My name is Nagai, and I am the Vice President, working at the Suo-Oshima satellite office.
This summer was hot in Tokyo, but it was also hot in Suo-Oshima! There were many typhoons and heavy rains, and we really felt the harshness of nature.
Meanwhile, the Suo-Oshima satellite office has also taken another step towards putting down roots in its home prefecture of Yamaguchi. Kawato TPC Co., Ltd., a company located in Kuga, Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, requested that we help them renew their corporate website. In this article, I would like to introduce our first Yamaguchi project, which progressed at a faster pace than we had imagined.
The trigger was the opening ceremony in March
On March 6, 2018, Monosus opened its Suo-Oshima satellite office and officially started operations there. We learned later that Kawato TPC had just been considering renewing their website. The next day, they saw in the newspaper that a website production company had come from Tokyo, and immediately contacted us, which was the beginning of this project.
I spoke with Mr. Fukui, the person in charge, over the phone and decided to visit immediately.
The day after the opening ceremony, they saw an article about us in the Chugoku Shimbun newspaper and contacted us.
Before visiting, I did some research and looked at their corporate website at the time. The website before the renewal was full of a handmade feel, and even reminded me of a small town construction company, with a bit of a nostalgia. However, when I searched for the company's name, it came up again and again. As a quality company, it had received numerous awards and interviews from various media, government agencies, and prefectures!
We have been involved in the creation of many corporate websites for B2B companies, and sometimes we come across examples of corporate websites that are completely inappropriate for the company's actual status.
Maybe Kawato TPC.
It doesn't match the image you get from the website, but it might be an amazing company...
It was an exciting first visit. Moreover, it was my first time working in Yamaguchi Prefecture, so I was feeling both nervous and excited.
As an aside, I've been working in the Internet industry for over 20 years, but this was the first time I've ever driven my car to a workplace. I even searched the internet for tips on how to arrive early, like a new employee, and how to park my car on the premises, in preparation for the day (laughs).
When I visited there on the day, my first impression was that I wanted to create a website for this company!
I probably shouldn't say this too often, but as a creator, I think there are inevitably "companies I like" and "companies I don't like". A corporate website is the face of a company, and it shows the company's image to the world. I want to create a website for a company that I can relate to and find wonderful and likeable. This may be a selfish thought on my part, but I was filled with this feeling from the moment I stepped into the office and had my first meeting.
I was determined to express the atmosphere I felt during that first visit - "a company where everyone is serious about their work and is excited about working" - on our website and let the world know about it.
It was a quick decision, and once it was made, the three and a half months passed in the blink of an eye.
Before the visit, we only had a few minutes to talk on the phone about the important things we wanted to focus on with this renewal, but as you would expect from a company representing Yamaguchi Prefecture, a little online search would bring up a lot of information. Using that information as a reference, we thought, "This is probably the kind of company they are," and "How about this kind of image," and immediately proposed a design for the homepage at our first meeting.
Since we hadn't been able to hear about their requests in detail beforehand, we had been talking to the designer about how even if we got the order, it might be a waste to hear from them again, but they liked it so much that we ended up releasing it with almost no revisions. When I asked them later, they were surprised at how well they knew about the company, even though it was just the first meeting. It was worth the research.
And so, the decision to place an order was made almost immediately, and the corporate website renewal project began in a sudden turn of events. As the project progressed, we also noticed how easy it was to work with.
This is because the entire company is thorough in creating a schedule for each job and completing it exactly as planned. During the project, we received praise such as, "Your work is well-organized, which is very reassuring," and we were highly praised for our work, along with the quality of the site itself.
In both the office and the factory, it's all women, women, women! Nearly 300 women work energetically and efficiently.
In addition, Kawarazaki from the design department and a photographer also came all the way from Tokyo to take the photos for the website. They kindly taught us the features and content we should photograph, even though we didn't know much about the manufacturing process or the machines, and even prepared the things we wanted to photograph in the midst of their busy schedules just before the delivery deadline. We are truly grateful for everyone's kind cooperation.
There were so many things to photograph that I was worried whether I would be able to capture them all within the scheduled shooting date, but with everyone's help, I was able to get all the great photos ahead of schedule.
Mr. Fukui (left) from the Systems Department, who worked with us on the website production for three months despite having other duties, and Mr. Kawarasaki (right) from the Design Department, who came on a business trip from Tokyo to visit us when we took the photos and videos.
After the site is completed
And so, the new corporate website was launched. I recently visited Kawato TPC again to ask how things were going after the launch.
These are the words President Kawado told me at that time.
We want Kawato TPC to be a company that employees can be proud and confident in telling their families, relatives, and friends, "This is the kind of company I work for" and "This is the kind of work I do."
We also want to be a company that our customers can trust to handle their work.
To achieve this, the corporate website should not just be beautiful and in line with the times. We wanted to create a website that would communicate the current strengths of the company and serve as a tool for that purpose, and I think we were able to achieve that.
Yes, every time I visited for a meeting, I felt that everyone worked seriously on their respective jobs, making the most of every minute. At the same time, from the first time I visited, everyone greeted me in a friendly manner, spoke to me whenever they had the chance, and treated me with care, making me feel very comfortable. We would be very happy if you felt that the thoughts of each and every person working at Kawato TPC are expressed on the website.
What we value when creating BtoB websites:
We do not deal in the type of products that will sell if advertised or if they make a good impression. In the case of corporate websites for B2B companies, we believe that the site does not have to be aimed at everyone in the world.
As President Kawado says, we want our employees to be proud and confident when they talk to their family and friends, saying, "I work here." We want our customers and business partners to feel a sense of trust and think, "Ah, this is a company I can trust." We want students who identify with our philosophy and vision to find us as a company they are motivated to work for, thinking, "I want to work here" or "I want to be a part of it."
The ability to honestly, unpretently, and properly convey the true good points of the company to both current stakeholders and to those who may become stakeholders in the future.
This job forced me to take a fresh look at what is important when creating a B2B corporate website.
P.S.: The local economic magazine "Yamaguchi Economic Report" also featured us as our first work in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Thank you for your continued support, Kawato TPC!
Kawato TPC Co., Ltd.
Head Office: 11600-51 Kugamachi, Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, 742-0315
URL: https://www.kwt-tpc.co.jp/
Business Description:
・Planning and manufacturing prefabricated hot and cold water supply units for condominiums, apartments, and other shared housing (over 40% share in the Kanto region)
・A variety of metal processing, including faucet fittings, semiconductor parts, and aircraft parts, with cost performance that rivals overseas, including 24/7 unmanned mass production lines