Capital and Business Alliance Between JR East Japan Consultants Co., Ltd. and Malme Inc.

Malme Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director/CEO: Yu Takatori; hereinafter "Malme") has entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with JR East Japan Consultants Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Makoto Saito; hereinafter "JRC").

Under this partnership, the two companies will combine JRC’s technical expertise in railway, social infrastructure, and information solutions with Malme’s DX and AI data platform technologies in the construction and civil engineering fields to jointly develop and commercialize AI-driven infrastructure DX solutions.

Photo left: Makoto Saito, President and Representative Director of JRC; Photo right: Yu Takatori, Representative Director/CEO of Malme

1. Background of the Alliance

The civil engineering and infrastructure sectors are facing structural challenges such as labor shortages, difficulties in technical succession, and increasing maintenance burdens. To improve productivity and ensure quality, there is a growing demand for automation and enhancement of work processes through digital technologies like AI.

2. Scope of Collaboration

The two companies will integrate JRC’s expertise in railway and social infrastructure design into Malme’s data management platform for civil engineers, leveraging AI to enhance and streamline design workflows.

Specifically, the collaboration aims to achieve the following:

- Prevent errors and rework in drawings and calculation documents
- Improve automatic classification, searchability, and reusability of drawings
- Digitize document creation, review, and management processes

The goal is to create an environment where engineers can focus on higher-value tasks.

A key feature of this initiative is the use of AI to automate and enhance traditionally manual processes such as design document management and review, thereby reducing workloads and improving accuracy.

3. Future Outlook

The collaboration’s outcomes will first be demonstrated within JRC’s own operations, with practical implementation rolled out gradually as effectiveness is verified. Based on these results, the two companies plan to widely expand the solution to civil engineering design firms, construction companies, and infrastructure managers (including local governments and railway operators).

Additionally, the partnership will include personnel exchanges and joint technology development, leveraging each company’s strengths to address societal challenges in the civil engineering and infrastructure sectors.

Company Overview

■ JR East Japan Consultants Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: 1-1-1 Nishishinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Representative: President and Representative Director Makoto Saito
Business Activities: Civil engineering design, maintenance services, ICT-related operations, and more
Established: 1989
URL: https://www.jrc.jregroup.ne.jp/

■ Malme Inc.
Headquarters: 2-6-1 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Representative Director Yu Takatori (CEO)
Business Activities: Providing AI solutions utilizing construction DX technology
Established: 2021
URL: https://www.malme.net/