NHV Corporation NHV Corporation
Eliminate dependency on specific individuals and standardize operations across the company.
Achieved a 1.5 times increase in the number of quotes and a 10% increase in the sales order amount!
NHV Corporation is a comprehensive manufacturer of electron beam irradiation equipment, providing total support from irradiation testing to equipment installation and after-sales service. As the only manufacturer of electron beam irradiation equipment capable of meeting a wide range of customer needs from low to high energy zones, we respond to needs not only in Japan but also worldwide.
ServAir was introduced as part of a project aimed at building a system that allows everyone to work efficiently. This has enabled centralized information management and standardized workflows, achieving greater efficiency in after-sales service operations.
Industry
Manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service of electron beam irradiation equipment, and electron beam irradiation services (irradiation experiments and contract processing).
Licenses Introduced
- Field Service
- Sales Management
Reason for selection
- The system is being used globally by the Yokogawa Group, providing a sense of security.
- The package is optimized for after-sales service, eliminating the need to develop it from scratch.
- By checking the system in advance during the grand design phase, we were able to visualize what it would look like after the implementation.
Issues that existed before ServAir introduction
- While operations were optimized across departments, there were some areas that were inefficient when viewed company-wide.
- The dependency on specific individuals caused bottlenecks, leading to delays in responding to inquiries.
- There was a lack of a culture or system for sharing information, preventing customer information from being visible company-wide.
Effects of ServAir introduction
- By eliminating the fragmentation and individualization of information, anyone can now quickly access and share necessary information.
- By centralizing product information in a master database, even non-sales staff can now create quotes.
- By streamlining operations, the number of quotes and quote amounts increased by 1.5 to 2 times, resulting in a 10% increase in sales order amount.
Interview
Company-wide business reform driven by After-Sales Service
NHV Corporation
General Manager,
Customer Service Dept.
Project Manager
Mr. Takashi Baba
Our company manages the entire product lifecycle, from new equipment sales negotiations to post-delivery maintenance. We faced the challenge of information being fragmented across departments, which required each department to manage its data for each customer and project.
Furthermore, while each department pursued efficiency improvements under the policy of “shifting from departmental optimization to company-wide optimization,” inefficient operations persisted from an overall optimization perspective. Considering personnel turnover, we felt it necessary to define workflows that all employees, including new hires, could easily follow, and we proceeded with our analysis.
After conducting an analysis of operational and system challenges, we identified numerous areas for improvement, particularly within the after-sales service department. While the sales management system was also considered, we compared the cost-effectiveness and decided to focus first on implementing a core system for after-sales service.
The Grand Design helped to visualize the system implementation
NHV Corporation
System Engineering Gr.,
Accelerator Engineering Dept.
Project Leader
Mr. Shinpei Okuda
ServAir is deployed globally within the YOKOGAWA Group, and its proven track record and reliability were major factors in our decision to adopt it. Moreover, we determined that aligning our operations with ServAir's established standard workflows was more realistic than building our own system from scratch, considering costs, project duration, and operational risks, and would also offer significant long-term benefits.
The grand design phase conducted prior to implementation was extremely effective, as it allowed us to visualize the system configuration and workflow in advance and clearly grasp the overall picture. Sharing a vision of future operations among stakeholders in advance deepened understanding and acceptance of the implementation project, which we believe led to smoother decision-making and internal coordination.
Standardizing processes by having all members consider the overall workflow
NHV Corporation
Customer Service Dept.
Mr. Masanobu Manabe
The most challenging part of implementation was standardizing existing processes from a company-wide perspective, which had been optimized for each department. Members of each department were accustomed to their current work and struggled to understand the need for change.
So we held weekly meetings, listening to everyone's opinions and making decisions one by one. Even after implementation, we continued to discuss issues that arose. While it was challenging for each department leader, I believe it was beneficial that the implementation gave all members an opportunity to gain a broader perspective on the entire operation.
In actual operations, rare cases (irregular cases) inevitably occur, so we continue to discuss how to handle them.
The number of quotes and quote amounts increased, and sales order amounts increased by 10%
NHV Corporation
Information Systems Group
Mr. Taiga Shimizu
Previously, only a few sales staff could create quotes, but with the introduction of ServAir, master data has been streamlined, allowing anyone to create quotes of the same standard. Data from incident information to quotes and orders is seamlessly linked, providing immediate access to necessary information.
A year after implementation, the results are evident in the numbers. The number of quotes and the quote amounts have increased by approximately 1.5 times, and in some cases, even doubled. Sales order amounts have also increased by approximately 10%.
With no major changes in the market environment, we believe that streamlined master data and clarified workflows have enabled members other than sales staff to handle quotes, eliminating dependency on specific individuals, which led to these results.
As the system's benefits became apparent, requests like “we want to do this too” began emerging from the field. However, implementing these requests risks reverting to dependency on specific individuals or departmental optimization. Therefore, careful consideration is required on how to incorporate feedback while ensuring company-wide optimization.
Aiming for further service quality improvement through ServAir utilization
In the future, we plan to integrate the information consolidated in ServAir with other systems, such as RPA and BI tools, to further improve operational efficiency and data utilization. We will also strengthen the use of the data integration tool "ASTERIA," and given the large number of parts, we are considering integrating ServAir with PLM (product lifecycle management).
We also aim to respond to customer inquiries more quickly than ever before. While the number of quotes is increasing, irregular incidents can sometimes slow down our response times, and we will focus on improving this going forward. We plan to continue streamlining master data and expanding parts data to expand the scope of our operations and improve efficiency.
The introduction of ServAir has enabled us to establish a system that connects business processes from after-sales service to upstream processes. Going forward, we aim to further develop this operational integration and extend it to customer touchpoints.
※The information in this case study is as of February 2025.
※Titles, numbers, names, etc. described in this case study are those at the time of publication and may have been changed.
