Fukushima Prefecture's first and 40th base "Fukushima Hongu Center". The potential of scaffolding as an infrastructure base
- infrastructure
- Center Manager
- Equipment Center
- Fukushima
- Kanto
BUSINESS
Text: Sayaka Mitsuda
Photo: Sho Kobayashi
PROIFILE
On August 27, 2025, the "ASNOVA Fukushima Hongu Center" opened in Motomu City, Fukushima Prefecture. In the Tohoku area, it is the second base after Miyagi Sendai Center, and it is also a "bridge with the Kanto region" that connects the Tochigi Kaminokawa Center. In addition to changes in customer convenience, cooperation with sales, and response to regional characteristics, as well as preparations for natural disasters that may occur at any time, we interviewed Tomoya Nishino of Equipment Management Department Fukushima Hongu Center Center Manager.
Text: Sayaka Mitsuda
Photo: Sho Kobayashi
PROFILE
Located in Motomiya City, Fukushima Prefecture, adjacent to Koriyama City, one of the prefecture's most populous cities. It is easily accessible, just a 6-minute drive from Motomiya IC on the Tohoku Expressway, and is conveniently located with smooth access for large vehicles.
Until now, Miyagi Sendai Center was the center of equipment management in Tohoku, but the Fukushima Hongu Center has become a bridge between Tohoku and Kanto with the Tochigi Kaminokawa Center. Another strength is that it is easy to communicate with each other.
The "ASNOVA STATION" service began in October 2022, and the number of partner companies has increased. The number of locations has doubled since I joined the company, and I can really feel ASNOVA's motto of "Rent safely, nearby, anytime."
Until now, customers in Fukushima had to travel to a center in Tochigi or Sendai every time they rented or returned equipment, and the trip alone could take an entire day. With the opening of the Fukushima Motomiya Center, we believe they will find it even more convenient than before.
The Kanto region has a lot of flat land, but Fukushima has many mountains, including Mt. Adatara, and I feel that the climate changes greatly. Especially in winter, snow piles up in an instant. In the Kanto region, it only snows for a few days in February or March, but here it starts snowing in December, and the roads are sometimes frozen in the morning.
Customers in Tohoku also wanted to rent before the snow fell, so we started by getting them to adapt to the natural environment. I was quite surprised at first too.
Normally, when an order is placed, it may come directly to the center, or it may come verbally or via chat via a sales representative. The Fukushima Motomiya Center has sales representatives in the center, which allows for smooth communication and quick responses. Faster responses mean that the customer's work site progresses smoothly, which results in happy results for the users beyond. In other words, we can help the customer "beyond that." Even if I were a customer, I would think that a quick response would be helpful, and we try to avoid making customers wait as much as possible.
There are three people including me. A man named Mr. Miyazaki and a woman named Mr. Hashimoto at the front desk who offered to do their best at the Fukushima Hongu Center from Kanagawa Fujisawa Center. Mr. Hashimoto is a local and has a lot of experience because he originally worked for a leasing company. The two of them help me a lot every day, and they are people I can rely on. I think I usually communicate smoothly. Sometimes they introduce you to restaurants that are not available in the Kanto region.
If you let frustrations build up, they will eventually explode. If you have a relationship where you can speak up before that happens, you can prevent them from exploding. I think the trigger for this lies in your everyday communication. It would be great if you could deal with it by talking about it early on.
In the event of a disaster, it is necessary to immediately prepare the infrastructure base. scaffolding are essential for building repairs and infrastructure inspections, and play an important role in supporting the initial recovery process.
That's why it's important for ASNOVA to be able to borrow with peace of mind at any time when you need scaffolding. In this context, we strive to control the quality of equipment and optimize inventory from normal times, and are working to create a system that can meet customer requests in any situation. I want to be the first to provide what I need at any time.
ASNOVA provides safe, high-quality equipment. We want to be more than just a rental and borrowing service; we want to be a presence that has a positive impact on society and contributes to a recycling-oriented society.
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