[Circular Project Dialogue Vol.2] Starting from ASNOVA’s Culture, Envisioning the Future of “Circulation” Through Diverse Perspectives
- Circular Economy
- Butterfly Diagram
- Loftwork
- Circular Business
- circular economy
BUSINESS
Anyone, quickly, easily. A new initiative to make "scaffolding" more familiar
Suddenly, I have a question.
Do you know how to rent a scaffolding?
There is also an introduction on the ASNOVA website, but usually, when you make an inquiry, you will be required to submit the necessary materials, meet with the person in charge of ASNOVA's scaffolding rental service, and review the loan.
As a result, it took at least 1-2 weeks.
In such a situation, the project members, including Mayo Kasakawa of Corporate Planning Office, thought about whether they could do something about it and smoothly provide "scaffolding" to more customers.
And in order to realize their ideals, the presence of Tetsu Morishita, who is a Director Scaffolding Business Unit General Manager, was indispensable.
This time, we talked to the two of them candidly about the new scaffolding rental service.
Text: Sayaka Mitsuda Photo: Sho Kobayashi
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PROIFILE
- Akira Morishita
- Director, Scaffolding Business Unit, General Manager, ASNOVA Co.,Ltd. He joined ASNOVA Co., Ltd. in 2017 and is involved in Scaffolding Rental Business as the head of Scaffolding Business Unit.
- Mayo Kasakawa
- Joined ASNOVA in 2021. At Corporate Planning Office, she focuses on new businesses and marketing strategies.
What is the "scaffolding rental industry" from a different perspective?
First, please introduce yourselves and tell us about your relationship with each other.
Morishita: I am in a position to oversee the entire Scaffolding Business Unit. In terms of sales, the main focus is on growing existing customers and finding new ones. When it comes to acquiring new customers, everyone has a variety of issues, and I feel that the difficulty is increasing year by year.
In the midst of all this, the members of Corporate Planning Office, including Kasakawa, proposed one way to overcome the problem.
Kasakawa: I'm at Corporate Planning Office, and I'm mainly in charge of marketing. In this context, we are focusing on launching new businesses, and we were wondering if there would be a service that would allow people outside the construction industry to feel familiar with "scaffolding" as a way to acquire new customers. As we proceeded with the project, we were able to proceed with the help of Mr. Morishita.
Thank you. Although you are both in different positions, you both felt the same way.
Morishita: Yes, that's right. The number of people in the construction industry has been decreasing over the past 20 to 30 years. One reason is that there is simply a shortage of workers, but I think another factor is that there are now more cases of construction periods being extended or construction starts being delayed than in the past.
In such a situation, how do we increase the number of craftsmen? How do we support young craftsmen who have just started their businesses? We have been searching for ways to get involved in our own way.
Kasakawa: Before I joined the company, when I heard the word "scaffolding," I didn't really think about it in my daily life, and I only thought that it was used at construction sites.
Recently, however, there has been an increase in inquiries from school corporations from people outside the construction industry asking if they can use it for school events, and I thought that if we could let people in the industry know more about "scaffolding" like me, we could prevent lost opportunities.
Quickly absorb and implement ideas from young people! Build reliable relationships
Could you give us an overview of the New Scaffolding Rental Service?
Kasakawa: Until now, when renting a scaffolding, it took about two weeks just to complete the contract procedure. In order to shorten this period and make it easier for customers to rent, we have been able to conduct same-day screening in the shortest possible time by collaborating with the credit card company Orico. In addition, we have made it possible to apply online, lowering the hurdle for the first step. By doing so, it was possible to leave the warehouse as early as the day after the application. It is a system that can meet the needs of customers who want to rent immediately, want to borrow a little, or are you a sole proprietor but can borrow?
Morishita: In the past, we had to conduct interviews while coordinating our company's convenience with our customers' convenience, receive financial statements, prepare the necessary documents within the company, and have several people approve them...... It was necessary to go through this process. After all, you are depositing materials that cost tens of millions of yen, so you need to follow a certain procedure. Scaffolding It's a matter of course in the rental industry.
However, this means that customers who need it immediately will think, "Well, I'll just look elsewhere."
Therefore, we set up a project team to solve the problems of new customers with the help of young sales employees, and Corporate Planning Office joined them to build it.
Kasakawa: It was very helpful for Corporate Planning Office to be able to absorb the opinions of the sales people. It was a project that transcended the boundaries of occupations and was tackled by the entire company.
The keywords for the new service were "anyone, quick and easy."
Anyone = people outside the industry, even self-employed people
Immediately = from application to use as quickly as possible
Easy = Making it easier for customers to apply online
By being able to highlight our strengths in this way, we were able to establish ourselves as a "New Scaffolding Rental Service."
Morishita: In the unlikely event that we have to collect debts, it would be difficult to make the entry stage too easy, and to be honest, I was a little worried about that. In that regard, we tried to solve the issues they faced in a positive way, and we tried to make quick decisions on major adjustments that occurred externally and ideas that arose internally.
It was because of this kind of relationship that the project team was able to express their opinions to their heart's content!
Morishita: Our company is very tolerant of people who try new things and fail. The president and I had a common understanding that if something is interesting, it's okay to keep trying, so it was easy for me to make the decision.
Overall, I think the key to our success was not forcing our common sense on our young employees, but encouraging them to voice their opinions.
The future of "scaffolding" will change with the introduction of new services
What changes do you think will occur as a result of this service being launched?
Kasakawa: I think that the service itself called "scaffolding Rental" will be recognized by people outside the industry. We will also develop a variety of businesses in the sense of expanding the possibilities of "scaffolding", so I would be happy if you could think "I can do this with scaffolding". I think that raising awareness will lead to the growth of the industry as a whole.
Morishita: Actually, there is a surprising demand for "scaffolding" among the general public. Some people just want to make some repairs to this part of the wall of their house, and sometimes you can see people who are particular about gardening using it like a flower bed. As I mentioned earlier, I think that the spread of ideas that go beyond our assumptions will expand the range of applications. On the contrary, this is also a place where I can learn.
Finally, what kind of society does ASNOVA want to create? What are your prospects for the future?
Morishita: One of the social issues that we are focusing on is the demand for home renovations. While the number of new construction starts, including detached houses, is steadily decreasing, the problem of vacant houses is a serious problem in the country as a whole. And so are the disasters that continue to increase year by year. scaffolding is indispensable for the restoration of buildings. When I think about it, I think this industry is still a field that is needed in the world. I would like to see the potential of all kinds of businesses there.
Kasakawa: In the industry, we often hear about issues related to the aging of craftsmen and human resource development, so I would like to work on such social issues. I would also like to focus more on rural areas. For example, the more rural you go, the more you feel that the service called "scaffolding Rental" is not very good. I would like to create a new system that can be easily used by such people.
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