Ōkura took on the role of General Manager in the DAAE Division after joining SHIFT in 2022, following a career at a foreign-affiliated consulting firm.

He is well-versed in a wide range of industries—including manufacturing, retail, human resources, and pharmaceuticals—and is a seasoned professional with hands-on experience in launching new businesses and building organizations using digital technology.

With a bright smile, he exclaims, “Right now, I truly feel alive!”

We sat down with him to dig deeper into what exactly DAAE is all about.

One of the key customer support projects led by the DAAE Department is the development support for “treev,” a new EV charging business launched by Chubu Electric Power Miraiz Co., Inc. 

In this feature, we spoke with two key members of the project: the creative director who was responsible for the upstream phase, including the formulation of the branding strategy, and the front-end engineer who worked on developing the management platform.

They shared their insights on what they focused on, the strengths of DAAE, and their aspirations for the future. 

SHIFT offers a corporate welfare-type Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) service called “Manpuku.” 

What sets “Manpuku” apart is that employees are not required to pay out of pocket—something that DAAE team members say is breaking new ground in the use of the Furusato Nozei system. 

So, what exactly does that mean? We spoke with three members of the DAAE department about the story behind the creation of “Manpuku,” the unique elements they focused on, and their vision for the future. 

“Wasurenai” is a SaaS management tool designed to streamline the operations of corporate IT departments. 

By leveraging accumulated data, the tool is also opening up possibilities for new business ventures such as BPO (Business Process Outsourcing), and it’s being positioned as one of SHIFT’s next key revenue drivers. 

We spoke with the project members about the journey from inception to today, and where they aim to take it in the future. 

As the wave of generative AI continues to impact every aspect of business and daily life, SHIFT is also seeing a surge in initiatives related to this transformative technology. 

In this feature, we highlight an R&D-style initiative where two team members are leveraging generative AI to address internal requests and challenges.

We spoke with them about the specific efforts they’re working on, the difficulties and rewards of working with cutting-edge technology, and what excites them about it. 

“In the DAAE Department, engineers can dive deep into pure technology or branch out into business and design—there are so many ways to go beyond the boundaries.

That’s the real thrill of being an engineer here.” 

What mindset do DAAE engineers bring to their work, and what specific engineering initiatives are they driving forward? 

“It’s really rewarding to be able to say, ‘I made this,’” 

said two members of the DAAE Department who are active in the design field. 

Unlike the traditional image of a designer, their roles go far beyond design alone. This article highlights how they operate more like mini-CEOs, playing a key part in launching new businesses from the ground up. 

“If your business idea only targets a TAM of 100 million or even 1 billion yen, people will ask, ‘Is that really worth doing at SHIFT?’ We need to be thinking in markets worth at least one trillion yen.” 

That’s right—the goal is to create trillion-yen-level businesses. To achieve that, business professionals in the DAAE Department are expected to think from a CEO’s perspective every day.

So what exactly are they thinking about, and what kind of actions are they taking?