive and flexible nature of SDL Web enabled Clarion to efficiently launch and control consistency across 44 websites by centrally controlling and localizing content, while also providing the flexibility for country teams to add their own local information. To enable this, Clarion relies on SDL Web’s BluePrinting® technology which simplifies the management of sophisticated web presences across distributed sites in multiple languages.

“With SDL Web, we have achieved quicker delivery of multilingual communications to the world. It has dramatically shortened our time to market, which allows us to reallocate resources to other important business efforts,” said Akiko Uehara, Director of Clarion’s Global Brand Communication group.

To drive translation efficiency, Clarion has selected SDL WorldServer to provide a fully joined up content ecosystem that helps shorten time to market and improve the overall quality of information provided. Additionally, as part of its effort to increase customer engagement, Clarion has expanded the use of SDL’s translation services to include Asian, North and Central American languages.

“Given the breadth of our customer base, having an integrated approach to content management is absolutely critical,” said Noriyuki Imanishi from Clarion’s brand communication group. “With SDL’s comprehensive solutions, we can ensure that all our communication channels are synchronized, with consistent messaging across all languages. We have also witnessed our share price rise by four times, demonstrating that language really is key to driving business growth.”

“We understand the importance of reaching customers on digital channels in their native language, as this greatly impacts customer experience and purchasing behavior,” said Adolfo Hernandez, CEO, SDL. “We are proud to support Clarion in their efforts to deliver a truly global experience to customers, while expanding their geographic reach.”

Clarion Co. Ltd, a member of the Hitachi Group, was founded in 1940 in Tokyo. Today it is classed as one of the 100 largest global OEM suppliers by Automotive News. A world leader in car audio and electronic equipment, Clarion is positioned as a major manufacturer of car audio systems, car navigation systems and camera systems. The company specialises in research, development, design engineering and manufacturing work. Clarion combines these fields of expertise to offer innovative products, in terms of both their ease of use and their performance