Business Creation
Client： Metropolitan Expressway Group
Development strategy formulation support for InfraDoctor (infrastructure maintenance & management support system)
Background
During the period of rapid economic growth, many roads and railways were built in Japan. Many of these roads and railways are now over 50 years old, and while the importance of their inspection and maintenance is increasing, there is a shortage of technicians who are able to perform these tasks due to Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population. To address this issue, the Metropolitan Expressway Group developed InfraDoctor, a maintenance and management support system for the Metropolitan Expressway, and with this system, the Group has worked to enhance its inspection and maintenance operations for the Metropolitan Expressway to the state-of-the-art levels. With the goal of applying this core technology to other infrastructure, the Metropolitan Expressway Group decided to formulate and review development strategies for InfraDoctor in collaboration with DI.
Support overview
DI carried out the project largely in three phases: Market analysis and identification of promising fields; business model formulation by field; and partnership formation and execution support (total project duration of three months).
Phase 1: Market analysis and identification of promising fields
DI began the project by broadly identifying the fields where InfraDoctor could be used, and then conducted market analysis whereby it researched customer needs in each field, clarified obstacles to and feasibility of introducing the system, examined the competitive landscape, and estimated the market size. Through these efforts, DI identified promising fields for developing InfraDoctor.
Phase 2: Business model formulation by field
Based on the market analysis conducted in Phase 1, DI proceeded with drafting a tentative business model for each promising field. DI designed ways in which it can contribute to realizing the business concept and monetization methods for the client, refined the sales structure, and identified potential partners to approach.
Phase 3: Partnership formation and execution support
In the last phase, based on the tentative business model drafted in Phase 2, DI arranged and conducted discussions with partner candidates and potential customer companies, and brushed up the business model into one with greater feasibility. Further, to implement the refined business model, DI identified organizational and policy-related issues the client was facing internally, and incorporated a detailed action plan for addressing both internal and external issues into the business model.
After completion of the project
- Metropolitan Expressway Group is steadily developing InfraDoctor in a range of domains.
- In airports domain, a pilot test was conducted at Shizuoka Airport (verified the use of InfraDoctor for runway slope and road surface property inspection).
- In railways domain, Metropolitan Expressway Group, in collaboration with Tokyu Group, introduced InfraDoctor for Railways for inspection of tunnels on Izukyuko Line.
- In roads domain, Metropolitan Expressway Group is conducting pilot tests and evaluation in some areas with the goal of contributing to inspection and maintenance of national highways and other general roads as well as expressways. Going forward, Metropolitan Expressway Group will consider providing packaged services and essentially standardizing the system.
