Case Study Interview: Responding to limited express certification for radio law (technical) certification for advanced ICT equipment, which is rapidly increasing demand due to corona disasters

Hello. It is a hori of the manager.

This time, I will write an interview article and the second article to the company that we acted for certification.

The customer who will take up has contracted immediately after contacting us because it is originally in a hurry, and started authentication, but honestly I have the impression that you have experienced all the difficult parts of radio law authentication.

Even so, president Ohara-sama patiently and very cooperatively responded, and managed to finish the certification.

When I finished the difficult part, Mr. Ohara said that it was a great learning experience, and he was willing to respond to the interview. I think that there is a part that I am helpful to the reader, and I publish it.

Requester

Contrast Co., Ltd.
Mr. Masahiro Ohara, Representative Director

Interview: INSIGHT WORKS Co., Ltd. Hori

Contrast Co., Ltd. Business Description

■Planning, production, directing and operation of various events and campaigns

■ Casting in various event management and progression

■Planning, production and LIVE distribution of video

■Planning, development and production of various promotional tools
■Web planning, production and management

Quoted from Contrast Co., Ltd. website
Official website: https://cont-rast.com/

A company that comprehensively produces "planning, production, and operation centered on events and campaigns" starting from Kansai. We are able to respond not only to Kansai but also on a nationwide scale. Despite being in the advertising and event industries where survival is severe, it has accumulated solid achievements such as the 11th anniversary of its founding this year.

How this ICT device was certified by the Radio Act

President Ohara (hereinafter Ohara): We are basically a company that plans and operates advertisements and events, and creates tools related to them in general, but the impact of this coronavirus has affected our main business in no small way. In that case, I decided to handle ICT equipment in a field that is separate from my main business but has nothing to do with my main business.

President Ohara (left) and employees (right)

Hori: I would like to refrain from providing specific information about this product because it is a little harsh due to sales promotion, but I have actually seen similar products many times in the streets.

Ohara: While there are industries and industries that have been depressed by the coronavirus, it is certain that there are jobs and products that are growing, so as a manager, we should take good time, and we hoped to take this opportunity to strengthen the "Chinese business" cultivated in novelty development for events.

Ohara: I knew that some of the wireless ICT devices that I requested certification were selling very well, and when I contacted the Chinese factory, they said that they would sell it, so it moved immediately.

Ohara: However, I was not very familiar with authentication, but after a little research, I found that radio law certification is necessary when selling this product properly. The radio law certification is a high hurdle in its own way, but I wondered if the business operators that are already selling it are firmly certified.

Ohara: Is it possible to authenticate immediately after becoming a hot topic? What.

Hori: Have you seen the status of your competitors?

Ohara: I don't want to say much about other companies, but I've seen things that aren't certified by the Radio Act. To be honest, do I need to do radio law certification? and a little confused.

How I asked INSIGHT WORKS for authentication

Ohara: I wanted to listen to various stories and organize information, so I searched the internet for a company that would act as a certification. There were several companies that were hit, but INSIGHT WORKS seemed to be able to authenticate as soon as possible, and they responded to this inquiry as soon as possible, so in the end, I was allowed to decide as it was without calling out to other companies.

Hori: Thank you. I would be very happy if you could say so.

Ohara: After all, it was very easy for us to understand the explanation of the radio law system, because it is important to know frankly what points to be aware of how long and cost authentication can be obtained. Also, it was good that they tried to design as cheaply as possible.

Ohara: I also found that naturally radio law certification was necessary for wireless ICT devices, so I was able to solve all my questions. While our industry is gorgeous, compliance etc. are very strict, so if we are dealing with illegal goods, we can't live.

Hori: In that sense, even if this is not necessary, authentication is necessary, and mr. Ohara's enthusiasm has been very transmitted from the beginning.

Casual work style unique to the advertising industry,
However, compliance is very strict.

Difficulties since the start of certification: factory changes, additional certifications, ISO9000 expiration, and a series of incomplete documents

Hori: I'm sorry to say, but in a short period of time, it's been difficult to find it one after another.

Ohara: Yes. It was really hard lol. What we can learn from this is really important to choose a factory in China certification, but unless there is a factory that we have been dealing with for a long time, encounters with factories are once-in-a-lifetime, so I thought it was important to be a presence that supports us like INSIGHT WORKS in such a respect.

Factory change

Ohara: There was a factory that I had found before I asked INSIGHT WORKS, and when I contacted INSIGHT WORKS, the response was very good when I contacted them, but in fact, radio law certification was necessary, and if I told them that I wanted you to cooperate in submitting documents etc. because I purchased products, the response suddenly became bad.

Hori: We also created a WECHAT group with Mr. Ohara and the person in charge, but the person in charge was not at all.

Ohara: I somehow felt a bad atmosphere, and after consulting with Mr. Hori a little, I found it in another factory, so I decided to switch there. The next factory was very responsive and I was relieved, but even so, it was a painful impression that I spent nearly a month at the first factory.

