MSI Young Staff Interview | Flexsche of Production Scheduler and Production Planning

We have introduced two young salesmen who are expected to drive MSI's FLEXSCHE business in the future.
We will hear about the value of FLEXSCHE from the perspectives of these two individuals with different types and their outlook as system sales representatives for the company.

01. Active Salesman Touring the Five Prefectures of Tohoku
02. The Role of System Sales
03. Providing Customer Satisfaction
04. The Goals of the Two Salesmen

Active Salesman Touring the Five Prefectures of Tohoku

FLEXSCHE: First, please tell us about yourselves.

MSI Sata: I joined MSI in 2005. In my previous job, I was in sales for commercial refrigerators. Currently, I work at the Koriyama branch and am responsible for the entire Fukushima area as a sales representative for the Innovation Business Division.

MSI Ono: I joined as a new graduate in 2009. I work at the headquarters in Yamagata City as a sales representative for the Innovation Business Division, covering the entire areas of Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata, as well as part of Akita.

FLEXSCHE: Mr. Ono, your activity range is very wide!

MSI Ono: Yes, it takes about four hours by car to visit customers in Akita.

FLEXSCHE: That's quite a long time! With such a wide area, you must have many clients to visit, and it must be quite busy with little time off, right?

MSI Sata: I make sure to take proper time off. It would be rude to visit customers when I'm exhausted.

FLEXSCHE: I see. What are your hobbies that you enjoy on your days off?

MSI Ono: It's not exactly a hobby, but on my days off, I coach as a director for a local youth soccer team.

MSI Sata: My hobbies are snowboarding and band activities. I do both with my colleagues, and the band activities are done as a "club activity" at our company.

FLEXSCHE: Does your company have club activities?

MSI Sata: There is sometimes support from the company for activities, and club activities are very active. Most employees belong to some club, and there is a lot of interaction among colleagues.

FLEXSCHE: Mr. Ono, which clubs are you a part of?

MSI Ono: I'm in the bowling club and a club called the "Macho Club."

FLEXSCHE: The Macho Club? (laughs) That sounds like a healthy activity. What kind of activities do you do?

MSI Ono: Unlike other club activities, it's mostly individual practice, but we each strive to train our bodies daily.

The Role of System Sales

FLEXSCHE: I've heard that you both specialize in sales activities for the manufacturing industry. What do you feel when meeting with manufacturing customers?

MSI Sata: This hasn't changed for over 10 years, but I feel that the root of the challenges faced by the manufacturing industry lies in planning operations. The current demands on the manufacturing industry are very high. Despite being multi-variety and small-lot, it is expected to adhere to delivery dates, increase productivity at lower costs, and meet high-quality standards. Therefore, better production scheduling is indispensable, but I feel that many small and medium-sized enterprises, which make up a large part of the manufacturing industry in Tohoku, have not been able to systematize planning operations.

MSI Ono: When I visit various manufacturing customers, they talk about various challenges, and I feel that improving planning operations is key to solving many of them. FLEXSCHE will undoubtedly play a significant role in this. There are still many companies that do not know how to solve the challenges they face. I believe that providing and proposing information about such solutions is our responsibility to the manufacturing industry in Tohoku.

FLEXSCHE: How well-known do you think production schedulers are at the moment?

MSI Ono: From my experience in sales activities, a significant percentage of people have heard the term but have no understanding of what it is.

FLEXSCHE: Even though it's the sales department, you're proposing systems, so isn't it challenging to be required to have a wide range of knowledge?

MSI Sata: Yes, that's true. We don't actually do programming like engineers, so we're not as in-depth, but we're constantly studying new technologies and systems. Ono is very diligent in his studies and even does prototyping at the proposal stage himself, without relying on in-house engineers.

MSI Ono: It's still just simple models. At our company, we always prototype at the proposal stage to explain what FLEXSCHE can do or whether it fits the customer's production. It's necessary to prove that it can be done, rather than just saying, "It seems like it can accommodate the customer's production."

MSI Sata: Currently, engineers often accompany us to meetings to support the technical aspects, but in the future, we want to acquire the skills to reach orders with just the sales department.

