As Partners Co., Ltd. President and CEO Takeshi Uemura

Changing nursing care with technology while preserving the corporate culture

President and CEO of AS Partners Co., Ltd.　Takeshi Uemura(Kenji Uemura)

■ Profile
Graduated from Waseda University. Engaged in the development of apartment complexes at a listed developer. After serving as managing director of a company listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, he founded AzPartners in 2004 and became its representative director. The company operates nursing homes (paid nursing homes for the elderly/general-type designated facility residents) and in-home nursing care services, including day care services, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. He also serves as vice representative director of the National Association of Nursing Homes, a general incorporated association.

AzPartners Co., Ltd. operates the "Azheim" nursing home, mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Currently, the number of nursing homes has expanded to 27 locations, and the company has received high support from residents. The company's greatest appeal is the technology that supports the site. We spoke with President and CEO Takeshi Uemura about the company's founding, management, employee work style, and future direction.

Having devoted my life to baseball since childhood, I wanted to start something different when I entered university. So after entering university, I obtained a chef's license and worked in the kitchen of a Japanese restaurant for four years. At the same time, I started a club that planned ski tours and events, and secured sponsors to make a profit. The experiences I had at that time may have formed the foundation of my current management style.

■A company where you can work happily with good colleagues

After graduating from university, I worked for about 10 years at the company I joined as a new graduate. After that, I changed jobs once and realized that "corporate culture is important for a company." Then, in my late 30s, I had a strong desire to "start my own business in order to create my own corporate culture." At that time, I thought about what kind of business would be good, and I came up with "elderly housing." The world is experiencing a declining birthrate and an aging population, and the number of elderly people is increasing rapidly. So I thought I would use my experience working in the housing industry to create "elderly housing." This was the trigger for founding my company.
We were founded with the desire to "create a good corporate culture," so for the 20 years since our founding, we have valued "doing good work with good colleagues." We have also aimed to become a company where people around us say, "The people at AzPartners are great."
When I first entered this industry, I was shocked to find that the actual working environment in the nursing care industry was worse than I had imagined. The number of elderly people is increasing rapidly, and all the staff are tired, and when young people join, they leave soon after. I felt a strong sense of crisis that if things continued like this, we would end up in a serious situation. That's why I decided to make this company a place where all employees could enjoy working.

■ Introduction of technology that shook the industry

Another thing I noticed after joining this industry is that it is overwhelmingly behind in adopting technology. When I first joined the industry, all nursing care records were handwritten and everything was managed analoguely. We were short-staffed, and increasing staff would result in a loss. We came to believe that adopting technology was essential to allow employees to work with ease even with a small staff. We decided to introduce digital technology to improve efficiency, and we were a pioneer in the industry in this area. Many young people were attracted by these initiatives and gathered there, so now our worksites are run mainly by new graduates.

■ "EGAO link®" leads to improved productivity

Among the many digital devices, we have been recognized for "EGAO link®," which was launched in 2017. This was devised by our company and was developed with the aim of reducing the workload of staff and centralizing information by linking (connecting) devices from various manufacturers.
This system allows residents to monitor their condition in bed, as well as record their breathing, heart rate, and nursing care, all on a single smartphone. This means that you can see the current status of each resident in their room just by looking at your smartphone. In traditional nursing homes, recording, monitoring sensors, nurse call systems, etc. were all managed separately using separate devices from different companies, but with the development of this system, it has become possible to consolidate all functions and efficiently manage them all on a smartphone, a first in the industry.
We were initially hesitant to implement the system, as it would cost around 20 to 30 million yen per facility. However, by moving forward with digitalization, we were able to allocate staff more efficiently and improve productivity. We were able to significantly reduce total working hours at each facility, which not only reduced costs but also allowed staff to spend more time interacting with customers. One facility with 60 rooms that previously required three staff for night shifts now only needs two after the system was implemented, so in the long run, it was not a high investment at all.

■ Becoming a more influential presence in the nursing care world

We have a wide variety of clients. That's why we think it's good to have a diverse range of employees. There's no need to set a specific type or personality. We want to be a company where people of all kinds can thrive, whether they're good at studying, music, or sports. We also want people who have a passion for their work, such as "I want to change the industry," "I want to design systems," or "I want to work in public relations," to join us. And above all, we want people who can relate to our corporate culture to join us.
In order to enjoy your work, it is essential to have passion for it. You have to think about what meaning your work has. Of course, you are free to have whatever passion you want, so I feel that we need to listen to each individual and think about what we can do as a company within that. I want to be fully aware of what kind of services and systems we need to provide to make our employees and customers happy.
Going forward, I would like to make this company a place where even younger people can thrive. I also want to preserve the company's corporate climate and culture. Young people should take the lead in invigorating and transforming the nursing care industry. In order to spread technology throughout this industry, I feel that we must become a company with more influence.
Also, although we are a nursing care company, we would like to work with other companies on a variety of initiatives, such as nursing care digital transformation support projects and AI care plans. In this environment where we can take on new challenges while constantly introducing technology, human resources, and services to the industry, we would like to start unprecedented businesses.

■Message to university students

I want young people to take on new challenges and have fun doing so. Some people may feel that taking on new challenges is a high hurdle and hesitate out of fear of failure. However, I have learned over 30 years of running a business that "challenges are fun." And I think that when students take on new challenges, the risks are almost non-existent. If you keep in mind that "challenges are fun," job hunting and everything else will become more enjoyable.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on May 17, 2024 by Mai Wakao, a third-year student at International Christian University

Suzune Matsushima, fourth-year student at Chuo University; Mai Wakao, second-year student at International Christian University; Ran Ogawa, third-year student at Tsuda University