Could you please tell us the background that led to this system development?

When I joined the company in 2010, it was still extremely analog, relying on “paper and intuition.” All order forms and factory instructions were handwritten duplicates, sent to the factory by fax. Calculations were done manually with calculators, and even something as simple as the color coding of slips varied by person—‘Camel Brown,’ ‘Shincha (new tea),’ and so forth—resulting in inconsistent information. This led to frequent mistakes like mixing up colors and dimensions, causing rework, excess inventory, and material waste. Human errors and long working hours were common. The biggest problem caused by this analog system was poor employee retention. New hires often left early because they weren’t properly trained, creating a negative cycle. Veteran workers’ tasks became highly individualized, with knowledge and errors trapped in a ‘black box.’ I felt a strong sense of crisis that the company might go bankrupt in 10 years if nothing changed. That’s why it was crucial to first implement a system to convert “paper to data” and “intuition to standardization.” By unifying colors and dimensions and automating calculations, human errors drastically decreased, and production efficiency improved dramatically. We also established a division of labor where administrative staff handled data entry, allowing sales staff to focus on proposals. Starting gradually from Excel-based tools for low IT-literacy users on site, we aimed to ultimately renew the core system. This was the decisive reason for moving forward with the current system development.

Although your company now utilizes various digital tools, you initially faced many common challenges typical in the construction industry. At the time President Mitsui, who spearheaded the digital transformation, took office, you finally decided to revamp your core business system. What was the key factor in choosing Fignny as your development partner?

The key factors were trust in the introduction, commitment to zero-to-one development, and the reassurance of having an “engineer CEO.” Honestly, the biggest factor was the if it’s President Satomi, there’s no doubt, who was recommended by someone I consulted first about cloud migration. I have always believed in trusting introductions from people I trust, so I decided to listen to him. When I met him, President Satomi himself is an engineer and understands the on-site challenges firsthand. I have also experienced working onsite before becoming a manager, so this background really resonated with me. Another point was that I wanted a partner who could build a system from scratch. Our goal is to eventually connect all operational systems. Using packaged software pieced together won’t cover all needs, and working with multiple companies increases integration costs. So starting from scratch with a reliable partner like Fignny was the best choice.

Thank you very much. While the introduction was a key trigger, we’re very pleased to hear that you found Fignny’s strengths attractive. Next, could you please share your evaluation of Fignny in this project?

Fignny, has an easy-to-understand information-sharing system using Notion, which naturally gathers requests and questions from various internal departments including on-site and accounting teams, making collaboration both inside and outside the company smoother. Additionally, their solid schedule and task management, along with their flexibility in accommodating interruptions due to our circumstances, are strong points. Compared to major SIers, they are more flexible with requirement changes, which is a significant practical advantage for our company given the frequently changing on-site conditions. On the other hand, one area for future improvement is that when project members are replaced, there can be some loss in sharing background information. While this is common in startups, we believe improving this will allow us to entrust the project with even greater confidence.

Thank you very much for your valuable feedback. Currently, Fignny is reforming its employee retention initiatives, and we intend to further strengthen the project structure moving forward. We appreciate your continued expectations. Next, the development is now in its second phase—what is the ultimate goal aimed for through the system improvements?

This system will continue to undergo version upgrades, sequentially integrating other business applications, and ultimately aims to enable all operations to be managed solely via smartphones and PCs. Achieving this will effectively reduce administrative workload equivalent to about five staff members, and there are already cases where requests to transfer personnel from administrative roles to sales positions have been successfully accommodated. By streamlining administrative tasks, there will be greater capacity to secure more sales personnel in the future, enabling more effective utilization of human resources. Simultaneously achieving efficiency and growth is the greatest expected benefit of this core business system.