KAJIMA CORPORATION Chugoku Branch

KAJIMA CORPORATION, a leading Japanese construction company, handles a wide range of civil engineering and construction projects, both domestically and internationally. Through the introduction of construction digital transformation (DX), the company is significantly improving the way the industry works and its overall productivity.

Recently, Yamaha’s ADECIA one-stop remote meeting audio solution was introduced at KAJIMA CORPORATION’s branch in Chugoku, China. We spoke with Mr. Yoshihisa Kikuchi, the group leader of KAJIMA CORPORATION’s Chugoku branch administration department information systems group and Ms. Risa Kiyokane of SOLCOM Co., Ltd.’s ICT Solutions sales division, who delivered the system, about the reasons for selecting the solution, its usability, and their impressions after implementation.

“Our company has 12 Japanese branches, in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Tokyo Civil Engineering, Tokyo Architecture, Yokohama, Hokuriku, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu,” says Mr. Kikuchi. “The Chugoku branch oversees five prefectures in the Chugoku region.”

“Previously, face-to-face meetings were the norm, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, online meetings via Teams and other platforms became the main method of communication. This is when we introduced a web conferencing system,” Mr. Kikuchi continues. “Initially we used a single microphone but, in this meeting room which can accommodate around 20 people, it was insufficient. After looking at the facilities at our other branches, we decided to install a Yamaha YVC-1000 speakerphone, connected to five expansion microphones.”

“The YVC-1000 had good sound quality but, as the layout of this meeting room is frequently changed, we couldn’t install a permanent microphone,” says Mr. Kikuchi. This meant that the person in charge had to set up the microphone before each meeting and put it away afterwards, which was a constant hassle. There were also occasional issues such as no sound, due to wiring errors. To address these problems, we were considering a wireless microphone system. We came across Yamaha ADECIA and consulted with SOLCOM about it.”

“First, we trusted Yamaha. We were already using other YVC series products in a smaller conference room, and we were satisfied with the sound quality and usability of those products. In addition, we felt secure knowing that Yamaha is a domestic Japanese manufacturer,” Mr. Kikuchi continues. “As this is a rented building, we wanted to avoid ceiling work and we were also concerned that the vibration from a compressor which is installed near the room might cause problems. So we asked SOLCOM to lend us a demo tabletop wireless microphone.”

“I first learned about ADECIA from Mr. Kikuchi and, after researching it in detail, I thought it was a system that could perfectly solve the issues that Kajima was facing,” adds Ms. Kiyokane. “We borrowed a demo unit from Yamaha and tried it out in this conference room.”

“It was very good,” says Mr. Kikuchi. “The employees in charge of preparing for the meeting were particularly pleased. As it is a wireless microphone, of course there was no need for wiring, which made it very easy to use. After the demonstration, there were even questions asking when it will be fully implemented. We also tried Yamaha’s VXL1W-16P Dante/PoE-compatible powered speakers, which were compact yet produced excellent, very clear sound.

“We hold large meetings in this conference room at least three times a week, and it is very helpful that there is almost no preparation needed,” says Mr. Kikuchi. “We have also received questions from remote meeting participants who have noticed that the audio quality has improved and asking what kind of microphone we are using.

“In order to prepare for the meeting, we needed to connect three cables to the computer - a projector HDMI cable, an ADECIA USB cable and a camera USB cable. We asked Yamaha whether it would be possible to combine these into a single cable and they recommended Barco’s ClickShare,” says Mr. Kikuchi. “After testing, we found it was very convenient because it could be used simply by inserting a dongle. We are considering introducing this in the future.”

“Kajima’s introduction of ADECIA has given us more opportunities to propose it to other customers,” adds Ms. Kiyokane. During these discussions, we often hear that they would like a system for smaller meeting rooms. We would be happy to respond to those needs as well.”

Thank you very much for your time today, despite your busy schedule.