Yugaf Holdings creates a comfortable conference room for all

Customer Profile

Established in 1933, Yugaf Holdings Inc. is a diverse business conglomerate based in Okinawa, Japan. Over the years, the Group has expanded its portfolio to touch several critical sectors of Okinawan society, ranging from architecture to real estate, hotels, and housing. 

In December 2022, the company unveiled the Yugaf Biz Tower Urasoe Minatogawa in Urasoe City. The contemporary 17-story office tower has been designed to serve as a strategic business hub, setting new standards for modern workspaces in the region. The building's concept reflects a “business resort”: it blends the efficiency of a modern, high-tech office environment with the relaxed ambiance of a resort hotel.

Challenge

While designing the main conference room, Yugaf sought to address the increasingly evident, subpar performance of conventional tabletop microphones and speakers. With virtual meetings being a central part of daily business interactions, repeated audio and video quality issues had become more apparent and often made meeting participants feel stressed. External noises like the hum of air conditioning exacerbated the problem and further disrupted conversations. Moreover, complicated equipment setups typically required technical assistance, leading to delays or cancellations of meetings when such support wasn't available. Complex wiring and clutter of more traditional AV systems also interfered with aesthetic design goals.

Yugaf aimed for a more user-friendly experience and wanted to create an inviting, functional, and comfortable space to enable seamless communication with clients. The Group prioritized a simple, convenient setup that would ensure exceptional sound quality and could be easily operated by anyone.

Solution

Supported by Shure and integration partner Eizo System, the largest conference room at the Yugaf Biz Tower was fitted with a new integrated system built around two Shure MXA920 Ceiling Array Microphones, an Intellimix P300 Audio Processor, and Intellimix Room Audio Processing Software. For added convenience, several MXA-MUTE Networked Mute Buttons were installed on the conference table. A tablet has been programmed to operate all conference room equipment, including audio, video, lighting, and dimming controls.

Advantages

Yugaf now has a stress-free, easy-to-use meeting space and eliminated the need for constant assistance from IT staff. System management via the tablet device requires only minimal training for daily users and has significantly simplified conference room operation, saved time and minimized complications.

MXA920 Microphones effectively pick up sound even from quiet speakers, while IntelliMix Digital Signal Processing removes unnecessary noise. The AI ​​Denoiser function within Intellimix Room received particular praise: Bothersome sounds such as PC typing, rolling up plastic bags, or turning over documents have been removed, leaving voices to be transmitted clearly. The vastly improved audio quality has resolved previous complaints from remote conference attendees and now allows all participants to concentrate on discussions. 

The Group intends to use the newly completed conference room not only for regular meetings and business negotiations but also for other purposes such as online seminars. 

With radically streamlined operations and substantially enhanced meeting experience enabled by the Microflex Ecosystem, Yugaf is actively considering more Shure solutions in future expansions.

“Now, no one is aware of the microphone. There is no need to pay attention to the volume of your voice, and the person on the other end of the remote meeting does not have to warn you. Even in important management meetings, you can concentrate on the discussion without stress."

Akinaga Uehara, Managing Director and President's Office Manager, Yugaf Holdings Co., Ltd.