Everyone is on schedule and the project is still late
mtc provides bilingual technical project managers for AV, IT and security projects in Japan. Fluent in English and Japanese, and equally fluent in the systems being deployed, they take ownership of both the process and the outcome for international companies building, renovating or relocating offices.
One project manager who owns the result
Project management as a technical discipline
On many projects the project manager is a go-between, tracking progress, passing messages and escalating delays. At mtc, project management is a technical discipline. Our project managers understand how AV and IT systems work, not just what they cost. They coordinate directly with vendors, engineers, architects and general contractors, review drawings, specifications and schedules for feasibility and accuracy, and identify design or coordination gaps before they become problems. The result is faster decisions, fewer change orders and better outcomes.
Fluent in language and context
Communication breakdown is a leading cause of project delays, especially in Japan, where foreign design intent must be translated technically and culturally as well as linguistically. Our project managers lead meetings in English or Japanese, write documentation, negotiate with vendors and align expectations between global and local teams.
We often act as the link between overseas head office project teams and Japan-based contractors. We make sure what is delivered on site matches global expectations, and that what is required locally is clearly communicated to the client team abroad.
Technical ownership on site
Because our project managers are also technical professionals, they understand the implications of design changes, lead times, system compatibility and site constraints, and can spot mistakes others miss. When an instruction is going to cause a problem on site, they say so, explain why and bring an alternative before any money is spent. On AV and IT projects they work alongside our engineers to validate control system logic, coordinate firmware versions, check that cable labelling and documentation match the drawings, and supervise testing and commissioning. They are on the ground, walking the site, and take responsibility for verifying that systems work, not just that they are installed.
One point of contact across stakeholders and time zones
Each project has a dedicated project manager who stays with the job from initial planning to final handover, with no hand-off between sales, delivery and support. Your project manager is your single point of contact, understands the full scope, manages all the moving parts and keeps you informed of what happens next.
Our team is experienced in coordinating global design consultants and client-side IT teams, internationally procured hardware with complex delivery timelines, and local architects, general contractors and building managers. They also manage building application processes in Japan, such as fire safety and low-voltage systems, and keep decisions on schedule to prevent delays.
Project management in practice
Our project managers have coordinated AV and IT delivery for a multinational client relocating to a high-rise in central Tokyo, liaising between head office IT in Europe and Japanese contractors. They have managed a retrofit in an operational office, planning weekend work to minimise disruption, and overseen a multi-vendor deployment where AV, IT, security and electrical work had to be sequenced and integrated so everything worked at handover.
Where it goes wrong, and what it costs
Construction, electrical, audio-visual, IT and security each run to their own programme. Each can hit its own dates and still collide on site, because nobody owns the order between them.
Scope boundaries
What belongs to the building’s contractor and what belongs to you is decided late, usually on site.
Lead times
Equipment is ordered to fit the programme, when the programme should be built around the lead times.
Change
Variations are agreed verbally and reconciled at the end, when nobody can remember who asked for what.
A plan that tracks trades separately hides all three. They surface as rework, and rework is what turns a fixed price into a moving target.
What it costs when nobody owns the whole
- The move-in date slips while trades wait on each other to redo work in the right order.
- Variations arrive at the end as a single number nobody can explain.
- No vendor is accountable, because each one did their own job correctly.
What the project manager actually does
The technical decisions and the construction programme are the same problem. One person owns both.
- Design coordination. We run the technical design with your architect, designer and building, and keep drawings aligned as the fit-out changes.
- Scope boundaries in writing. What belongs to the building’s contractor and what belongs to us is defined before the programme is fixed, so nothing falls between trades. How work is divided in a Japanese building.
- Procurement planning. Lead times, staging space and delivery windows planned around the construction programme.
- Risk and change control. Changes priced and recorded as they happen, so there is no reconciliation argument at the end of the job.
- Handover to closure. Testing, snagging, as-built documentation and training tracked until they are finished.
- Fire and life safety. Anything that changes ceilings, partitions, doors or the fire alarm is checked against the approved plan before it is scheduled.
Our project managers work alongside engineers certified by Cisco, Microsoft, Crestron, Biamp, Shure, Extron, Netgear and Audinate.
What’s included
Support details
- Bilingual English and Japanese project manager
- Drawing and specification reviews
- Vendor and contractor coordination
- Japanese building authority applications
- Firmware and compatibility coordination
- Testing and commissioning supervision
- Single point of contact to handover
Tell us what you are planning
Talk to our bilingual engineers about scope, timing and budget. We will tell you what is realistic in your building.
Seamless Technology Integration for a Global Creative Agency in Harajuku
Two-floor Harajuku headquarters for a global creative agency, with concealed IT and AV, on time, on budget and ready on day one.
Design – Build – Support
How this service runs from the first site visit to ongoing support.
Design
In design, your project manager reviews drawings, specifications and schedules for feasibility and accuracy, aligns overseas design intent with local requirements, and identifies coordination gaps with architects, consultants and contractors before they become change orders.
Build
During build, your project manager coordinates vendors, contractors and internationally procured hardware, manages building authority submissions, walks the site, and works with our engineers to supervise installation, cable labelling, testing and commissioning.
Support
The same project manager stays with the job through to final handover, with no hand-off between sales, delivery and support, so documentation, system knowledge and accountability carry through to the finished space.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Our project managers are bilingual and comfortable leading meetings, writing documentation and negotiating with vendors in either language. Just as importantly, they understand the technical and cultural context, so design intent from overseas is interpreted correctly by local contractors and local requirements are explained clearly to your head office team.
Yes. We regularly work with global design consultants and client-side IT teams. Your project manager reviews the drawings and specifications for feasibility in Japan, raises coordination gaps early, and works with local architects, general contractors and building managers so the finished systems match the original design intent.
No. Each project has a dedicated project manager who remains with the job from initial planning through to final handover. There is no hand-off between sales, delivery and support teams, so you have one point of contact who understands the full scope and keeps you informed throughout.
Yes. We have managed retrofit projects in operational offices. Your project manager plans work schedules, including weekend work where appropriate, and coordinates closely with building management to keep disruption to your business as low as possible while the work is carried out.
Related services
- Audio-Visual Integration: Meeting room technology, video conferencing, digital signage and background music, with custom touch panel and room control interfaces designed to be intuitive and easy to support.
- IT Infrastructure: Business-grade networks, from rack design and structured patching to Wi-Fi and switch deployment, aligned with your global IT standards, security policies and local site conditions, for new builds or retrofits.
- Support and Managed Services: Ongoing maintenance, support and managed service options after handover, backed by thorough documentation and proactive check-ins to keep your systems performing as your business evolves.