Advantage of the ADECIA multi-beam tracking function

Mr. Mitsuhiro Washiyama, Acting Director of the EmpoweredOffice Promotion Division (left) / Mr. Yasuaki Tsunemi, Service Operation & Support Group Manager, DX Business Promotion Division (right)

NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation(NESIC) provides planning, consulting, design, integration, maintenance and operation of ICT systems with a core network, as well as monitoring and outsourcing services. Yamaha's one-stop sound solution for teleconferencing, called ADECIA, was introduced to NESIC at the Nihonbashi Innovation-Base. We spoke to Mr. Mitsuhiro Washiyama, Acting Director of the EmpoweredOffice Promotion Division, Business Design Operations Unit and Mr. Yasuaki Tsunemi, Service Operation & Support Group Manager, DX Business Promotion Division, Business Design Operations Unit to learn their reasons for selecting ADECIA and to hear how user-friendly the system is.

* "ADECIA" is a solution composed of a PoE-compatible L2 switch "SWR2311P-10G" and a ceiling speaker "VXC4W” built around a ceiling array microphone "RM-CG" and a remote conferencing processor "RM-CR," and acts as an acoustic system with all the devices required for remote conferencing.

NESIC has been making efforts in distributed and remote work from early on. Would you tell us about those efforts?

Mr. Washiyama: Today, distributed and hybrid work are coming under greater focus because of the coronavirus, but we have been working on work-style innovation since 2007. In 2015, we introduced a teleworking system, and expanded throughout the company a working style that is not bound by time nor place. From October 2019, we distributed our operations not only to Iidabashi headquarters, to Shin-Kawasaki Technical-Base and Nihonbashi Innovation-Base according to their functions. We setup Activity-Bases in seven locations in the metropolitan area, and have implemented work-style that enables both a work-life balance for our employees in an environment where it is easy to work and where is close to their home, and business continuity.

Mr. Mitsuhiro Washiyama, Acting Director of the Empowered Office Promotion Division, Business Design Operations Unit, NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation

Are you separating your headquarters into three parts and spreading out your employees by further creating seven Activity-Bases?

Our employees are autonomous and can select the best place to work that suits their purpose. In terms of communication and management, we have linked with multi-cloud tools including Zoom, which we are the first reseller in Japan, Slack/Wrike and others. This has enabled us to move forward smoothly with distributed work.

Efforts by NEC Networks & System Integration Corp. to reform the way they work

What kind of location is Nihonbashi Innovation-Base where the remote conferencing system ADECIA was introduced?

Mr. Washiyama: Nihonbashi Innovation-Base is a place where cross-company task force members can create new business and deepen co-creation with our customers and partners both here at home and abroad. In addition to office space, this base offers digital conference rooms, the first Zoom showcase in Japan, and an open innovation space where ADECIA was introduced this time.

Nihonbashi Innovation-Base is located on the 21st to 22nd floors of Mitsui Tower in Nihonbashi Muromachi

Nihonbashi Innovation-Base Office Area

A workspace for online meetings via Zoom

Open innovation space

Would you describe your reasons for introducing ADECIA in the open innovation space?

Mr. Tsunemi: The open innovation space is a place for co-creation. It enables a lot of people to participate and to work together, both by being physically present, and by participating online. Before ADECIA was introduced, meeting participants had to hand over the wireless microphone speaker to the speaker every time during meetings or workshops. That often disrupted the discussion. Often times, the next topic would start while the microphone is being handed over. With ADECIA, the microphone is installed in the ceiling and it automatically detects the speaker and picks up the speakers voice. This allows the speaker to speak freely whenever they want. We introduced this because we valued that first.

Mr. Washiyama: Necessity of handing over the wireless microphone speakers caused the space to limit to only specific people who spoke. In order to make the space that encourages co-creation and that accelerates innovation, we needed to induce two-way interactions and allow free conversations. For that reason, we decided to introduce ADECIA.

Mr. Yasuaki Tsunemi, NEC Networks & System Integration Corp., Business Design Headquarters, Service Operations Group & Support Group Manager

Ceiling-installed Microphone RM-CG

Remote conferencing processor "RM-CR" (upper level) and PoE-compatible L2 switch "SWR2311P-10G" (middle level)

Mr. Washiyama: In future hybrid methods of work, we believe that the communication environment should make it equal to participate by physically being present and or to participate remotely. To make that kind of environment possible, we have implemented a conference room that allows participants to share a whiteboard, and a mechanism that automatically focuses the camera on the speaker. Furthermore, when I want to focus the microphone on the speaker, I thought that ADECIA was the best solution to achieve this application because it automatically captures the speaker with its multi-beam tracking function.

Open Innovation Space the ADECIA speakers and microphone are installed on the ceiling.

Can you tell us you about the speakers? Why did you choose the VXC4W ceiling speaker this time?

Mr. Tsunemi: Because the open innovation space is a large space with almost no walls on that floor, I wanted to implement some form of zoning to prevent sound from spreading too far. The system uses a ceiling-mounted speaker and it is arranged so that the required volume is attained for the required area.

VXC4W Ceiling Speaker

What did you notice when you introduced ADECIA?

Mr. Tsunemi: In the open innovation space, chair positions may vary or the layout may be changed depending on the purpose of use, such as whether it is being used for a meeting or a seminar. However, this system is highly flexible and does not require any changes to the sound-collection settings. It is also an important element for system management that it does not require any effort to implement readjustments.

Nihonbashi Innovation-Base Office Area

Mr. Washiyama: I found it easier because it picks up and uses a wider range of sounds than the wireless microphone speakers that we used. Also, from the standpoint of an integrator who proposes such a remote conferencing system to customers, ADECIA offers our customers a sense of security because it is made by Yamaha.

NESIC has been pioneering decentralized work from before the COVID-19 pandemic hit worldwide. However, will this style of working continue to become popularized in the future?

Mr. Washiyama: I think that combination of office working and remote working will become much popular throughout the world. I also think that it is an interesting challenge for the future to connect people who work in office with people who work remotely in comfortable environments. This goal will be supported by various digital technologies. We believe that ADECIA is a great tool to collect sound.

Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us during your busy schedule today.

NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation

RM-CG

A ceiling array microphone equipped with unique audio signal processing technology that enables high-quality communication

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RM-CR

Signal processor at the heart of the ADECIA

SWR2311P-10G

Recommended settings for stable operation of a Dante network (such as QoS, EEE, and IGMP Snooping) can be made easily

PA2120

Lo-Z/Hi-Z switchable Class-D amplifier (Lo-Z: 120W x2 @4Ω, 100W x2ch @3Ω/8Ω, Hi-Z: 120W x2ch or 200W x1ch, 70V/100V) equipped with 1 stereo/2 mono line inputs; can be combined with the MA2120 mixer amplifier.

VXC

The VXC Series offers three different woofer sizes, allowing you to choose the speaker that is most suitable for your venue.