Nulogy Partners

アメリカ・ニューヨーク出身のモリス・リンです。20年間中国をはじめ、アジアの様々な国で物流管理ソフトウェアの仕事をしてきました。私が家族と日本に来たのはちょうど新型コロナウィルス感染症が拡がり始めた頃で、1ヵ月程度で中国へ帰る予定でした。しかし、コロナ禍で日本から動けなくなってしまったので、逆にその状況を活かそうと考えたんです。

－ Could you tell us your name, where you’re from as well as some background information leading up to the founding of your company?
My name is Maurice Lyn, and I am from New York, U.S. For the past 20 years, I have been working in various environments in China and other Asian countries, mainly focusing on supply chain logistics software. My family and I came to Japan just as the coronavirus was starting to spread. We were planning to return to China about a month after we arrived, but the coronavirus meant that we were stuck in Japan, so we decided to make the most of it.

世界各国で物流を管理するソフトウェア「Nulogy」の代理販売です。
Nulogyは現在50カ国・5言語でサービスを展開していて、世界的な大手企業でも使われています。日本でもいくつか有力な企業と話し合いを始めているところです。
特に日本では流通のデジタル化が急務です。コロナ禍により、現場での管理が難しい場合は、遠隔で物流を監視する必要があります。また、集計や分析についても、未だに紙やエクセルの手作業で行われている現場も多く、とても非効率です。

当社では、お客様の課題をどうやって解決していくのか一緒に話し合い、サービスを選んでいただけるようにしています。実際に、Nulogyを使っているほとんどのお客様の収益が、初年度で5%から8%、3年で最大38%までアップしているんです。

－ Could you tell us about your current business?
We represent Nulogy, the key to integrating software and supply chains around the world, which is one of the most innovative solutions for contract packaging and manufacturing according to market research by the IT consultancy Gartner.
Nulogy is currently available in 50 countries and five languages, and it works with the world's leading 3PLs and major 3P brands. We have also started discussions with several leading companies in Japan. In Asia, particularly Japan, product-market fit is currently very high, and it is important to digitalize the supply chain. We must be able to see how the logistics are working remotely because we can't go on site and solve the problem ourselves. In addition, since the aggregation of work in the supply chain is done manually, either on paper or using Excel, there is no way to capture the data, and it is impossible to improve the efficiency of the system as it is.
I looked at the Japanese market and thought, "How can we establish something that works in Japan?”
Now we are focusing on clients who need our solutions. With these clients, we discuss the problems they may have and how we can solve them. We show them a product, and if it is a good product, we give them actual proof on how it can benefit them.
In fact, most of the clients who use our software see a 5-8% increase in profitability in the first year. Usually this rises to 20%, but we have seen increases of up to 38% in the last three years.
This is how we meet clients who need solution strategies, find out how to please them, get them interested, and get them to make decisions.

日本では、こちらが商品をプレゼンしてから検討に時間がかかるんです。しかし、一度契約を決めたら必ず守ってくれるのでとても誠実だと思います。
私が長くいた中国では考え方が違います。例えば、ビジネスであなたが私を裏切ったとします。裏切ったのはあなたでも、それはあなたを信用した私の責任、そんな考え方です。もちろん、皆がそうというわけではありませんが、日本のビジネスに慣れてしまうと中国に戻るのは大変ですよ。

－ Have there been any advantages to creating your start-up in Japan?
Yes. The word that best describes Japan is "sincerity." In Japan, when making a deal, even if you say "Okay, let's sell this," Japanese people respond with, "What is this? I might have something similar." It takes time for them to accept it. However, if they accept it once, they will always accept it. In other words, once you sign a contract, it is a real one.
On the other hand, in China, suppose I trust you and you betray me. That's my fault, I shouldn't have trusted you. It's a different way of thinking.
Of course, this is not the case with all people and companies in China. However, once you understand the lifestyle and pace of business in Japan and get used to working there, it is very difficult to return to China.

コロナ禍以前は、簡単に人と会って話せましたが、今は会社側が対面のミーティングを控えているので難しいですね。さらに言葉の問題もありましたが、最近になって日本語も少しずつ話せるようになってきました。

－ How has COVID-19 impacted your business?
Before COVID 19, it was easy to meet with and talk to people, but now company regulations have made it more difficult. People are afraid to meet with those they haven't done business with yet. The other problem is the language. However, my Japanese is slowly getting better as I have been able to speak a little more recently.

スタッフの皆さんが起業する時にサポートしてくれました。そして、起業した今でもサポートしていただいています。これは自慢ですが、昨年は日本語で税金を納めることができました。皆さんのお陰ですね。

－ What has been your experience using Assista?
The staff was very supportive and helpful. Even after starting my business, everyone helped me. I'm proud to say that I paid my taxes last year, in Japanese, all by myself!

会社を拡大し、日本でさらに多くのサービスを提供していきます。コロナ禍によって、日本の旧態依然としたシステムの問題が浮き彫りになりましたが、同時にデジタル時代へのアップデートの必要性がようやく理解されたのではないかと感じています。Nulogyは導入の費用もそこまでではなく、非常に効果的なソフトウェアだと思います。

－ What are your future business plans?
We are planning to expand our company and offer more services to the Japanese market. The systems used in Japan are very old, and with the pandemic, there is a movement toward understanding the need for an upgrade. In that respect, Nulogy is not that expensive and is a very effective technology.

起業家の皆さん、忍耐が大事です。日本の友人が「日本でのビジネスはココナッツのようなものだ」と教えてくれました。割るのがとても難しいけれど、割ることができれば中にはたくさんのココナッツミルクが入っている、と。つまり、日本の方々との関係は、一度築けば長続きするということです。簡単なことではありませんが、忍耐強く時間をかけて価値のあるビジネスを提供することができれば、誰かが必要としてくれますよ。

－ Message from the entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs, be patient. A Japanese friend of mine shared the following analogy with me: "Business in Japan is like coconuts." They are hard to find and very difficult to crack. However, if you can crack it, there is a lot of coconut milk inside. So, on a positive note, partnerships with Japanese companies and people can last a long time once they are established. It is not that easy, but if you are patient and take your time, you can create a business that improves something, and then someone will find you.

アシ☆スタでは起業を目指す方、起業間もない方、第二創業を目指す方に向けた無料の相談窓口を開設しております。宮城県で起業を検討されている方はお気軽にご相談ください。
また、法人設立をお考えの方は「仙台市開業ワンストップセンター」で法人や会社の設立をサポートいたします。詳しくはこちらのページをご覧ください。

－ Message from the Assista
Free consultation is available for people wants to start a business, has started a business and the second founding in Miyagi. Please feel free to contact us.
Also, Assista supports the establishment of a company and corporation at the Sendai One-Stop Business Establishment Center. For more details, please check here.