FLEXSCHE: But isn't that quite a challenging task?

MSI Ono: If we acquire the skills, the speed of negotiations will increase, and we will keep customers waiting less. Plus, sales activities will become more enjoyable.

MSI Sata: We are "system sales," so we want to set high goals. I still have a long way to go in that skill area, but I want to work hard.

To Provide Customer Satisfaction

FLEXSCHE: What do you find challenging about working with FLEXSCHE?

MSI Ono: There's no doubt that FLEXSCHE is an excellent production scheduler, but during negotiations, customers' expectations can sometimes become excessively high, thinking "This will solve all our problems!" Due to various circumstances, we may not always be able to meet those expectations.

FLEXSCHE: What are the common cases where implementation doesn't go smoothly?

MSI Ono: It's often the case that the customer's representative cannot prepare the master data. Especially when the representative belongs to the system department and is distant from the field staff, or when there is a difference in expectations towards FLEXSCHE between the field staff and the representative, it can become a difficult project. No matter how much effort the representative puts in, implementation cannot proceed without the cooperation of the field staff. We can't commit to overly internal matters, and it tends to become a challenging case.

MSI Sata: Indeed, if we don't receive the necessary information from the customer, we can't make progress. As a result, if we can't deliver in the way the planners or representatives envision, it is frustrating for us as well. It's an area that is often beyond our reach, but we feel there must be something we can do.

MSI Ono: Additionally, many customers expect a perfect system from the start, but given such circumstances, it's difficult to achieve that. Therefore, we propose starting with a system that is at least 50% complete. From there, we can improve it to 70%, 90% through operation.

MSI Sata: If we can get the system running and let them experience the benefits, even at 50%, they will appreciate the value of FLEXSCHE. This way, FLEXSCHE can be recognized as a necessary presence in the factory, and subsequent improvements will be quicker. However, since it is a system that requires knowledge to operate, if the field staff do not appreciate the value of FLEXSCHE, it may not be operated effectively even if it is running.

FLEXSCHE: I see. Since it's not a system that immediately shows results just by purchasing a license, users also face challenges in achieving outcomes.

MSI Ono: However, I've never thought of it as a difficult product to handle in sales. It can be clearly differentiated from other production schedulers.

MSI Sata: It's a tool that can meet various customer demands, and I believe it's an easy solution to sell.

The Goals of Two Salesmen

FLEXSCHE: Please tell us about the rewarding aspects of this job that you both feel.

MSI Sata: I am in charge of the entire Fukushima area, focusing on developing new customers. Honestly, working in areas away from Yamagata, where our company's recognition is low, can be tough. However, there have been times when I started with a small new project through cold calls, continued to consult with the customer, and received a large order a few years later. Building relationships with customers over time and being entrusted with significant work is a fulfilling moment as a salesman.

MSI Ono: Like Sada, I also work in new areas for sales activities, and I was delighted when I received an order for FLEXSCHE from a new customer in Iwate. Competing with other local companies in an unfamiliar area and gaining the customer's trust is an indescribable feeling.

FLEXSCHE: Both of you feel a special sense of fulfillment when you gain trust from new customers while developing new areas.

MSI Sata: Yes, I'm looking forward to meeting more customers and proposing solutions in the future.

FLEXSCHE: Finally, please tell us about your work policies.

MSI Sata: I value "selling myself." I want to build good relationships with customers and be a salesman they can consult with about anything. Some people are skeptical about cold calls. Losing the opportunity to provide a good solution to the customer due to such an image would be regrettable. Therefore, I want to build a good relationship with customers as quickly as possible and be a salesman they can have deep conversations with.

MSI Ono: Unlike Sada, I'm a bit shy and not good at quickly building relationships with customers. However, I aim to be a salesman who can always provide customers with live information. I want to be well-prepared when visiting a customer and provide valuable information and solutions to customers who have taken the time for me.

｜Partner Introduction Return to MSI｜

Young Interview

Active Salesman Touring the Five Prefectures of Tohoku

The Role of System Sales

To Provide Customer Satisfaction

The Goals of Two Salesmen