Business Overview 4. DX Regional Collaboration Project Signpost's DX and Regional Collaboration Project started in March 2022 with the establishment of the DX and Regional Collaboration Division. It aims to provide products and services that contribute to regional collaboration by collaborating with local financial institutions nationwide, utilizing its own DX technology and open innovation. In August 2022, it began working with Oita Made Co., Ltd., which was established with the investment of multiple companies in Oita Prefecture, including Oita Bank, to sell original products made in Oita Prefecture to both domestic and overseas markets and to match local companies and Signpost's products and services in order to promote the revitalization of Oita Prefecture's economy. In addition, in April 2024, it started offering DX support services for medium-sized and small businesses. As the first effort, it supports the creation of DX declaration by (The) Fourth Hokuriku Bank, Ltd. (Niigata City, Niigata Prefecture) to deploy DX declaration support services to the market. Furthermore, it will realize new solutions by commercializing its own technology and open innovation and promote regional collaboration through innovation.
(1) Property service support business.
In Papa Nets' main business, the "Management Support Business", they aim to provide a wide range of services to their clients such as "Regular Building Inspection Service," "Rental Container Inspection Service," and "Monthly Apartment Support Service." They aim to meet the broad demands of their clients and provide these services.
When the company receives orders from their clients for "Regular Building Inspection Service" or "Rental Container Inspection Service", the company requests their partner business to carry out the inspections, patrols, and cleaning. After the job is completed, the partner creates a report and then reports back to Papa Nets. Similarly, when the company receives orders from their clients for the Monthly Apartment Service, they request the partner to carry out the cleaning task of the client's property, sales/rental/delivery of bedding/furniture/electronic appliances, sales/delivery of goods, etc., and receive a report from the partner. To streamline this flow from the inspections to the report, Papa Nets has developed their own real estate inspection report cloud system "Jun-kun." By using the mobile information terminal with the software installed, they can easily conduct inspections following the checklist displayed on their tablet. By recording necessary points such as taking photos, these data are used to automatically create the report submitted to the client. The client's real estate management company can view it anytime through the web. Moreover, as details such as the model number, quantity, and location of the consumption items such as light bulbs are displayed in each section, centralized management of detailed information is also possible.
In their efforts to streamline the inspection and cleaning process, Papa Nets has developed their unique real estate inspection report cloud system "Jun-kun." Inspections are conducted by following the checklist displayed on the tablet device using the proprietary software. Necessary points are recorded, including taking photos to facilitate automatic report generation for submission to their clients. This enables the real estate management company to view the report at any time through the internet, and to manage multiple breakdowns of various information such as replacement location and quantity of items, etc. efficiently.
(a) Regular Building Inspection Service
The service involves conducting regular inspections and daily cleaning of shared spaces for real estate properties managed by the company. Reports are submitted to the client. By utilizing "Jun-kun," inspection reports can be generated quickly without using paper, and this service can be outsourced to partners in areas where the company does not have a branch office, enabling them to receive orders from clients nationwide.
(b) Rental Container Inspection Service
This service involves conducting regular inspections and cleaning of rental containers and trunk rooms. After each job is completed, a report is generated and submitted to the operator company in charge of rental containers and trunk rooms. In addition to regular inspections and cleaning, they have also accepted additional orders for the repair of defects that occur in the individual compartments of the container and trunk.
(c) Monthly Apartment Support Service
The company provides a service that includes the sale and installation of furniture, electrical appliances, and other equipment, as well as cleaning and temporary storage of furniture, electrical appliances, and other equipment for clients who operate monthly rental apartments or furnished rental properties. They also sell and rent bedding to tenants who use monthly rental apartments on a regular basis. After the tenant has finished using the rented bedding, it is collected, cleaned, and then rented again.
(2) Interior Total Support Business
They have received orders from their clients for furniture, interior goods, office equipment, etc. and are in charge of the entire process from procurement to delivery and installation. When receiving orders for the delivery of large commercial goods from clients, the company entrusts shipping, unpacking, assembling, and installation to logistics companies nationwide through their nationwide two-man delivery network service "Papa Net." When they receive orders for the delivery of goods, such as furniture and electrical appliances, the company handles the procurement, and then requests the contracted partner to deliver the goods, create the living space, etc. in their company's name. When they receive orders regarding curtain and blind-related products, the company handles the procurement of the products and then requests the contracted partner to deliver, arrange, and maintain items including curtains, blinds, and more. When receiving orders involving the procurement of materials, the company purchases materials such as wood then delivers them to the client's desired location.
(a) Nationwide Two-Man Delivery Network Service "Papa Net"
By utilizing their nationwide two-man delivery network service "Papa Net", Papa Nets delivers, unpacks, assembles and installs commercial goods such as furniture, interior goods, and office equipment that are precisely what their clients have ordered. Conventionally, the logistics companies individually delivered large commercial goods such as furniture and electrical appliances, which the management company then had to accompany during delivery. By using "Papa Net", the client does not need to be present during delivery, thus saving them time and effort.
The company has established a "Papa Net Order Center" and entrusted logistic services for packaging, shipping, and delivery of goods to customers to logistics companies affiliated with Papa Net in various regions. Differentiating itself from other delivery companies by taking on all processes from delivery to assembly and installation.
(b) Interior coordination service
House makers and real estate management companies sell interior accessories when creating spaces for viewing new/used/rental properties. They are responsible not only for showrooms such as housing showrooms/townhouse showrooms but also for home staging, and even coordinating showrooms. They also plan marketing events such as sales meetings and interior fairs through collaborating with each maker.
(c) Curtain/blind maintenance service
They perform curtain rail maintenance and blind replacement upon requests from customers who have already purchased houses and other properties from housmakers. They also respond to on-site inspections and measurement surveys for any properties such as houses and stores on behalf of curtain makers and stores.
(d) Interior material procurement service
They handle sawing and sales of domestically sourced wood materials from raw logs and offer high-quality wood materials has been provided from wood production areas throughout Japan for interior makers.
(3) Other
In addition to renting real estate, they also rent storage spaces. The company has office buildings (including land) in Saitama Prefecture, owns a warehouse (Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture), a rental apartment (Kitakatsushika-gun, Saitama Prefecture), and a trunk room (Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture), and the portion of the office building has been used as their own office and the remaining space has been rented as real estate.
(Reported by FISCO guest analyst Hiroshi Nakayama)