Nareru Group's Contract and National Construction Human Resources Association Sign Business Partnership Agreement with BRANU

Contract Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kosuke Seagoh; hereinafter "Contract") and the General Incorporated Association National Construction Human Resources Association (Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Minoru Okano; hereinafter "Zenken"), group companies of Nareru Group Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Naoki Shibata; hereinafter "our company"), have entered into a business partnership agreement with BRANU Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Tatsuya Nafu; Stock Code: 460A; hereinafter "BRANU"), which operates a construction DX platform business. This partnership aims to resolve labor shortages and improve productivity at construction sites by mutually referring clients, leveraging both parties' customer bases, and will commence service provision from July 1, 2026.

■ Background of This Partnership

The Japanese construction industry is currently facing structural labor shortages due to the full-scale implementation of the "2024 Problem" leading to restrictions on working hours, as well as severe aging of the workforce and a decrease in young entrants. To improve this situation, it is essential to have both "work efficiency improvement (DX)" through technology and sustainable "human resource acquisition." However, small and medium-sized construction companies are experiencing increasingly severe chronic labor and resource shortages, while simultaneously lacking the time and resources for recruiting and training DX personnel or for DX implementation itself.

Our company has supported the operations of many construction sites through our group's dispatch and introduction services for highly skilled construction managers and skilled laborers (hereinafter "craftsmen") with specialized and technical expertise. Furthermore, through the direct recruiting service "Craftsman Scout," Contract and Zenken have been aiming to resolve the shortage of craftsmen who form the core of construction sites. Moving forward, we were considering partners to further expand the provision of our services to small and medium-sized construction companies nationwide struggling with labor shortages.

Meanwhile, since its inception, BRANU has been a leader in the digitalization of the industry by providing "CAREECON," a matching site specializing in small and medium-sized construction companies, and "CAREECON Plus," an integrated business tool that centralizes everything from marketing to construction and management. In particular, they have accumulated extensive experience and know-how in supporting the recruitment domain for small and medium-sized construction companies, from marketing utilizing websites and recruitment branding to post-hire retention support. As they accelerated support for their clients, it became clear that many companies were facing not only the fundamental problem of labor shortages but also the intrinsic challenge of lagging digitalization.

This confluence of the strengths of both companies and societal needs led to the business partnership agreement between Contract and Zenken, who have been introducing and dispatching craftsmen and technicians supporting construction sites, and BRANU, who has been supporting the digitalization of small and medium-sized construction companies through its systems. This partnership will enable support that leverages the strengths of both parties to address the two major challenges faced by small and medium-sized construction companies: "labor shortages" and "lagging digitalization."

Furthermore, Nareru Group, which includes Contract and Zenken, positions the craftsman introduction business as one of its growth areas in its medium-term management plan "Change and Growth 2030," and this partnership is part of those efforts.

■ Details of This Partnership

As a specific initiative under this partnership, BRANU's sales department will first be able to sell "Craftsman Scout," operated by Contract and Zenken, to its existing customers. This will allow BRANU's existing customers to directly approach the numerous excellent construction industry professionals registered on "Craftsman Scout." Additionally, once a hiring is confirmed, BRANU will provide pre-training on the operation of "CAREECON Plus," making these new hires expected to contribute as DX personnel.

Furthermore, Contract and Zenken will sell BRANU's construction DX solution "CAREECON Plus" and BRANU's owned media construction service to their existing customers. This will enable the creation of new owned media to strengthen corporate branding and acquire new projects, thereby providing BRANU's construction DX solutions to Contract and Zenken's customers.

■ Future Outlook

Service provision through mutual collaboration between the two companies will begin on July 1, 2026. Through this partnership, the challenges of "securing human resources" and "improving productivity" faced by small and medium-sized construction companies can be resolved in a one-stop manner.

Contract and Zenken will propose "CAREECON Plus" to their existing customers. Meanwhile, BRANU will promote "Craftsman Scout," focusing on its existing customers who are expected to have challenges with recruitment and securing human resources. By combining support for securing human resources with the creation of an environment where "CAREECON Plus" can be utilized after hiring, we will support the early integration of human resources into the workforce and improve operational efficiency for small and medium-sized construction companies.

For small and medium-sized construction companies, securing human resources and improving operational efficiency are not separate issues but integrated management challenges directly linked to business continuity and growth. It is becoming increasingly important not only to hire personnel but also to create a work environment where hired personnel can easily demonstrate their abilities on-site and to establish a system that allows stable business operations even with limited staff.

Our group is promoting the construction of a construction human resource platform that combines "human resources" and "technology" based on this understanding of the challenges, and this partnership is positioned as part of the efforts to realize it.

Nareru Group and BRANU will strive to maximize both companies' customer bases and continue to collaborate in solving human resource challenges in construction sites, aiming to create new added value for construction companies nationwide.

■ Representative Comments

Naoki Shibata, Representative Director, Nareru Group Inc.

Nareru Group has set the expansion of the craftsman introduction business as one of the growth strategies in its medium-term management plan "Change and Growth 2030." We are also promoting the construction of a construction human resource database, including a craftsman network, by leveraging Nareru Group's unique customer and human resource base. This partnership with BRANU has been realized as one of the important measures to strengthen this craftsman introduction business and materialize the construction human resource platform concept, thereby accelerating our company's further growth.

By combining BRANU's construction DX solution "CAREECON Plus" with our group's construction industry-specific direct recruiting service "Craftsman Scout" and their respective job seeker databases, we will support the resolution of labor shortages and operational efficiency challenges faced by small and medium-sized construction companies. We also believe this will lead to the expansion of our platform and further growth in the craftsman introduction business.

We will continue to contribute to the development of the entire construction industry by combining the strengths of both companies.

Tatsuya Nafu, Representative Director, BRANU Inc.

The construction industry is currently facing major structural challenges such as labor shortages and an aging workforce. While it is crucial to improve operational efficiency through AI and create systems that allow sites and management to run with fewer people, the driving force for advancing the industry has always been the power of "people" who support the sites. AI is not meant to replace people, but to expand human potential.