Hakuhodo to launch innovation unit with Finnish digital design firm

TOKYO - Hakuhodo has struck a partnership with Reaktor, a Finnish digital product company, in Japan to form a service to help clients become more digitally innovative.

The new unit, Innovation Generator for Enterprise, will offer comprehensive technological support to companies looking to develop new ventures or digitalise their existing business, according to a statement from Hakuhodo. The initiative will focus on Japan but also help Japanese clients outside Japan as required.

The Innovation Generator will act as a one-stop service and offer assistance in areas such as business ideation, prototype development, growth planning and business restructuring. It will specialise in technologies such as AI for customer service, VR for showrooms, IoT to upgrade existing hardware, and services including user interface and user experience design.

Hakuhodo was unable to disclose any clients or sectors that will use the service when it launches. But Kohei Noda, a technology producer at Hakuhodo’s Technology Business Center, pointed to automotive as an example of an industry where the use of IoT to improve service has become an important theme.

In its statement, Hakuhodo said that Reaktor offers “low-cost, low-risk development methods at a startup-like speed”. A case study on its website details an initiative for Finnair that used technology to streamline the process of air travel to offer greater peace of mind to travellers.

Noda said Reaktor was a good fit for Hakuhodo due to its design capabilities, speed and culture, which emphasises quality and humility.