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Companies Expanding Overseas
NISHIHARA SHOJI Holdings Co., Ltd.

Companies Expanding Overseas

NISHIHARA SHOJI Holdings Co., Ltd.

About NISHIHARA SHOJI Holdings Co., Ltd.

We are an environmental services group headquartered in Kitakyushu City. Fondly known by our nickname ‘BEETLE’, we operate extensively in waste disposal and resource recycling. We handle the entire process, from waste collection and transportation to intermediate treatment, recycling plant operation, and even the development and operational management of systems and applications related to waste and recyclable materials．While advancing the use of digital technology (DX) and expanding overseas into Asian countries, we aim to realize a circular society where everyone can live comfortably.

As our business expands, we are currently redefining the group-wide direction. This redefinition seeks to establish as our fundamental stance not only contributing to the environment and society through environmental-related businesses but also embracing and enjoying new challenges. Our overseas business expansion began precisely from this spirit of ‘new challenges’. Thanks to those who observed our ongoing endeavors, we were invited to a study tour held in Jakarta in 2012, gaining the opportunity to exhibit at a local environmental exhibition. At this environmental exhibition, we happened to meet the manager (the big boss!) of a final disposal site. Witnessing the vast quantities of untapped resources lying dormant there sparked the idea for a resource recovery facility. Around the same time, we were approached by Kitakyushu Asian Center for Low Carbon Society (now known as the Kitakyushu Asia Center for Carbon Neutrality) in Kitakyushu City. With support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this led to the establishment of the waste sorting and collection facility, the ‘Super Depo’, in Surabaya, Indonesia, the following year, 2013.

What products is your company aiming to expand overseas?

Our overseas expansion is progressing on two pillars: practical operations and system development. On the operational front, we are collaborating with a major Indonesian company to construct and operate a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) facility in Indonesia. This involves utilizing the Ministry of the Environment's Inter-City Partnership Program and conducting a feasibility study (FS) with the support of Kitakyushu City. Furthermore, we are considering deploying incinerators that have achieved stable operation domestically for medical waste treatment overseas. Training personnel to operate such facilities is particularly crucial. Consequently, we are currently providing operational training to Indonesian exchange students at the University of Kitakyushu. Our aim is for them to develop into personnel who are capable of operating facilities locally in the future, thereby establishing domestic facilities as training centers for personnel development.

On the other hand, in terms of system development, we are aiming to establish a new framework for household appliance recycling. Furthermore, the bee-net system, a centralized waste management system developed since 2008, possesses waste traceability and CO₂ emissions management functions. Consequently, we are continuing to explore its overseas expansion. Specifically, we are investigating the feasibility of introducing a joint electronic bidding system for recyclable resources, which generates high value from dispersed, low-volume recyclables. This includes conducting a feasibility study in Vietnam.

What kind of international cooperation and overseas business expansion has your company undertaken to date?

In the waste sector too, it is challenging for small and medium-sized enterprises to pursue overseas expansion independently, and we initially faced considerable difficulties in negotiations with local authorities. Within this context, receiving accompanying support – such as bridging and backing – from public institutions like Kitakyushu Asia Center for Carbon Neutrality proved immensely helpful in advancing our overseas expansion.

Overseas expansion brings numerous positive effects: broadening perspectives and knowledge unattainable through domestic operations alone, building relationships with new business partners, and fostering employee growth. For instance, within the company, we employ foreign part-time staff. Communication has become established where employees proactively utilize translation apps to interact, fostering a culture in which there is little resistance towards foreign personnel.
Furthermore, in the waste management industry, where attracting young talent is challenging, venturing into overseas operations is gaining attention as an interesting workplace, raising expectations that it will lead to increased recruitment applications. Indeed, we provide opportunities for young employees to gain overseas experience from an early stage, such as accompanying junior sales staff on European study tours and having them present their findings at our annual Environmental Business Contest, which has garnered significant acclaim.

What are your company's future prospects?

We promote borderless business expansion without a Japan-centric mindset, as our proprietary systems are accessible worldwide. Particularly, with young staff members from Vietnam and Indonesia within our organization, we are accelerating expansion in these two countries as priority regions. Furthermore, anticipating the commencement of accepting specific skills trainees in the resource recycling sector in 2027, we aim to become a registered support organization serving as the point of contact for their acceptance. This support organization will provide unique training programs covering environmental awareness and occupational practices, in addition to standard language and cultural education. Upon completing this training, technical interns are anticipated to be dispatched to other companies via customers of our integrated waste management system, the bee-net system. Through this approach, we aim to contribute to resolving the industry-wide challenge of labor shortages while offering comprehensive services to our peers – not just our system, but also reliable support.