[Feb, 2007] Shimizu Corporation

Communications with underground areas and high-quality calls at 160 m above ground. "AquaVocal" is the IP telephony solution selected for IP introduction at the construction site.

At the construction site of a super high-rise apartment building, mobile phones are unable to link personnel located at basement levels on the one hand and points 100 m above the ground, on the other. There is pressing need to introduce adequate IT technologies at construction sites to allow prompt communication of information.

Shimizu Corporation, a major general contractor in Japan, selected AquaVocal, Hitachi Cable's IP telephony solution that allows for easy construction of a VoIP network. We asked about the process of its introduction and its advantages to the people involved: Mr. Yoshiharu Kikai (Deputy Head of the construction office in charge of the redevelopment project), Mr. Tadao Eguchi (Chief Clerk), Mr. Takasi Yoshida (in charge of the system), Mr. Shinji Ikemoto (belongs to Production Support Group in Chiba Branch), and Mr. Toshiharu Yokoyama and Mr. So Hibino from NTT East, Chiba Branch, which took charge of the system integration.

Name Shimizu Corporation Address 105-0087 1-2-3, Shibaura, Minatoku, Tokyo, Japan URL http://www.shimz.co.jp/

Shimizu was looking for a system that could be constructed easily and allow for smooth communication at construction sites of super high-rise structures.

Shimizu Corporation Construction office Deputy Head Mr. Yoshiharu Kikai

A large-scale redevelopment project supervised by Shimizu Corporation is currently underway at a city in the Kanto Region. According to Mr. Kikai, Deputy Head of the construction office, the redevelopment project is for the area around the train station and is being led by the city government. "We're in charge of the A-block, which consists of a 45-story condominium and commercial facilities," says Mr. Kikai. "Redevelopment - which began in October 2005 and is scheduled for completion in January 2009 - has been contracted out to private developers." The issue of communications between staff members first emerged at large-scale, long-term projects. Shimizu has explored the issue with NTT East, the system integrator.

"Mobile phones don't work in certain areas of construction sites,"

says Mr. Kikai.

"Radio waves won't reach the second basement level, so mobile phones there are beyond signal range. The condominium is a super high-rise building rising 160 m above the ground, so mobile phones, whose signal range extends to only around 100 m above the ground, cannot be used. Mobile phones work OK at flat construction sites, but after considering future needs at the site as construction advances, we decided to introduce a new system. We considered PHS at first, but its various operating limitations and costs resulted in a search for a new system that could be implemented at lower cost. IP phones have only been introduced at a handful of construction sites and we were not sure if they would work properly. We had our apprehensions at the beginning, but system simulations carried out under the guidance of Hitachi Cable suggested the system was feasible. So we chose to adopt it."

The effectiveness of communications at construction sites can significantly affect work progress. The VoIP network made possible by AquaVocal opened the way to a solution.

AquaVocal provides concurrent support for existing analog phones and IP phones, while reducing operating costs.

Mr. Yoshida, in charge of the system, visited Hitachi Cable's website himself to read about AquaVocal.

"We were collecting information on IP phones, and I found AquaVocal on the Hitachi Cable website. I got the impression that it would be easy to set up. Hitachi suggested a compact SIP server. We didn't know what the maximum communication distances would be, so we attended Hitachi Cable's introduction support seminar and saw various demonstrations."

"Another department was actually implementing a similar system at the time,"

says Mr. Kikai,describing background factors.

"We talked to them and decided we could work together, since we had already rented a centrex server and had it up and running. But the longer we studied the issue, the more strongly we felt that an independent system would offer more benefits. I was also curious to try out the new system. After attending the Hitachi Cable seminar, we carefully examined the system, including system costs. We decided it would meet our needs and submitted an order immediately."

Mr. Kikai went on to give the reasons for selecting AquaVocal.