Additional authentication

Ohara: I think we've switched factories, but there was a factory response that it was not possible to do that because it was equipped with a function that I had never heard of Wifi CH14, and it was necessary to stop the function in order not to authenticate.

Ohara: I received an explanation of Wifi CH14 from Mr. Hori, and if the story does not progress unless I authenticate it, I decided to do additional authentication because it was unavoidable. Of course, the cost was difficult, but the main purpose here is to authenticate with chitin and radio law, so I was able to firmly respond to irregular contents, and in a sense I was relieved.

Hori: After that, the sample test ended in about a week.

Ohara: I was very happy at that time, and I finally got the prospect of selling it! I thought, but after that there were a lot of problems again lol.

ISO9000 expired

Ohara: The factory was an ISO9000 company, so I thought that the cost related to it would be exempted.

Hori: One of the certification conditions in Japan's radio law certification is that the target factory has acquired ISO9000, but if it is not acquired, it is necessary to prepare alternative documents, and the preparation cost will be incurred. This is not just about us, it applies to all companies.

Ohara: That ISO, but I found out that it expired the month we certified! Surprised.

Hori: It is important that the production system has continued since the certification was acquired, so when I asked the factory about the situation around it, it was said that it was scheduled to be re-acquired next month.

Ohara: However, even if we simply say "next month", whether it is the first half of the month or the second half, it is completely different, and if we wait for it, we decided that if we waited for it, we would miss more business opportunities, so we asked INSIGHT WORKS to prepare alternative documents in the sense of buying time.

a barrage of incomplete documents

Ohara: If I managed to clear it and thought it would be okay, this time there were only Chinese documents where english documents were necessary, and there were discrepancies in the content itself separately from the translation between English documents and Chinese documents, and there were a barrage of incomplete documents until the very end.

Ohara: At that time, I was getting used to it, and I felt firsthand that there was such a process in radio law certification, so I think it was a great learning experience.

Hori: I would be very grateful if you could say that.

Ohara: Anyway, when INSIGHT WORKS solved such problems one by one and finally got a certificate, it was truly ire. Hori-san also checked the inspection agency many times, and it was helpful to be able to grasp the issue date as accurately as possible in advance.

What's good about INSIGHT WORKS: Responsiveness, ability to get through, follow-up after certification

Ohara: After all, I think it was really good that the response was quick. At first, I usually communicated only by email, and when I switched factories, I started using WECHAT, and when I contacted either of them, I always received a reply immediately.

Ohara: I can't easily confirm it myself with the certification of the Chinese partner, so I have no choice but to ask Mr. Hori what I wonder, but I was very relieved that all of those things were answered quickly.

Ohara: Also, even in the event of a series of difficulties, I was contacted each time with a proposal for countermeasures, so honestly the additional cost was painful, but lol, I was still able to continue authentication without hesitation.

Hori: Even if there is a problem, it is happening at the Chinese factory, so there are many parts that the customer himself can not help even if they inform them of the situation, but I still think that we should tell them about the situation.

Hori: In addition, various things happen at the Chinese factory, so if you inform them each time, the amount of information will increase, but it was also grateful for us to respond to such things.

Ohara: I was grateful that they solved everything even if there were so many problems one after another, such as the ability to do it. I don't know about other certification agencies, but will you do this far?

Hori: Basically, we only deal with authentication practice, but lol, but we still support everything necessary to proceed with certification in general. In addition, since the place of certification is China, there are parts that Japanese customers can not help, so we will respond to such places as much as possible.

Online meeting scenery

Ohara: What left an impression on me was that there was only a Chinese version of the BOM table (so-called product parts list) submitted by the factory, and when english version was necessary to submit it as a material, the agency translated it.

Ohara: The factory was hard, so of course the inspection organization would not respond, so I was thinking of asking a translation company that could understand the technology here. Then, there was a contact "I did it here!", and it was very helpful.

Hori: Language issues such as Chinese and English are our strengths, and the staff worked hard to determine that it would take time again if we outsourced the translation. If you write this way, you may think that all customers will respond like that, but it is just a response by chance lol.

Ohara: Also, after the certification is over, we put a technical seal on the product, but I think it was good that insight works introduced a seal company that I used many times, and I was able to proceed smoothly in such a aspect.

What I think after I've completed the certification

Hori: While I am proud that I was able to contribute to Contrast's business even a little, I feel that it took a little time after receiving warm words from Mr. Ohara. Of course, it is basically a problem of the first and second factories, but there is also reflection that there was a part that could be avoided in advance.

Ohara: I think that was a bit difficult, lol. In any case, I think it's amazing that we can respond to the difficult barrage at the Chinese factory so far because we have solved everything. In addition, I was worried about when the message on WECHAT would end, and at the same time, I felt relieved that if I left it to me, I would eventually do something.

Ohara: Basically, I know that ICT equipment is a product with a short life cycle, so I don't know how long this product will be fresh, but I would like to do business with great pride because it is firmly certified by the Radio Law.

Hori: Thank you very much this time. We wish you more success.

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