Accurately discerning changing times and leading the automotive industry through a service-driven transformation
We are pleased to introduce a senior expert who, in his capacity as a consultant, is working to strengthen the competitiveness of the Japanese automotive industry as a whole, drawing on his extensive experience in managing new business for an automobile manufacturer.
Accurately discerning changing times and leading the automotive industry through a service-driven transformation
Experiences in ABeam ~ Impressive Project~
The era of service solution expansion through CASE, MaaS, and DX x CX
In recent years, the automotive industry has undergone a period of transformation that has been nothing short of revolutionary This can be largely summed up in three keywords: "CASE",*1 "MaaS",*2 and DX x CX.
Although ABeam's Automotive & Manufacturing Business Unit, to which I belong, has a wealth of experience in supporting the manufacturing industry and MaaS, I feel that there is room for further development in the areas of CASE and DX x CX. In order to develop a vision for the future together with automakers, I also believe it is essential to have the conceptual ability it takes to see the automotive industry from a broad perspective as providing service, rather than just products.
I am currently working with our client, an automobile manufacturer, on a challenging project to reimagine the ideal form of automobile sales. At the same time, I am also engaged in building a business model and an overall conceptual approach to be taken by ABeam's consulting service business for the next generation of the automobile industry. I believe that we need to work to extend the track record and client trust that ABeam has established up to now in the field of automotive development and manufacturing for the next generation, and to further strengthen the foundation of our business.
Specifically, the question is how to predict the future after sorting out social issues and corporate issues, and how to improve the business while carrying out new initiatives. We need to optimize and comprehensively link up the customer-in philosophy. In a broad sense, this means asking what each of us should do for the sustenance and development of mankind, and in a narrow sense, it boils down to the question of what will delight our customers. I feel that what we really need is to gather as much outside information as possible, and to generate unparalleled insights while avoiding getting caught up in the currents and surrounding distractions.
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*1. CASE
Short for connected (i.e., communicative capabilities), autonomous (automated driving), shared & services, and electric, this acronym indicates changes in automotive technology and usage.*2. MaaS: mobility as a service.
A generic term for a variety of next-generation mobility services based on the automobile.
Why ABeam ?
Giving back to the automotive industry as a whole through our experience with automakers
ABeam is the first consulting firm I have experienced. Here I have been working on a great variety of themes and issues beyond my capacity as an engineer at the automakers I have worked for. Looking back on those days, I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to work on themes considered cutting-edge at the time. Specifically, I have led the construction of the new Model-Based Development (MBD) design method, CASE planning, online sales, next-generation connected-related business planning, data platform construction, and DX measures to further strengthen customer contact points. As my career has shown, the current automotive revolution requires people with multifaceted perspectives, not only in the technical aspects of the automobile itself, but also in marketing, business planning, etc. Of course, the overall strength of the automobile's technology and supply chain is still extremely important.
I decided to join ABeam because I wanted to give back some of my experience and career not only to a specific automaker, but also to the development of the Japanese automotive industry as a whole. I decided to join ABeam because I was convinced that ABeam, a Japan-based general consulting firm, could provide support to strengthen the competitiveness of the automotive industry, which has been undergoing a major revolution.
Future ~Growth Story~
Becoming a consultant who can propose not only solutions to problems, but also strategic steps for the future
I have had discussions with many consultants since my days as an automobile manufacturer, but now that my position has reversed, I see myself as a consultant who is required to be close to automobile manufacturers to understand and respond to underlying issues that the clients themselves have not been able to verbalize.
In addition, clients are looking for solutions and realizations to their emerging issues, and I work with the desire to provide added value to open up a new era in the automotive industry. Of course, it is ultimately up to the client automakers to decide whether or not to adopt such a system. As a consultant, however, I would like to be a co-creation partner with a view to the development of society through the resolution of the client company's issues.
In the past, I have been involved in a wide variety of projects, from large national-level projects to small department-level projects. As the leader of a new project, I have always kept in mind the question of whether I could confidently decide to go ahead with a project after discerning the changing times and asking myself whether it should be advanced. Upon doing so, I believe it is important to then prioritize projects according to whether they can contribute to the future.
As a consultant, I will strive to accurately grasp the changing times in the automotive industry and contribute to the growth of society and our clients.