"Being able to use existing business phone lines was one advantage. We can continue receiving calls at the phone numbers we already have while gaining wireless IP phone functionality. And the system is extremely cost-effective - about one-third the cost of the PHS system we first considered. Calculations of site income and expenditures indicated we had relatively little to spend on extraneous costs. We simulated startup and operating costs and found we'd recover our initial investment relatively quickly. This was the key factor. We're currently digging the basement and are beginning to encounter areas that would have been out-of-range with the previous system. We were fortunate to install the system when we did, the timing was just about perfect."

Following a final decision in May 2006, the system was implemented and was up and running in July 2006.

Shimizu Corporation Construction office Chief Clerk Mr. Tadao Eguchi

Shimizu Corporation Chiba Branch, Production Support group Assistant Manager Mr. Shinji Ikemoto

Shimizu Corporation Chiba Branch, Production Support group Mr. Takashi Yoshida

 

Growing numbers of access points ensures high-quality calls. Shimizu holds Hitachi Cable's software development capabilities in the highest esteem.

Mr. Yoshida, in charge of the system, visited Hitachi Cable's website himself to read about AquaVocal. "We were collecting information on IP phones, and I found AquaVocal on the Hitachi Cable website. I got the impression that it would be easy to set up. Hitachi suggested a compact SIP server. We didn't know what the maximum communication distances would be, so we attended Hitachi Cable's introduction support seminar and saw various demonstrations."

"Another department was actually implementing a similar system at the time," says Mr. Kikai, describing background factors. We talked to them and decided we could work together, since we had already rented a centrex server and had it up and running. But the longer we studied the issue, the more strongly we felt that an independent system would offer more benefits. I was also curious to try out the new system. After attending the Hitachi Cable seminar, we carefully examined the system, including system costs. We decided it would meet our needs and submitted an order immediately."

Mr. Kikai went on to give the reasons for selecting AquaVocal. "Being able to use existing business phone lines was one advantage. We can continue receiving calls at the phone numbers we already have while gaining wireless IP phone functionality. And the system is extremely cost-effective - about one-third the cost of the PHS system we first considered. Calculations of site income and expenditures indicated we had relatively little to spend on extraneous costs. We simulated startup and operating costs and found we'd recover our initial investment relatively quickly. This was the key factor. We're currently digging the basement and are beginning to encounter areas that would have been out-of-range with the previous system. We were fortunate to install the system when we did, the timing was just about perfect."

Following a final decision in May 2006, the system was implemented and was up and running in July 2006. Page 7 Growing numbers of access points ensures high-quality calls. Shimizu holds Hitachi Cable's software development capabilities in the highest esteem. At the site, Shimizu operates 14 FOMA N900iL and 45 WirelessIP5000 sets as mobile terminals. Mr. Kikai related his impressions when operations started.

"We found we could make calls to anywhere on the site. A lot of issues come up during the project that require immediate response. If we can't make instant contact, the delays begin to accumulate. We've found that it's even possible to communicate with someone in the pit below the basement by moving an access point into the pit with the worker. We plan to build up to the 45th floor, and we'll put an access point on each floor."

He's also satisfied with the voice quality.

"If we set out the access points appropriately, AquaVocal provides better signal quality than mobile phones. We haven't had a single server failure, which has boosted our confidence in the system."

Mr. Yoshida also talks about the stability of the SIP server.

"Problems caused by radio conditions and wiring can be improved without taking the system offline. The 100% reliability of the system at the site has been an immense help."

He's also less apprehensive about potential failures.

"The system implements a redundancy feature utilizing the analog ports, ensuring that the office phones always work."

Mr. Hibino from NTT East also gives the system a clean bill of health.

"The product features high fault tolerance, in part because the fans are the only moving parts. If a failure occurs in connecting to the IP carrier's network, users can still use the backup analog lines - a feature that ensures high fault tolerance. The system is also compact, which makes it highly portable and convenient to carry when the office moves."

No less important is system support for FOMA.

"FOMA is a dual-mode terminal that can also be used as an ordinary mobile phone. Being able to continue using our old numbers was a big plus,"

says Mr. Kikai.
Chief Clerk Eguchi did submit a request regarding the WirelessIP5000.

"One modification I'd really like is a clamshell-style handset. When I'm carrying the handset around in my pocket to protect it, I find I sometimes activate some function by mistake."

