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Takenaka Corporation

Challenges

  • Fewer workers and an aging population demand higher productivity
  • Siloed sites reduce data sharing and business continuity
  • IoT, big data, AI and robotics require a foundation for future use

Solution

  • Migrate main and branch office server functions to the cloud
  • Use high-speed technology to match on-premises data access speeds

Benefits

  • Data is accessible to employees and customers anywhere, any time
  • The cloud serves as a foundation for future digital transformation
Keizo Iwashita
Takenaka Corporation

Dr. Eng
General Manager
Group ICT Promotion Department
Head Office
Keizo Iwashita

“By establishing a fundamental base for sharing all kinds of data, I believe we have successfully taken the first step in driving digitization of the construction industry.”

Challenges

The distributed management system for each construction site restricted the sharing of documents and BIM data

Takenaka Corporation has always provided architecture in response to customer needs based on its management philosophy: “Contribute to society by passing on the best works to future generations.” Takenaka Corporation has worked on numerous buildings symbolic of their eras — including Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Dome, Abeno Harukas and more.

Takenaka Corporation is also known as a company that leads its industry in using advanced ICT. “As with other industries, the construction industry is facing major problems such as a human resources squeeze and the aging of skilled workers. It is now essential for companies to continue to pursue business efficiency and productivity in multiple directions. ICT is essential for solving these problems,” says Dr. Keizo Iwashita of Takenaka Corporation. Based on this thinking, in 2014 Takenaka Corporation established the Group ICT Promotion Department to comprehensively manage ICT for the Takenaka Group. Around 7,000 mobile terminals were distributed to sales, design and construction sites, and measures such as “Takenaka Smart Work” were developed to promptly respond to customer needs and improve productivity.

Recently, problems with using ICT have become evident. These problems concern the management and operation of data used at construction sites.

The company has around 500 major construction sites across Japan. Each site handles design and construction information, including documents, CAD and building information modeling (BIM) data, but they also maintain other forms of data such as contracts with partner companies and quality, cost, delivery, safety, environment (QCDSE) process charts. The company has conventionally promoted information sharing among workers and a paperless workflow by storing data on NAS file servers installed at each site.

“However, because this was ultimately a closed system at each site, it was difficult for workers to check data using mobile terminals when leaving the office, or when sharing information with the Osaka or Tokyo head offices, branch offices nationwide, or partner companies across Japan. When attending off-site meetings based on drawings, employees had to print out the data beforehand or send the data ahead of time, and if we wanted to check other data in the course of the meeting, we couldn’t do that,” reflects Dr. Iwashita.

This method also posed risks for data retention and business continuity in the event of a file server failure or natural disaster at a field site. Since this was an on-premises model, creating backups involved time, effort, and expense, as well as a lot of effort to restore data.

Solution

Migrate to a cloud file server, aiming to maintain similar response times to the on-premises model

Takenaka Corporation sought ways to manage essential data more easily and reliably. After considering the matter carefully, it decided to build a new file server environment in the cloud and concentrate data collectively.

“At this time, we thought about creating a mechanism enabling information to be viewed from the main offices and branch offices, partner companies and from mobile terminals — by consolidating all the documents, various forms of data, BIM data, and more, handled by the main offices and branch offices, in addition to the data at each site,” states Dr. Iwashita. By building in redundancy on the cloud side, restoration work in the wake of any disaster would become easier. The company decided this would solve all their problems, including unnecessary operational management of file server equipment.

For the data migration destination, Takenaka Corporation selected a private cloud environment proposed by NTT.

This cloud file server environment combines the Nexcenter data center service, Enterprise Cloud service and NTT Global Network Services among others. In making this selection, the company prioritized support for BIM data access times, a requirement peculiar to construction sites. Specifically, since BIM data handled on sites can exceed several hundred megabytes, display speed often becomes a restrictive bottleneck when using a general-purpose cloud environment. So, the ability to maintain the same level of usability as the original system was incorporated into the requirements.

“NTT responded to our request not simply by offering the WAN speed-up solution, but also by thoroughly speed-tuning the system.

Although we requested proposals from multiple vendors, it would have proved difficult to comprehensively investigate and eliminate the cause of this speed reduction without NTT’s ability to provide everything from cloud infrastructure to lines and networks as a single all-in-one provider,” said Dr. Iwashita.

Figure: Image of cloud file server configuration

Benefits

Established a cloud data-sharing infrastructure to serve as a foundation for digitizing construction sites

Takenaka Corporation is migrating the data from each of its sites, main offices and branch offices to the cloud. Work is still underway to migrate data from about 500 major sites, as well as main offices and branch offices, over a period of 2 years.

