Estonian technology company Invendor and Japanese electrical equipment wholesaler Ogawa Denki have opened their first 24-hour self-service warehouse in Moriguchi, Osaka. The new self-service solution makes products more accessible and demonstrates how digitalisation is transforming the Japanese wholesale sector.
Japanese companies are facing a growing labor shortage and the need to make their operations more efficient. As a result, long-established wholesaler Ogawa Denki decided to modernize its warehouse-based sales model and implement a fully automated self-service system offering customers 24/7 access to goods and reducing labour-intensive processes.
“The Invendor solution allows customers to purchase our products exactly when they need them. This is an important step towards the digitalisation of Japanese companies, and in the future, we would like to introduce similar systems in other Asian countries, such as Vietnam.”
Takehiro Ogawa, Ogawa Denki President
According to Invendor CEO Joonas Püvi, the project shows that technology developed in Estonia and Japan’s culture of precision are a good fit: “We are delighted to bring Estonian technology to Japan. Their trust and thoroughness create fertile ground for solutions that combine automation and trust. This is our first collaborative project in Asia, which was launched just a year ago at the Hannover Messe industrial fair in Germany.”
At the Moriguchi branch, customers can choose from more than 1000 products. Photo: Invendor
The Estonian company’s solution will enable warehouses to become self-service
With the help of Invendor’s solution, Ogawa Denki’s warehouses will become self-service and open 24/7. Customers will be able to select the products they need and make purchases on the spot using Invendor’s mobile app. All transactions will be automatically recorded in the cloud system, and at the end of the month, customers will receive a single consolidated invoice. The system operates digitally and without additional labour.
According to Ogawa Denki President Takehiro Ogawa, the new system offers customers more flexibility than before: “The Invendor solution allows customers to purchase our products exactly when they need them. This is an important step towards the digitalisation of Japanese companies, and in the future, we would like to introduce similar systems in other Asian countries, such as Vietnam.”
Founded in 1947, Ogawa Denki works with more than 3,000 manufacturers and manages over 150,000 products through its 37 branches. The company also supplies products from major brands such as Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Toshiba, Hitachi, Sony, and Daikin.
At the Moriguchi branch, customers can choose from more than 1000 products. Compared to the traditional purchasing process, the new system reduces the time spent on purchasing by up to 50%. The solution is already being used by 14 Ogawa Denki business customers, whose feedback indicates that purchases can now be made conveniently at night and on holidays.
Most of these customers are technicians who use Ogawa Denki products for electrical maintenance and repair work. Such work can arise unexpectedly and at any time, so it is particularly important, given Japan’s geographical location, that technicians are able to respond to problems as soon as the need arises.
Ogawa Denki specialist is introducing the company´s first 24-hour self-service warehouse in Moriguchi to its customers. Photo: Invendor
Invendor sets new standards in B2B convenience
In the long term, both companies believe that 24/7 access and automated service will become the new norm in wholesale. “The industry is moving in a direction where customers expect the same convenience as in consumer retail. Our goal is to make this the standard in the business customer sector as well,” added Püvi.
Ogawa Denki chose Invendor’s solution because of its ease of use, scalability, and reliability. The company admits that they were cautious at first, but customer feedback quickly showed that the system makes the purchasing process smoother and frees up employees’ time for more important tasks.
“The industry is moving in a direction where customers expect the same convenience as in consumer retail. Our goal is to make this the standard in the business customer sector as well.”
Joonas Püvi, Invendor CEO
According to Takehiro Ogawa, the collaboration with Invendor has proven that different work styles and cultures are not an obstacle when both sides have a clear goal. “The collaboration with the Invendor team went very well—they responded quickly to development proposals and were professional throughout the entire process,” said Ogawa.
After launching the Moriguchi branch, Ogawa Denki plans to expand the system to other locations and begin working with Invendor as an official reseller in Japan. The company also plans to introduce the solution to other Japanese companies to demonstrate how automated self-service can help increase business efficiency and accessibility.
GOOD TO KNOW
- Invendor is an Estonian technology company founded in 2017 that helps industrial companies make their inventory management smarter and more transparent.
- The company’s solutions combine mobile scanning, weight-based automation, and real-time data-driven management. Invendor’s technology is already being used by customers in more than ten European countries.
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