Mr. Kikai says the introduction of this system has changed his impressions of Hitachi Cable.

"I now view Hitachi Cable as a company with powerful software development capabilities. Our biggest problem involved device compatibility. We tested the devices with open-source software for SIP servers but couldn't make calls due to differences in the protocols used by the devices. Hitachi Cable solved this problem."

System configuration diagram

Shimizu already has a wish list for IP systems installed at construction sites, including features like streaming distribution of the morning assembly and a function to allow users to share schematic diagrams.

Based on this recent success, Mr. Kikai says he's already considering introducing similar systems at other construction sites.

"I'd like to expand deployment horizontally, if possible. Doing so would significantly reduce communication costs throughout the Chiba branch."

Mr. Ikemoto of the Chiba branch is keeping close tabs on progress with this system with an eye toward just such future developments.

"Based on the successful deployment here, I'm hoping we can use the system at various sites in Chiba."

Expectations for VoIP networks go beyond high-quality calls, and expectations are high for future IP systems at construction sites.

"Introducing wireless LAN environments at construction sites will help establish a platform for exchanging diagrams and streaming distribution of visual data,"

according to Mr. Yokoyama of NTT East.

"I think this case will become a cornerstone for promoting the future introduction of IT systems,"

adds Mr. Kikai.

"One future possibility involves bringing projectors on-site to share images without physically meeting. It doesn't make much sense to get together for the morning assembly, only to return to our posts after the meeting. Streaming distribution of a morning assembly held at one site allows the assembly to be viewed at other sites as well. It's inefficient to have someone working on the 45th floor go all the way down to ground level just to get a piece of information. We'd like to construct an environment in which workers have access to information, like drawings, without having to from the 45th floor.
At apartment building sites, a feature like that would allow us to review diagrams using mobile terminals. This system will also make it possible to put image data, including site photographs showing progress on a central server, with access to the data through network lines. The whole point of introducing IP systems at the construction site is sharing information. This recent system introduction is part of a general company trend toward introducing IT systems at construction sites. We're also promoting various aspects of IT systems. We are considering discussing AquaVocal at the IT case study presentation at headquarters."

AquaVocal supports the communications needs of large-scale projects. Its potential is set to take wing.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corporation Left right Chiba Branch, Corporate Sales Division, First Sales Department Mr. So Hibino (Photo: Second from right) Chiba Branch, Corporate Sales Division, SE Department Corporate SE, Assistant Manager in Charge, Mr. Toshiharu Yokoyama (Photo: First from right)td>

Hitachi Cable

Information Systems Group, Telecommunication Sales Management right Division, FMC Sales Department Akihiro Suzuki   left VoIP Project Group Product Engineering Center Nobukazu Adachi

In proposing the SIP server to Shimizu Corporation, which was then considering using WirelessIP5000, we were confident AquaVocal was capable of meeting client demands in both user scale and function. The project was based on this confidence. By inviting clients to an AquaVocal introduction support seminar and giving them the chance to see the actual equipment, we removed concerns regarding technical matters and helped clients better understand the operational framework. We believe another factor in Shimizu's decision to adopt our system was our capacity to solve their most pressing problems in site management, including the product's reliability and fault tolerance. Shimizu chose to deploy the internal-line option to reduce costs. Other aspects of the system that won high marks included ease of deployment and interconnectivity with the existing PBX. AquaVocal, which meets all these needs in the form of a single unit, represents a pivotal product in the deployment of an IT infrastructure at construction sites.

Shimizu Corporation

Established in 1804, Shimizu Corporation is one of Japan's foremost general contractors.
In addition to environmental conservation and cultural activities, it takes pride in creating high-quality buildings and facilities across the world - structures that strike a balance between social and cultural needs and environmental concerns.
Shimizu Corporation features vast experience in urban and regional development, as well as offices, housing, medical and welfare institutions, educational and cultural facilities, production and research institutions, commercial and accommodation facilities, leisure and sport facilities, resource and energy facilities, disaster-prevention and protection facilities, and other construction projects.