Investment in Smart Craft, a DX platform for the manufacturing floor
Genesia Ventures, Inc. has recently made a follow-on investment in Smart Craft, a platform that assists manufacturers with digital transformation (DX), through its Genesia Venture Fund No. 2 (GV-2).
Meanwhile, Smart Craft has updated its products and launched a beta version. These updates aim to enhance productivity in the manufacturing industry by facilitating the digitization and utilization of data for a range of business processes at manufacturing sites.
About Smart Craft
Smart Craft Inc. offers a cloud service that digitizes and streamlines a range of business processes, including production instructions, process management, performance tracking, and data analysis. This service is accessible via mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, and is designed to facilitate DX in the manufacturing industry.
By digitizing analog operations that were previously performed manually on paper or through software like Excel, Smart Craft’s service enables real-time visualization of on-site activities and centralized management of manufacturing data.
Background of the Product Revamp
Smart Craft had been offering products to SMEs that provide two functions: paperless daily reporting and visualization of manufacturing data. However, they had received numerous customer requests for DX and real-time process management for the entire manufacturing site. In response to this feedback, they have re-examined the product to better meet customer needs and have decided to revamp it as a DX platform for the entire manufacturing site.
The revamped Smart Craft is an all-in-one SaaS that digitizes planning, performance data collection, and analysis of the manufacturing site. The accumulated data can be analyzed to improve daily operations.
Features of the Product
▼ Reduced cost by utilizing cloud computing.
Smart Craft takes advantage of cloud technology, which enables it to create a system that would have previously cost tens or even hundreds of millions of yen, for less than a tenth of the price. Furthermore, the implementation process can be completed in as little as 1-2 months, allowing for a speedy DX implementation.
▼ Flexibility with Small Start, No-Code Configuration.
Smart Craft can be easily implemented even in large factories with just a single line, allowing for a gradual start. Additionally, while providing a highly adaptable SaaS product, Smart Craft can flexibly address the unique needs of individual companies through no-code configuration. This helps solve the issue of differing form items and KPIs analyzed at each manufacturing site for each company.
▼ Great usability.
The system is compatible with both PCs and mobile devices, such as tablets and smartphones, enabling workers to input results directly on-site after manufacturing operations. Additionally, Smart Craft was created to enhance usability with a focus on the customer experience. This ensures that workers on site can operate it intuitively, without the need for a manual.
Background of Funding
At present, the company is offering beta version trials of the product to about ten companies, including medium-sized and listed companies. The official release of Smart Craft will be launched in the future at each of these companies.
The company intends to use the funds raised to enhance their organizational structure by hiring designers, customer success and sales staff, in addition to product development.
Regarding product development, they will broaden smartphone support and automate equipment data linking via IoT, with the aim of releasing the official version in the summer of 2023.
Following this, their plan is to expand functions such as inventory management and quality control, in order to centrally manage all kinds of data related to manufacturing sites.
About the Investment
Koki Mizutani, Investment Manager, Genesia Ventures Inc.
We are excited to be leading this new round of financing for Smart Craft, just as we did for the previous round. We have seen firsthand how Mr. Ukibe and the team has always put the customer first and remained dedicated to product development since the company’s founding; that’s why we’ve decided to increase our investment in this round, which will help Smart Craft expand its market share even further. I feel a sense of mission and am proud to be a part of this effort to solve important customer problems following a major product update.
Company Profile
Company name: Smart Craft, Inc.
Representative: Fumiya Ukibe
WEB https://smartcraft.jp/company
Establishment : June 15, 2021
Headquarters: Futaba Building 3F, 1-16-6 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
