Marushin Co., Ltd.
The client
Marushin, established in 1966, operates in diverse realms of the textile industry including planning, manufacturing, wholesaling, and trading. Their product portfolio is mainly concentrated on towel-related products such as bedding, gifts, interiors, household goods and more.
The challenge
Before the installation of TCC 2, Marushin used standard microphones that did not capture participants’ voices evenly.
The solution
To enhance speech intelligibility and overall meeting quality, Marushin opted for the installation of two TCC 2 microphones.
"In our conference room, the former regular phrase, “Would you mind repeating what you said?” is a thing of the past. This is because voices are always very clear even in a big meeting regardless of the position of each speaker. Partition panels, used as a measure against COVID-19, also did not impair the sound at all since the microphones are located on the ceiling. In addition, lecturers’ voices can be clearly heard even they walk around while speaking."
At its headquarters in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Marushin has incorporated two TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) microphones into its video conference setup. This upgrade has been applauded by both onsite staff and remote participants for providing high-quality audio, thus making online meetings more productive and stress-free.
Each meeting room at Marushin’s head office has an integrated concept of advanced technologies and excellent design, with various digital equipment installed. TCC 2, installed by system integrator Towa Engineering, serves as the audio system for video conferences in the meeting room on the fourth floor. This space is the largest of Marushin’s meeting rooms and can accommodate up to 40 people. The team uses it on various occasions, not only for meetings but also for seminars with guest lecturers.
High-Quality Audio Meets Outstanding Design
The team first learned about TeamConnect Ceiling 2 at a digital equipment exhibition in Tokyo where they experienced the benefits of TCC 2’s patented automatic dynamic beamforming technology. “During the demo, we found that we could hear voices clearly even when someone was talking in the corner of the meeting room. That is why we decided to introduce TeamConnect Ceiling 2 as part of our renovation project.”, says Shiho Hibino. "An additional factor for our decision was the design of the system. It is so stylish that you would never guess it is a microphone if you are not told.”
Enhancing Speech Clarity for All Participants in Online Conferences
Ryota Tagami, Section Chief, Digital Management Strategies Department at Marushin, is also excited about the high-quality audio that TCC 2 provides. “In our conference room, the former regular phrase, “Would you mind repeating what you said?” is a thing of the past. This is because voices are always very clear even in a big meeting regardless of the position of each speaker. Partition panels, used as a measure against COVID-19, also did not impair the sound at all since the microphones are located on the ceiling. In addition, lecturers’ voices can be clearly heard even they walk around while speaking”.
In a trial operation after the installation, staff members at another site of the company were very surprised that they could clearly hear the speaker’s voice even though the speaker spoke from the corner of the room intentionally. With the microphone system that Marushin used before TCC 2, it had been often said by remote participants that background noise from machines like air conditioners interrupted speakers, but not anymore since the installation of TCC 2 thanks to its advanced exclusion zones feature.
Stress-free meetings and increased productivity
Ryota Tagami summarizes the impact that TCC 2 had on the quality of online communication and overall productivity at Marushin. "In the past, frequent problems with either video or sound during an online meeting made us feel discouraged and unmotivated, resulting in saying "in fact, a face-to-face meeting would be much better." That is why we thought that investing in a sound system might improve the quality of our online meetings. Since the installation of the TCC 2 system, we have been enjoying very productive online meetings, which assures us that this investment was worthwhile. The problems and troublesome preparation steps we had with the previous system are all gone. Now we can have meetings totally free from stress."
