40-Year-Old Kanagawa IT Firm Nihon Computer Kaihatsu Builds New Model for Philosophy Integration with 'AI President'

THA Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Asako Nishiyama) is pleased to announce the development and implementation of 'NCK AI' for Nihon Computer Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director: Keiji Eguchi), aimed at embedding corporate philosophy and realizing an autonomous organization.

As a new initiative to instill the philosophy the company has cherished for many years throughout the entire organization, they have introduced an AI-powered conversational system. By having employees naturally internalize the company's philosophy and decision-making criteria through dialogue with the AI, the company aims to build an organization where staff can act autonomously.

Overview Nihon Computer Kaihatsu has introduced 'NCK AI' to realize an 'organization that thinks and acts on its own based on its philosophy.'

NCK AI is not merely a tool for operational efficiency; it is a 'side-by-side' AI designed so that employees can naturally understand corporate philosophy and values through daily interaction, utilizing them as a foundation for decision-making.

It is used in a wide range of scenarios, including career counseling, business decision-making, project feedback, and management support, helping to elevate the perspective of leadership and support autonomous decision-making among employees.

About the Implementing Company Established in 1984, Nihon Computer Kaihatsu is an IT company that focuses on proprietary package products and SaaS businesses, such as production management systems and RFID services, while also providing end-to-end network and infrastructure construction.

Since its founding, the company has upheld the management philosophy of: 'Let’s do work that is useful to society.' 'Let’s engage in activities that are useful to society.' 'Let’s become good citizens together with our employees.'

They have grown as a company that contributes to solving social issues through IT technology. Furthermore, based on the concept of 'A future with ICT, anywhere, for anyone,' they aim to realize a society where many companies, regardless of size or region, can benefit from IT.

The company provides unique solutions such as the production management system 'FUSE,' the production planning board 'Freely,' and the RFID service 'FABRIGATE,' supporting the digital transformation (DX) of companies, primarily in the manufacturing sector.

Background and Purpose of Implementation While Nihon Computer Kaihatsu has a deeply rooted culture of valuing its corporate philosophy, the company faced the challenge of 'how to translate that philosophy into daily decision-making and actions' as the organization grew.

Therefore, the company introduced 'NCK AI' as a new initiative to bridge the gap between philosophy and practice.

There are three main objectives for this implementation: 1. Philosophy Integration: By having employees work while interacting with the AI, they naturally acquire the thought processes and decision-making criteria, aiming for the philosophy to be unconsciously integrated into daily operations. 2. Elevating Leadership Perspective: To enable manager-class employees to think and judge from a higher perspective, the AI provides feedback and support for practicing lead management based on NCK's values. 3. Realization of an Autonomous Organization: It supports the creation of an organization where each individual employee can think for themselves about 'how things should be,' make decisions proactively, and take action.

This initiative is positioned not just as a simple use of AI, but as a new organizational development model that simultaneously promotes philosophy integration and AI utilization.

What is 'AI President'? 'AI President' is a corporate-original AI chat service that protects the 'uniqueness' of small and medium-sized enterprises from the risk of homogenization caused by general-purpose AI. - Converts corporate philosophy into living decision criteria: Rather than imitating the past, it embodies the ideal state the company aims for, making abstract corporate philosophy function as concrete decision criteria in daily work. - 'Company-like' responses through a two-layer structure: It integrates internal knowledge search/utilization via RAG technology with the company's values, which have been verbalized through thorough interviews, to realize deep, unique responses that only that company can provide. - 24-hour virtual consultation desk: Employees can ask questions casually from familiar communication tools as if consulting an ideal boss, receiving concrete advice based on corporate philosophy. - Supports sustainable growth for SMEs: Beyond simple efficiency, it functions as a source of employee motivation and emotional support, serving as an AI partner that 'turns philosophy into living decision criteria' while maintaining the company's unique competitive advantage.

Features of the Implemented NCK AI NCK AI is designed as a 'companion' that embodies NCK's philosophy and values. It emphasizes deepening employee thinking through questioning and dialogue rather than unilaterally providing answers.

Key features include: - Conversational AI that embodies the philosophy: It presents decision-making axes through dialogue so that employees can acquire thinking based on the philosophy. - Usable in a wide range of business scenes: - Dialogue about career and 'how to be' - Business judgment and project feedback - Support for creating estimates, project proposals, and business plans - Support for practicing lead management - Consultations regarding human relations and organizational management - Learns NCK's unique knowledge base: - Corporate philosophy and values - Management policy - Lead management methods - Product/service information (FUSE, Freely, FABRIGATE) - Philosophy on employee development - Business processes

Furthermore, it is designed to provide only reliable information without guessing or fabricating, with the premise that the final decision is always made by a human.

[Conversation Examples omitted]

Representative Comments Comment from Keiji Eguchi, Representative Director, Nihon Computer Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. Since our founding, we have walked the path as a company that provides value to society through IT, while cherishing the philosophy of 'Let’s do work that is useful to society,' 'Let’s engage in activities that are useful to society,' and 'Let’s become good citizens together with our employees.'

On the other hand, I feel that as an organization grows, it becomes important not just to post the philosophy as mere words, but to embody it as something living in daily judgments and actions. The introduction of NCK AI is a new challenge to root that philosophy more deeply into the thinking and dialogue of each employee.

By creating an environment where employees can think, judge, and act proactively through dialogue with AI, we aim to become a company where the philosophy naturally breathes as an organizational culture. We do not view AI as a mere tool for efficiency. We position it as an entity that encourages employee growth and evolves the very nature of the organization.

An organization where each individual can judge and act based on philosophy is an organization that can truly provide value to society. NCK intends to continue being a company that creates value with integrity while growing in both human and technological aspects.

Comment from Asako Nishiyama, Representative Director, THA Inc. What impressed me most during my interviews with President Eguchi was the phrase, 'Achieving results is not management.' Nurturing the 'way of being' and taking the time to cultivate it makes an organization resilient. I feel this way of thinking is truly rare in today's era, which tends to chase short-term results.

In designing NCK AI, the most important thing was to deepen the thinking of employees through 'essential questioning.' When an employee asks, 'I want to do this estimate this way,' instead of simply returning the correct answer, the AI asks, 'What is the purpose of making this estimate in the first place?' or 'Is it truly valuable to the customer?' While responding to specific business consultations, we also think together about the 'way of being' at the root. I poured all my efforts into imbuing the AI with that style of dialogue that faces employees every day.

Forty years of upholding the philosophy of 'Let’s do work that is useful to society.' I am convinced that this AI will function in a true sense precisely because it is a company where those words are not just a slogan, but are alive in the judgments and actions of every employee. Nothing would make me happier than if NCK AI could become one of the triggers for employees to 'think about their own way of being.'

Corporate Information [About Nihon Computer Kaihatsu Co., Ltd.] Address: Niko Building 3F, 2-4-8 Chuo, Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture, 243-0432 Website: https://www.nck-tky.co.jp/

[About THA Inc.] Under the vision of 'The strongest strengthening magic for the heroes who support Japan,' THA Inc. provides various IT and creative technologies, centered on AI technology, to support corporate performance improvement. Since the start of service in August 2023, it has accumulated a wealth of implementation experience and know-how. AI President Service Page: https://ai-syacho.com/

Contact: THA Inc. Public Relations Department Email: info@tha-inc.com URL: https://tha-inc.com/ For details on the service or for companies considering implementation, please contact us at the above address.