Corporate
Profile

[Company strength]
Very few construction consultancy firms in Japan specialize in snow control measures, so our company has become valuable. We were founded in Hokkaido, and we made snowstorm countermeasures into our strength. Our method of conducting field observations before the design process has earned customer trust. We are a technology-based company, so our employees are encouraged to obtain qualifications. We already have 10 certified technicians, and this trend is helping us to enhance our technological capabilities. Our strong technological partnerships with universities have resulted in many joint projects. Our partners have included Hokkaido University, Tohoku University, Nagoya University, Hokkaido University of Science, Chiba University, and Niigata Institute of Technology. We have sent our directors to a number of academic organizations for academic meetings, including the Japanese Society of Snow and Ice, and Japan Society of Snow Engineering. 

[Business description]
Our company offers construction consultancy services specifically relating to snow control. We especially excel at designing snow protection measures for road construction. We recently offered snow control measures for an extension of the Shinkansen bullet train line and snow protection measures for overseas railway construction. There is also an increasing demand for snow protection measures for high-rise buildings. 

[Industry]
Other civil engineering and construction services; construction consultancy

[Strength of products/technologies]
Our strength lies in numerical simulation technology. We take pride in the fact that we have the best numerical simulation service for snowstorms and avalanches, among other snow kinds of damage. We also developed simulation technology for the snow accretion associated with snowfall in warm areas. We develop and sell mobile observation vehicles for snowstorm observation, and created and published a database using observation data released from the Meteorological Agency. We are also dedicated developing new technologies, such as an avalanche observation system (with a microbarometer) and drone observation of avalanche sites. 

[Representative's message]
Climate change in recent years has resulted in our starting to see snowfall in unexpected places both in Japan and overseas. I feel that the snow protection technology we have accumulated in Hokkaido will increasingly be in demand in other places. Snow control measures seem to be particularly vital for economic development in countries of the former Soviet Union. Our technology will also be useful in protection and moving measures for sand associated with desertification. This feeling has grown stronger after we have had the good fortune to be able to work overseas. I believe that constant improvement is a requirement for a technology-based company like ours. We intend to contribute to society by enhancing our technological capabilities. 

[Company structure for market development/overseas expansion]
There are 5 sales representatives in the operations department under a director in charge of operations, and they try to cultivate new markets. The technology department is involved in consignment business, but they are also cultivating markets from a technology point of view. The overseas operations mentioned above are also dependent on the director who oversees these operations and the technology department. Russia seems to be a promising market for our snow business, so we have recruited Russian workers, and we are trying to promote the globalization of our company. 

[Market share/Ranking]
Our service is the only simulation of its kind in the world that is commercially available. 

[Awards and media coverage]
[Awards]
Commendation for merit in preparing numerical simulation of snowstorms (2014), and in helping with revision of the “Roadside Snowstorm Manual” (2011) by the Public Works Research Institute, and so on.

[Media]
STV Radio, “Bosai Kyoshitsu” (December 17, 2014; November 27 and December 25, 2013).


[Authorization/Certification]
Construction consultant (7457); surveying company (29018).

[Joint research and development]
Our granted patents include Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-021029 (Disaster Prevention System, Evacuation State Monitoring Device, Evacuation Shelter and Program, and one more item. 

[Main Clients / Business History (domestic)]
Hokkaido Development Agency Construction Departments (design of snow protection measures); Hokkaido (design of snow protection measures); Public Works Research Institute, Civil Engineering Research Laboratory (development and enhancement of snowstorm numerical simulation); Japan Weather Association (system maintenance); and many major contractors and major construction consultancy firms.

[Main Clients / Business History (overseas)]
We conducted a study on snow protection measures for an overseas railway in a foreign country through a major construction consultancy firm.