THE CHALLENGE
With virtually no presence in the Japanese market, the immediate issues facing the company included:
- Establishing a corporate entity to handle accounting, tax filings, payroll, and other back-office functions.
- Implementation and use of the SAP system, as required by the global parent.
- Interim financial management for coordination of back-office functions and SAP implementation.
- Completing due diligence on a target shell company that would become the marketing platform for the company's product.
OUR APPROACH
Partnering with the company from the very beginning of its efforts in Japan, Ascendant deployed an approach it has refined over more than fourteen years, first providing our BPO Suite of corporate start-up services, and then transitioning to other business solutions as the company gained traction and its mandate grew beyond the start-up phase.
- Deliverable: Start-up and Business Process Outsourcing
Ascendant payroll, banking, accounting, and legal teams—what we refer to as our “BPO Suite”—collaborated quickly and efficiently to create an environment in which the client could focus on a successful product launch. - Value:
Our BPO Suite, which provides everything needed at the start-up phase, operates efficiently and effectively by providing all the required resources through an in-house team. The business launch was aided by our ability to communicate with both the US company, which was funded from Europe, and its Europe-based Representative Director.
- Deliverable: SAP Implementation
In order to coordinate the back-office operations of the new Japan entity with those of its US head office, the client required that the Japanese office install the same SAP enterprise software applications as were in use in the US. Ascendant got the system up and running, and is launching it from its own offices on behalf of the client. - Value:
Again, efficiency and expertise played a key role in this process. Ascendant had the ability to identify which components of the SAP suite were required, and to support the implementation on a day-to-day basis even before the client had its own staff to operate and manage the software.
- Deliverable: Due Diligence and Ongoing Support
A critical piece of the client’s strategy for hitting the ground running in Japan was to acquire a shell company with the necessary business licenses to enable them to begin marketing their product as soon as government approval was received. Ascendant supported the due diligence process, and also assisted in hiring an interim Financial Director for Japan, a key position for the company in the early stages. - Value:
An interim Financial Director was placed from Ascendant's pool of qualified consultants, and legal and financial due diligence on the target shell company has been nearly completed. Our support helped the client identify any regulatory issues unique to Japan related to the potential acquisition, which is expected to take place in the next few months. The client expects to be able to launch its product in Japan within a year.