Sites that have performed the data migration have achieved the expected results. “Personnel at our company and partner companies can now check data at any time and any location their authority allows. During meetings held externally, they can also view drawings via mobile terminals, which certainly improves productivity,” says Dr. Iwashita. Response times for viewing BIM data are good, and the same level of usability as before has been achieved.

Business continuity has also improved. Transferring data to NTT’s data center makes it impossible for information to be lost even if a site office is struck by some disaster. At the same time, the cloud environment implements redundancy between physically remote data centers to ensure further security.

“Since we’re able to leave operational management to NTT, we’ve also been able to reduce the burden on employees who previously managed equipment and handled disaster response,” Dr. Iwashita adds. As these efforts have resulted in a certain level of success, the company intends to develop and expand similar systems across its Japanese group companies and sites in Europe, the USA and Asia.

“The construction industry worldwide has steadily steered its efforts toward digitization. As we have established our complete basic data-sharing infrastructure, we can now move forward with innovative improvements to productivity using digital fabrication, big data, AI and more, with a view toward Construction 4.0, which we have set as a future goal,” emphasizes Dr. Iwashita.

Takenaka Corporation’s efforts are set to continue as a core player in the Japanese construction industry.

Interview

You can see customer testimonial video.

Service

NTT Global Network Services

NTT Global Network Services is a new highly available broadband network that uses low latency submarine cable systems to let enterprises rapidly deploy reliable, low-cost, scalable cloud-based applications and data, across the globe.

Enterprise Cloud

Enterprise Cloud is a secure private cloud service that complements our data center, network and server solutions. We provide a versatile and secure IT cloud infrastructure to support core business applications. A wide range of options are available, including flexible resource provisioning.

Nexcenter

Nexcenter, the next generation data center service from NTT provides world-class quality and full support.

Takenaka Corporation

Company

Takenaka Corporation

Revenue: JPY 1,216.5 billion (as of March 31, 2017)

Business: Takenaka Corporation is a major construction company that worked on such buildings as Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Dome and Abeno Harukas — buildings that symbolize the times and have become national landmarks of Japan. In recent years, working under the concept of Healthy Community Development, by striving to create spaces and urban communities that contribute to a society of longevity and health, Takenaka Corporation has sought to realize a sustainable society where people can live with peace of mind at all stages of urban development.

URL: http://www.takenaka.co.jp/takenaka_e/index.html


MITSUI & CO., LTD.

Challenges

  • Standardizing transmission quality and troubleshooting worldwide
  • Enhancing flexibility and scalability in our business foundation

Solution

  • Build a communication service infrastructure that serves all offices worldwide
  • Form a strong Project Promotion Team to promote standardization

Benefits

  • A standard IT environment for all 138 offices worldwide
  • A seamless environment that enables operational reform
Isao Ueda Associate Officer General Manager of Information Technology Promotion Division Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

Associate Officer
General Manager of Information Technology
Promotion Division
Mr. Isao Ueda

“Even after the new IT infrastructure is constructed, this project will carry on for many years via operation and maintenance services. We selected NTT because we trust they are a reliable company with a dedication to security and will commit themselves to this long-term project.”

Challenges

Preparing for global optimization of the IT infrastructure
Further standardization of the communication infrastructure

Mistui & Co., Ltd. is Japan’s representative general trading company. Utilizing its network and information resources around the world, it pursues business ranging from product sales and worldwide logistics and financing to the development of major international projects around the world. To support its diverse business, Mitsui recently began renewing its complex IT infrastructure, which was separately constructed and operated by the head office and group companies, to create a single globally optimized IT infrastructure shared by the entire group.

General Manager Mr. Isao Ueda told us, “Our global network consists of approximately 138 offices and 462 subsidiaries and associated companies in 65 regions*1. As a general trading company, our mission is to meet the needs of society and connect countries with customers, people with things and business with information. Toward this end, it became necessary for us to seamlessly connect our offices and business hubs.”

In 2011, Mitsui began standardizing its communication network among overseas offices and centralizing management of local carriers. However, in some emerging countries there were unavoidable problems in the level of service, such as in the quality of telecommunications and troubleshooting.

“Our goal was to create an environment that gives all employees the same IT service around the world, wherever they work. To expand our global network and deal with post M&A alliances between companies, we needed an IT infrastructure that would swiftly self evolve in response to changing management environments. This explains why our IT infrastructure renovation project was launched,” says Mr. Ueda.

*1 As of October 1, 2016

Solution

Service covering all offices around the world
A multipolar project carried out at the same pace globally

Mitsui & Co., Ltd. required the new IT infrastructure to provide service for all offices and business hubs around the world with the highly reliable, uniform telecommunication quality required of a trading company. It also required a one-stop provider of all IT resources (applications, cloud, on-premise and network services, etc.) that would manage these services and become a business partner.

