GRACE TECHNOLOGY, INC.

GRACE TECHNOLOGY, INC. (グレイステクノロジー株式会社) is a Japanese company headquartered in Nihonbashi Kabutocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, that provides consulting, creation, translation, and cloud-based management of technical manuals, primarily for the manufacturing industry. Its services include manual consulting, technical writing, technical translation, video manuals, e-learning content, XR content, and its cloud-based manual management system e-manual, as well as the AI-driven xR manual service GRACE VISION. The company positions itself as a one-stop provider covering everything from manual creation consultation to output methods and operational management. The company was founded on August 1, 2000, by Koji Matsumura, who had previously established Nihon Manual Center in 1984 as Japan's first manual production company. GRACE TECHNOLOGY was created to launch the e-manual business after Nihon Manual Center faced a management crisis. In 2008, GRACE TECHNOLOGY and Nihon Manual Center integrated their management. The company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market in December 2016 and moved to the First Section in August 2018. GRACE TECHNOLOGY serves over 2,000 customers, including major manufacturers such as IHI, ABB, NTT Data, Okuma, Ono Sokki, Oracle, Kobelco Construction Machinery, Siemens, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, GE, Denso, Toyota Industries, Toyota Motor, Hitachi, Fanuc, Miura, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, MinebeaMitsumi, Murata Machinery, and Meidensha. Its representative director is Tomoyuki Watanabe. In 2021, the company became embroiled in an accounting fraud scandal. An external tip in November 2021 led to the establishment of a special investigation committee, which found that from the fiscal year ending March 2016, fictitious sales and early revenue recognition had been conducted under the leadership of former chairman Matsumura and a former director. The fraud involved fabricating customer signatures and seals, and using funds from stock option exercises to fake customer payments. The total amount of fictitious sales from the fiscal year ending April 2016 to March 2021 reached 2.347 billion yen. As a result, the company was delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange on February 28, 2022. The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission recommended a 24 million yen administrative monetary penalty. After delisting, the company conducted a third-party allotment of shares to Hayate Management in January 2023 and executed a share consolidation in March 2023, making Hayate Management the sole shareholder. The company continues to operate its manual-related businesses.

GRACE TECHNOLOGY, INC. was founded on August 1, 2000, by Koji Matsumura, who had previously established Nihon Manual Center in 1984 as Japan's first manual production company. In March 1999, executives suddenly resigned and accounting irregularities were discovered, plunging Nihon Manual Center into a management crisis. In November 1999, Matsumura proposed launching the e-manual business, and with investment from companies, GRACE TECHNOLOGY was established in August 2000. In April 2001, the e-manual portal site was completed, listing about 100 companies, mainly foreign IT firms such as Sun Microsystems Japan, Oracle Japan, and IBM Japan. In March 2002, manual consulting began in earnest, and e-manual reached 180 companies. In March 2004, e-manual reached 400 companies, and the company began expanding into non-IT industries such as construction machinery and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In April 2005, the company started advance payment of production costs through leasing companies. In May 2007, GRACE TECHNOLOGY obtained ISO 9001 certification (Nihon Manual Center had obtained it in 1999). In March 2008, GRACE TECHNOLOGY and Nihon Manual Center integrated their management with investment from Academia, a Mizuho-affiliated investment company. In April 2010, a long-term project using in-house management manual production methods inherited from Nihon Manual Center started with a major domestic telecommunications company. In April 2011, the company released a 'terminology filter' to unify terminology and expressions in Japanese manuals written by multiple engineers. In June 2012, the company moved its headquarters to Minato-ku, Tokyo, and started monthly study sessions on manuals (translation, writing, e-manual) for customers. In April 2013, user log analysis and analytics were launched as a standalone product. In December 2016, the company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market. In August 2018, it moved to the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In November 2020, it acquired all shares of Hotaru Printing (now HOTARU Co., Ltd.) through a company split and established MSD Co., Ltd., then transferred all shares of HOTARU Co., Ltd. In February 2022, it was delisted from the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. In July 2024, it moved its headquarters to Chuo-ku, Tokyo. In April 2021, founder and chairman Koji Matsumura died. In November 2021, inappropriate accounting practices were discovered, and a special investigation committee was established. The committee found that from the fiscal year ending March 2016, fictitious sales and early revenue recognition had been conducted under the leadership of Matsumura and a former director, involving fabricated customer signatures and seals, and fake payments using funds from stock option exercises. The total fictitious sales from the fiscal year ending April 2016 to March 2021 reached 2.347 billion yen. As a result, the company was delisted on February 28, 2022. In February 2022, the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission recommended a 24 million yen administrative monetary penalty. In January 2023, the company conducted a third-party allotment of shares to Hayate Management, and in March 2023, it executed a share consolidation, making Hayate Management the sole shareholder. The company continues to operate its manual-related businesses.

• Koji Matsumura establishes Nihon Manual Center, Japan's first manual production company.

• Executives resign and accounting irregularities are discovered at Nihon Manual Center, leading to a management crisis.

• Matsumura proposes launching the e-manual business.

• GRACE TECHNOLOGY, INC. is founded.

• e-manual portal site completed, listing about 100 companies.

• Manual consulting begins in earnest; e-manual reaches 180 companies.

• e-manual reaches 400 companies; expansion into non-IT industries begins.

• Starts advance payment of production costs through leasing companies.

• GRACE TECHNOLOGY obtains ISO 9001 certification.

• GRACE TECHNOLOGY and Nihon Manual Center integrate management.

• Long-term project using in-house management manual production methods starts with a major domestic telecommunications company.

• Releases 'terminology filter' to unify terminology and expressions in Japanese manuals.

• Moves headquarters to Minato-ku, Tokyo; starts monthly study sessions for customers.

• Headquarters relocated to Minato-ku, Tokyo.

• User log analysis and analytics launched as a standalone product.

• Lists on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market.

• Moves to the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

• Acquires all shares of Hotaru Printing (now HOTARU Co., Ltd.) through a company split and establishes MSD Co., Ltd.; transfers all shares of HOTARU Co., Ltd.

• Founder and chairman Koji Matsumura dies.

• Selected for the 2021 JPX Nikkei Mid and Small Cap Index.

• Inappropriate accounting practices discovered; special investigation committee established.

• Tokyo Stock Exchange decides to delist GRACE TECHNOLOGY from the First Section.

• Removed from the 2021 JPX Nikkei Mid and Small Cap Index.

• Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission recommends a 24 million yen administrative monetary penalty.

One-stop provider of manual-related solutions for the manufacturing industry, from consulting to creation, translation, and cloud-based management.

• e-manual

  Cloud-based manual management system for centralized management of manual creation, approval, distribution, viewing, and management.

• GRACE VISION (xR manual)

  AI-driven xR manual service that guides users through maintenance without needing to read, see, or memorize.

• Manual consulting

  Consulting service from current state analysis to manual creation and management system restructuring.

• Technical writing

  Service to create manuals efficiently based on product requirement definitions, design documents, and prototypes.

• Technical translation

  Technical translation of industrial documents, mainly B2B, with unified terminology and expressions.

• Video manuals

  Video manuals with narration, telops, and highlights to enhance understanding, viewable on various devices.

1. 1グレイステクノロジー｜製造業マニュアル作成｜マニュアルコンサルティングg-race.com
2. 2会社情報 | グレイステクノロジーg-race.com
3. 3理念・ビジョン | グレイステクノロジーg-race.com
4. 4会社概要 | グレイステクノロジーg-race.com
5. 5GRACE TECHNOLOGY - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6グレイステクノロジー - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org