A reptile leather tanner takes on the challenge of developing overseas markets—bringing Japanese technology to the world.Yamamoto Industries Co., Ltd.

Could you tell us what led you to introduce STANDAGE's automated trading service this time?

We operate as a tannery in Japan, specializing in reptile leather. There are only about 20 factories worldwide that specialize in processing materials such as crocodile and snake, and only 6 in Japan. Despite being such a rare industry, Japanese tanneries have not been given much attention in the global market. In order to break through this situation and challenge the overseas market, it is essential to first find customers. However, we felt that there were limitations to what we could do to "find overseas customers" through internal efforts alone.

Therefore, when considering the introduction of an external service, we compared several other companies' services with STANDAGE's "Omakase Trading" service. The biggest deciding factor in choosing "Omakase Trading" was its system of owning its own warehouses and stationing staff overseas. This is because the texture and characteristics of the products we handle are difficult to convey through photographs alone, and it was essential to have an environment where customers could actually hold the products in their hands. In this context, STANDAGE's system, which has logistics bases and can even display actual products overseas, appeared to us as a major attraction that no other company offered.

What exactly did it entail?

Currently, we rely on STANDAGE primarily for support in building connections with overseas customers and disseminating information. For example, they provide extremely detailed support, from marketing using social media such as Instagram, to regular progress meetings, and even daily communication through "Trade Cloud" (STANDAGE's cloud platform that streamlines the entire trade operation).

What I particularly appreciate is the existence of progress meetings. We tend to get caught up in our immediate domestic work, but the communication with STANDAGE provides a "force" to ensure that we dedicate sufficient time to export activities. Thanks to this system, we are able to continuously work on our new challenge of exporting.

What effects have you seen since implementing it?

Sales didn't increase dramatically immediately after implementation. Currently, exports account for less than 101 TP3T of our total sales. However, what we value most right now is "not stopping." We feel that our continuous collaboration with STANDAGE has allowed us to build a solid foundation for exports. Unlike other companies that only provide formal monthly reports, we are experiencing support that exceeds our expectations through daily communication.

What kind of support do you expect from Omakase Trading in the future?

Our ultimate goal is to be recognized as a "world-class tannery." The biggest challenge facing Japanese tanneries is a lack of "recognition, not quality." We produce products that are on par with European brands in terms of quality, but we still lack the PR power to spread that awareness globally.

In this regard, we would like STANDAGE to continue supporting us in building a foundation for our overseas expansion. In the future, we would like to establish agents in each country and create a sales system with strong brand recognition through regular exhibitions and other means. As a first step, together with STANDAGE, we aim to become a world-class Japanese tannery within the next two years.

Comment from Mr. Yamamoto of Yamamoto Industries

This time, for the first time, we have introduced external consulting support in the field of trade. While we have previously collaborated with external companies in the areas of web and PR, most consulting firms only provided monthly reports, and their actual work was limited.

In that respect, a major strength of "Omakase Trade" is its ability to utilize "Trade Cloud" and maintain close daily communication. For companies like ours that are new to exporting, having an environment where we can consult on the spot about things we don't understand is extremely reassuring.

Of course, if they were to provide this level of support to other client companies as well, I'd be worried about the burden on the staff (laughs). Nevertheless, I believe that only STANDAGE could provide such attentive support. They are a trading partner that I can confidently recommend.