Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd
September 2022
Throughout Japan
Challenge
To create more comfortable working environments by equipping conference rooms with the tools to carry out hybrid meetings (meetings with both in-person and remote attendees) more efficiently and effectively
Solutions
The 360 degree camera speakerphone "PressIT360" has 360 degree cameras in addition to a speaker and microphones. We have begun installing these in conference rooms used by our employees and customers for meetings with remote attendees.
Background of System Installation
Improving conference room equipment to create more comfortable working environments
Panasonic Connect Co., Ltd. has a total of around 28,500 employees (as of April 1, 2022), around 12,500 in Japan and around 16,000 overseas. Around 2,000 of these employees work in our head office in Tokyo, and only 30-40% of them currently work there in person. The rest either work from home or are sales representatives who visit customer sites, which means that hybrid meetings, where some people attend in person while others attend remotely, happen on a daily basis. We realized that we needed to take measures to create more comfortable working conditions for our employees, including these meetings, so the Human Resources And Facility Services Division considered how we could make hybrid meetings more efficient and effective.
Reasons for System Installation
To share the atmosphere of the conference room with remote attendees
We have frequently held hybrid meetings since the pandemic started. USB speaker microphones were set up in our conference rooms, but we received complaints that it was difficult for remote attendees and in-person attendees to hear each other properly when meetings were held in the larger rooms. While we were considering solutions, the company launched the 360 degree camera speakerphone "PressIT360", which contains 360 degree cameras in addition to a speaker and microphones, so we decided to use it in our own conference rooms. Takeshi Satooka, a manager in the Facility Management And Corporate Services Group of our Human Resources And Facility Services Division, says "This device allows smoother communication between employees at hybrid meetings with both in-person and remote attendees because it shares the atmosphere of the conference room with the remote attendees."
Effects Achieved by System Installation
Much more active communication in hybrid meetings
The PressIT360 is an all-in-one online conference system with a high-performance 360 camera in addition to a microphone and speaker. Masahiro Wakamatsu, an Assistant Chief in the Facility Management And Corporate Services Group of our Human Resources And Facility Services Division, says "Before we used this device, we often used USB speaker microphones and the cameras of our computers to talk with remote attendees from the conference room, but when we had several people together in the conference room and then some people attending remotely, we often felt that it was difficult for the remote attendees to read the room. The PressIT360 has 360 degree cameras that focus on each speaker, seven microphones to pick up and transmit sound clearly, and a noise canceling speaker, which enables more natural communication than before."
Designed for easy setup and intuitive operation
The PressIT360 can be set up quickly before a remote meeting—simply connect the USB Type-C cable to a computer.* It is designed for intuitive operation: for example, every operation can be performed by pressing one of the four buttons on the unit. The PressIT360 has various unique functions, including motion and voice detection and AI that focuses on the current speaker. Tatsuya Imamura, a member of the Facility Management And Corporate Services Group in our Human Resources And Facility Services Division, says "We've had the PressIT360 in our conference rooms for a while now and no one has needed to ask me how it works. That tells me that people can figure it out at a glance without needing to refer to a manual. This is proof of how smoothly things are now going for our employees."
* When the computer has a USB Type-C port and can provide a 5V/3A power supply.
In the Customer's Own Words
The Facility Management And Corporate Services Group actively works to create the right conditions for productivity in our workplaces.
When we need to discuss something, it's best to be able to talk face to face, but it's difficult to have all our meetings face to face these days. With the USB speaker microphones we used to use for online meetings, it was sometimes difficult to hear a speaker who was further away, so we had to unplug the microphone and connect it to that speaker's computer instead. We would be passing it back and forth all through the meeting. It is the Facility Management And Corporate Services Group's job to constantly look for ways to improve our employees' working environments, so we looked for systems that would allow meetings to run smoothly and enable the active discussions that are needed, and decided on the PressIT360.
We have two types of meetings: meetings that are mostly for announcements and reports, and meetings where the attendees need to share ideas or have discussions. With the latter in particular, attendees can communicate much more actively when they can see each other's facial expressions and reactions such as nodding instead of only being able to hear each other's voices. This is another way that the PressIT360 improves communication at those meetings where some people are attending in person while others are attending remotely.
We will continue working to provide the tools our workplaces need for productivity. We are not reactive in our work; we actively look for ways to make our employees' jobs easier.
Equipment installed
