#Japan #Osaka #Digital Invoicing #BtoB Platform #Yamaiwa

Yamaiwa's Transformation with BtoB Platform

Yamaiwa, a company with over 100 years of history, has implemented the BtoB Platform Invoice, which transformed its invoicing operations from taking four hours down to just five minutes. This shift was significantly driven by the digital prowess introduced by InfoMart, the provider of the platform.

Background of Yamaiwa

Founded in 1916, Yamaiwa primarily distributes fresh produce to various retailers across the Kansai region, including supermarkets, department stores, and local fruit shops. Handling around 50 to 70 business relationships, the company had to issue invoices multiple times a month on tight deadlines, especially with supermarkets often requiring immediate invoicing to accelerate payment processes.

Prior to adopting the BtoB Platform Invoice, Yamaiwa faced numerous challenges. The invoicing procedure involved issuing over 200 invoices at month-end, followed by tedious tasks such as folding, sealing, and mailing them, which consumed almost two to three hours daily. The cumbersome nature persisted until management recognized the need for efficiency and sought digital solutions.

Rationale Behind Implementation

When the team's focus turned toward streamlining heavy workloads, the billing functions surfaced as a prime candidate. The decision was influenced by the visible costs associated with invoicing and the fact that adopting this digital system would not necessitate complex changes in their existing infrastructure.

After evaluating several options, InfoMart's BtoB Platform emerged as the clear choice due to its long-term data retention capabilities and user-friendly interface. Thus began Yamaiwa's journey towards digitizing its invoicing operations.

Impact of the BtoB Platform Invoice

The outcome of implementing the BtoB Platform Invoice has been remarkably successful. Over 90% of their clients have now transitioned to digital invoices, resulting in significant reductions in time spent and labor costs associated with the invoicing process.

Internal support played a critical role, led by a dedicated team member acting as the “digitization pro,” ensuring that clients were comfortable with the transition. The invoice validation process, which was meticulously handled before, has now evolved; each invoice can be generated in five to ten minutes, thanks to the online tool's efficiency, where just one person is sufficient for the entire task.

Additionally, this shift has led to a decrease in the need for physical supplies like paper and envelopes, translating into substantial cost savings for Yamaiwa. Employees noted a significant drop in stress levels as the heavy burden of multiple monthly closing processes was lifted away.

With the time freed up from lessening the invoicing workload, Yamaiwa can now allocate more resources towards critical tasks, such as inputting daily delivery information into client-specific web platforms, which previously often lagged due to time constraints.

Looking Ahead

Currently, with about 90% of their client base utilizing electronic invoicing, Yamaiwa is optimistic about onboarding new customers under this digital framework. As new partnerships form, the adaptation rate will only continue to soar. While resistance to change exists in various sectors, Yamaiwa hopes their efforts will encourage others to pursue a similar path.

For full interview insights, you can access it here.

About BtoB Platform Invoice

The BtoB Platform Invoice is recognized as Japan's leading cloud service for numerous billing tasks, including issuing and receiving invoices. This service significantly enhances time efficiency, reducing costs and labor while promoting a paperless environment and enabling remote accounting practices. Its innovative ‘data to data’ communication method allows seamless transactions without converting to PDFs, thereby complying with the electronic bookkeeping preservation law and the invoicing system.

As of September 2025, over 1.2 million businesses are benefitting from this technology, showcasing its widespread adoption and effectiveness.

For further details about Yamaiwa and InfoMart, please visit their official websites.

(Yamaiwa: Website, InfoMart: Corporate Site)