Key Developers' Vision for a Future with ConSite

With ConSite, the landscape of our customers' sites, and consequently society, is changing. The two people leading the development discussed the past, present, and future of ConSite.

Iwasaki: Before ConSite was developed, what we had in mind was to expand our parts service business, which we offer domestically, to overseas as well. This was around 2010.  However, it was difficult to instruct service personnel worldwide to visit customers, so we aimed for full automation of service sales. But at that time, it was before the current AI boom, and the development of apps and the use of big data were not progressing well. There was no precedents,and we had no choice but to develop everything by ourselves.

Tsukui: At that time, our company was not investing that much in IT, and above all, it was impossible to utilize massive data. in 2013, when ConSite was launched in Japan, I was in the construction machinery development department, so I had a feeling of "What is that?" and I was doubtful whether ConSite could be effectively utilized or not. For example, failure prediction is based on statistical data, so there are times when the prediction does not come true. However, if this continues, the credibility of failure predictions will decrease. In addition, perhaps because the benefits of using ConSite were not properly communicated, when I asked others about it on site, I was told "We don't use such a thing", so I think the members in charge at the start of the launch must have struggled a lot.

Iwasaki: The turning point was probably when the idea that changing existing business processes and flows is a shortcut to improve productivity permeated as the digitalization of the world progressed.

The "good experience" of our customers enhances value

Tsukui: Rather than generating revenue solely through ConSite as a solution, our aim is to support dealers within our parts service business. If dealers can provide a good experience to customers through ConSite, such as improving efficiency and creating profits, customers will be pleased and the recognition of ConSite will also increase. We are aiming to develop such a value chain.

Iwasaki: Indeed, ConSite is not a business model that offers an app to end users, saying," This is an app that provides machine information, and you can use it for a certain amount per month." Therefore, it was a struggle for me to convince the company.
ConSite is focused on providing high-quality services for machine preventive maintenance, with the intention of leading to parts sales and the like. Specifically, if we know that the oil change is due next month, we can predict how much we can sell next month, and if we are not reaching our goal, we can achieve it by putting effort into sales. That's how I convinced the company.
Machines don't breakdown easily if they are properly maintained. With ConSite, the system automatically monitors for us, so the machines don't breakdown, leading to effective use of human resources and strict adherence to construction periods. Customers pay for ConSite, because they can expect such value, and that creates a WIN-WIN situation for both our customers and our company.

Tsukui: Some may argue that if our machines become less prone to breakdown, our company will stop making profits. However, that is not the case. Reducing lifecycle costs is a significant attraction for customers, and the reliability of Hitachi Construction Machinery increases as our machines become less prone to breakdown. If we can effectively communicate this and gain understanding, customers will buy our machines next time as well, and we can build a stronger relationship with them. You could say that ConSite aims for that.

Ideally, Why Hitachi Construction Machinery's products?
Because, it has ConSite

Iwasaki: The other day, our company hosted the "Customer Support Global Conference" for the first time in 4 years. Compared to 4 years ago, there has been an increase in specific requests related to ConSite. I believe this indicates that ConSite has become more widely used and accepted.
Going forward, we must aim to be the number one in our field by providing services that leverage the strengths of our data, which is our greatest asset. To achieve this, I believe we should not be bound by existing common sense, but rather, we should approach it with the intention of changing it.

Tsukui: Within our company, various departments such as sales promotion and customer support are increasingly collaborating and utilizing ConSite. In the future, as digitalization progresses further, the way we do business in machinery will change from new car sales to rentals, and even further to leasing and sharing. ConSite may also evolve into service solution that takes into account these changing times.
Moreover, monitoring the operation status with ConSite and understanding when parts need to be replaced contributes to solving social issues, such as carbon neutrality and a circular economy. If our customers have good experiences with ConSite, our business opportunities will expand and the value we can offer to the world will increase. Ultimately, the ideal would be for customers to think, "I want Hitachi Construction Machinery because there is ConSite."

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