i-PRO CEO Masato Nakao Talks About Company’s Vision
Nakao discusses edge AI innovation, commitment to the integrator channel, business ethics and i-PRO as a multinational entity.
Photo courtesy of i-PRO
TOKYO — Masato Nakao, CEO of i-PRO, recently chatted with Security Sales & Integration about his vision for the company and the remarkable growth that i-PRO has enjoyed over the past several years.
i-PRO, of course, established itself in 2019, having emerged from the large Panasonic organization. In the years since, the company has aggressively launched new products and established its own brand cache globally, earning recognition for its edge artificial intelligence cameras and its leadership in burgeoning AI governance.
In this conversation, Nakao-san discusses edge AI innovation, commitment to the integrator channel, business ethics and how, although i-PRO was founded in Japan, he wants to establish the organization as a multinational entity whose global team is aligned behind a single mission.
We have edited this conversation with the business leader for length and clarity.
Security Sales & Integration: How do you balance i-PRO’s drive to have long-lasting and reliable products with enabling integrators to regularly upgrade their clients’ equipment?
Masato Nakao: It’s a difficult question to answer! [Laughs.] We are making our products as durable as possible. The time window for our customers to replace our products is not because they’ve broken down; it’s because they want new technology.
We keep introducing new technologies so that our customers want to replace their hardware — not because it has broken down. We are trying to make our products as durable as possible.
SSI: It seems as though i-PRO has a very intentional strategy in choosing the best integrator partners to align with. How do you try to nurture your relationships with those integrators?
Masato Nakao: We are open, but not exactly open to everybody. [Laughs.] We are selective with our partners. We are now introducing our new Sakura program to the selected partners. We are focusing on mission-critical verticals with AI and more advanced technologies.
We would like to have good relationships with systems integrators that can integrate such complicated, large-scale, mission-critical systems. And, for those integrators, we provide white-glove service.
We are a time-based competitor — we are committed to time-based competition. So, we try to provide quick service. For example, with help calls, we try to respond within three rings. We set up a hotline for those partners, and our system engineers are always ready to respond to their inquiries.
And we focus on education and training in the newest technologies, like AI. We installed a new team focusing on the education and training of integrators.
So, we provide up-to-date technologies to help integrators save time in product selection, product installation and systems integration. We help them differentiate themselves from others. Once our integrator partners select us, we are committed to serving them, 100%, with white-glove service.
SSI: During conversations this week, we’ve heard a lot about Deep Learning as opposed to more traditional rule-based AI. What does this mean for your company?
Masato Nakao: Our goal is to enhance the accuracy of AI. The AI model for the camera is already installed in the factory, but the edge AI camera will continue to “learn” when it gets to the real site. So, we are thinking of providing a service of making your camera more intelligent after the installation. So, onsite learning or additional learning should be possible in the quite near future.
SSI: Why has your company chosen to focus on edge AI cameras as opposed to server-based or cloud-based AI?
Masato Nakao: We think edge AI is strongest because each camera has a different AI model. When it’s server-based or cloud-based, they cover many cameras in one model. But in our edge AI concept, each AI camera can have a different AI model that is suitable to that particular site. So, that is our goal.
SSI: Give us a sense of i-PRO’s commitment to utilizing AI ethically and in a way that aligns with your core values. What underpins this commitment?
Masato Nakao: AI is the driver of growth. If the market does not allow us to use AI, we will lose the engine of growth. We would like to continue to use AI, and, in order for that to happen, we must be committed to its ethical use. Otherwise, we will not be allowed to use AI.
So, of course, we joined the United Nations Global Compact so that we are good citizens. And we must show ourselves to society as good citizens who comply with the guidelines and rules. The market expects us to do so. We must show ourselves to be good citizens. Otherwise, we cannot grow.
The most advanced technologies have two sides of the sword: We need to understand the risk side of advanced technology, and we have to manage it. And we have to show that attitude to the market.
SSI: And it’s not purely reactive, is it? It seems like i-PRO wants to have a seat at the table and actively participate in the AI governance process.
Masato Nakao: We do. We would like to be the first ones. We don’t want to be followers; we would like to be one of the rule-makers.
SSI: Describe the sense of duty you feel to maintain product quality and reliability not only because of the “Made in Japan” label on i-PRO products but also because of the i-PRO nameplate itself. That carries a responsibility, doesn’t it?
Masato Nakao: It is fortunate for us that the market understands that “Made in Japan,” the i-PRO label and our roots in Panasonic make for a good image for durability and quality. It’s an asset of ours, and we would like to utilize that asset.
Photo courtesy of i-PRO
But, honestly speaking, other countries can also provide high quality. It’s not necessarily that Japan or any other country will always provide the best quality. But we would like to succeed with our good heritage from Panasonic for quality, so we will maintain the quality standard of Panasonic. And I would like to utilize the market recognition of Japan.
But the essence is to keep the culture of i-PRO — the culture of maintaining high quality. This is our pride, and I would like to keep that pride among our employees. And it’s not only Japanese employees but also all our employees throughout the world.
They have the same understanding of quality. They have the same understanding of ethics. I would like to keep that standard that is i-PRO’s. That’s not Japan — that is i-PRO’s standard. I would like to make i-PRO a truly multinational company.
My goal is for i-PRO to possess a high quality standard and for all i-PRO employees to adhere to our ethics standard.
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About the Author
Dan Ferrisi, Group Editor, Commercial and Security
Dan Ferrisi has been a B2B editorial professional since November 2004, covering the audio, video, lighting and music industries since the beginning of his career. Getting his start with Sound & Communications, he ascended from assistant editor, to associate editor, to eventually lead editor. He served as editor-in-chief of Commercial Integrator from November 2021 through August 2023 before being promoted to group editor, commercial and security, gaining oversight responsibility of the Security Sales & Integration brand, as well.
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