“It was also important for the provider to coordinate between our staff overseas while mainly working with our project team in Japan to promote this global standardization project. Mitsui is divided into four regions that operate independently. These are The Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Asia/Oceania, and the Far East. Each region requires certain differences in IT infrastructure, but to promote global optimization of our IT infrastructure we sought a solution that would provide consistency throughout the entire company while also allowing close contact between headquarters and local staff,” spoke Mr. Ueda.

After reviewing several vendors from this standpoint, Mitsui chose the total solution proposed by NTT. NTT Global Network Services is a VPN service that runs in 196 countries and connects all Mitsui offices worldwide. It would allow seamless access to Enterprise Cloud and Nexcenter data centers in many countries around the world. Through the partial introduction of NFV*2, the company could convert network appliance functions to services that deliver greater flexibility when expanding business. Moreover, Global Management One would make centralized system operation and monitoring/maintenance possible. These were the reasons Mitsui evaluated NTT highly and determined the company could handle its entire global network while providing unwavering high-quality service.

“Regarding the Project Promotion Team, NTT assigned four project leaders to exclusively work for each of the four regions as well as other personnel to take charge locally. Their staffing plan gave me confidence that Mitsui’s local subsidiaries and our Project HQ could work together at the same pace to carry out our standardization project. Deepening mutual trust and faith in their reliability were other reasons Mitsui mainly choose NTT as its partner,” Mr. Ueda said.

Benefits

Improved operational efficiency and enhanced technology
An infrastructure that supports significant operational reform

Once a new IT infrastructure is built to cover 138 Mitsui & Co., Ltd. offices worldwide, the launching of new businesses and offices will become more feasible and business mobility will be strengthened. Centralization through the customer portal and multi-language support through NTT’s Global Help Desk Service will no doubt help resolve many of the daily concerns of Mitsui employees. In addition to the new IT infrastructure, Mr. Ueda is greatly looking forward to the ability of NTT’s management service to swiftly implement advanced technologies.

In addition to the new IT infrastructure, Mr. Ueda is greatly looking forward to the ability of NTT’s management service to swiftly implement advanced technologies.

“The world of IT is changing so rapidly that new technologies are developed every second. I anticipate that NTT’s management service will operate our new IT infrastructure in a more stable, higher-level condition than our previous system and continually apply cutting-edge technology based on their professional judgment. I look forward to the long-term support of NTT,” said Mr. Ueda.

One specific outcome of the renovation of Mitsui’s IT infrastructure will be “workstyle reform” that seamlessly links all global offices in real time. The current IT infrastructure could only host limited participants in Web conferences between different offices because of disparities in transmission quality and connectivity in each country.

“But now, once you open your laptop in any country, you can instantly connect via Wi-Fi to the world-standard workplace. ID authentication is shared in the unified IT infrastructure. So wherever you are, whether in Tokyo, New York or even Myanmar, if you enter your password, you can join a Web meeting held between offices in different countries, confirm people’s in-or-out-of-office status and share files and images without any stress. The new IT infrastructure will increase the productivity of meetings, improve operation efficiency and accelerate workstyle reform,” Mr. Ueda emphasized.

Mitsui acquired a new business infrastructure. With a new IT infrastructure that seamlessly links all offices globally, it plans to develop new businesses and increase innovation.

*2 Abbreviation for Network Function Virtualization. A network architecture that uses virtualization technology to manage traditional network functions via software on a general-purpose server.

Diagram: Global Communications Infrastructure of Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

Interview

You can see customer testimonial video.

Service

NTT Global Network Services

NTT Global Network Services is a new highly available broadband network that uses low latency submarine cable systems to let enterprises rapidly deploy reliable, low-cost, scalable cloud-based applications and data, across the globe.

Enterprise Cloud

Enterprise Cloud is a secure private cloud service that complements our data center, network and server solutions. We provide a versatile and secure IT cloud infrastructure to support core business applications. A wide range of options are available, including flexible resource provisioning.

Nexcenter

Nexcenter, the next generation data center service from NTT provides world-class quality and full support.

Global Management One

Global Management One provides one-stop and seamless management services for your entire IT ecosystem.

MITSUI & CO., LTD.

Company

MITSUI & CO., LTD.

Revenue: JPY 9,616,821 millions (as of March 31, 2016)

Japan’s leading general trading company that operates businesses around the world centering on six major business domains; metals, machinery & infrastructure, chemicals, energy, lifestyles, and innovation & corporate development.

URL: http://www.mitsui.com/jp/en/