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On March 1, 2023, Terashima will be replaced by Kakazu, and a new stage will begin for CuboRex. A new stage for CuboRex will begin.
Why the change of representative at this time? I would like to tell you the whole "true" story.
(Interview by Ito)"

 

 

Phase.1] Meeting of the two

 

- Please begin by telling us about your business.

 

Terashima: Our business is to develop, manufacture, and sell equipment and robots that can be used in all kinds of rough terrain industries, including building and construction, industrial plants, and agriculture.
What our products have in common is that they are built based on the concept of tough LEGO that can be used on rough terrain. They can be customized to suit any site or scene, and yet can still run on any terrain without stopping."

 

 

For example, imagine a construction site. No two sites are the same, with stones and rocks scattered about, grass growing on them, and irregular slopes. 
With conventional heavy equipment, the only option was to break down any rocky areas.
However, there is also the option of "avoiding" obstacles. Also, if there is an applicable traveling device, it can be customized to look like a motorcycle, for example, to avoid rocky terrain.
Our goal is to create a world where it is commonplace for people actually engaged in field work to freely create and use such devices.

 

Development on site

 

Kakazu: Our current product lineup can be divided into two main categories. One is the electrification of unicycles.

By simply replacing the tires on your own cat car, you can easily convert it to an electric vehicle. This product can be used in any industry where unicycles are used, but it is particularly popular among citrus farmers and civil engineering and construction companies.

The other is a crawler unit, a traveling unit that can be combined with various robots, for example, to carry construction materials or to run along the beach and automatically search for foreign objects buried on the beach using radar.

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant triggered the development of robots that can be used in polar environments, and we commercialized our product at a time when university laboratories and others were looking for user-friendly undercarriages, so we still receive many requests from universities, research institutions, and new business development departments of companies.
Kazunari: Our current product lineup can be divided into two main categories. One is electric unicycles.

 

Left: E-cat kit / Right: CuGov3

 

Please tell us about your backgrounds and how you two met.

 

Terashima: I was born in Yuasa-cho, Arita-gun, Wakayama Prefecture, and worked on robotics at Wakayama National College of Technology, where I studied crawlers and other technologies used in the rough terrain industry in my fifth year.
Based on the results, I transferred to Nagaoka University of Technology. At the university, I was researching driving equipment that could be used in snowy areas.

 

Graduation research products still on display at Wakayama National College of Technology

 

Kakazu: I was born in Okinawa and came to Tokyo for college. I have loved science and technology since I was a child, but at the same time I also liked business-like activities, and in high school I bought CDs at a used CD store and sold them on the Internet, making a good profit.
I vaguely thought that I wanted to combine management and engineering, so I entered the Department of Management Engineering at university.

 

Receiving an award at a science exhibition (8 years old at the time)

 

Terashima: I first met Kajika when I was a senior in college at a business contest I participated in that supported tech companies. I didn't really have any understanding of business, but I was brought along by a senior at the university without really knowing what to expect.

Kakazu: It was a business contest, but Terashima presented a "robot triathlon" and said, "It's fun to play with crawlers!" Terashima made a presentation on "Robot Triathlon" and said, "It's fun to play with a crawler! When I saw that, I had the impression that he was a strange and interesting guy.

I was also in the engineering department at university, but when I looked at the mechanical engineering students around me, only 2~3% of them made their own original products.
And even fewer take their products outside the company and present them to the public. So when I saw Terashima, it had a big impact on me. Anyway, I don't really understand him, and people around him are a bit pensive, but he's energetic and rare.。

 

Business Contests Business Contests

 

Terashima: People who participate in business contests make things as a means to realize their plans and issues. However, I participated in the contest by making what I wanted to make, ignoring any plans, issues, or markets, so I understand now that this means I was very rare.

Kakazu: Of course, there are people like Terashima, but since the contest is mainly for working people, these people are a bit older than me, such as associate professors at universities. Since I was seriously considering starting my own business and gathering members, I was attracted to the unique and eclectic Terashima.

After that, we exhibited at the then MakerFaireTokyo2015 together and deepened our relationship.

 

 

- So you were thinking of starting your own business?

 

Kakazu: Yes, that's right. Actually, at the time, just before I met Terashima, I was thinking "I want to convert all the bicycles in the world into electric bikes.
I made a prototype of an electric bike and started working toward its commercialization, but the vehicle business has many obstacles, and I was not able to move forward as an out-of-the-box student.

However, I thought that the technology of electrification was very interesting and that there must be other problems in the world, and I came up with the idea of an "E-cat kit" to electrify a transport unicycle and cat car.

We made a prototype and took it to farmers and construction companies, where it was well received. When I was thinking about commercializing the project in earnest, I went to various forums to gather friends. That is where I met Terashima.

The development of the E-cat kit at that time

 

- I think you were able to see clearly what each other was trying to do there, but how did you feel about it frankly?

 

Kakazu: I realized that we have completely different design philosophies and the order in which we create things.

Terashima: That's right. I was more interested in mastering the elemental technologies, while Kazumi thought about where to sell the product first, and created the product by combining the elemental technologies.


Kakazu: Terashima's goal was to create, but I wanted to create something useful and sellable, so our starting points and motivations for developing something were completely different. That is why we were both looking for something that we did not have.

Terashima: However, we shared the same hobby, or rather, the same goal, which was to create a traveling module that can be used on rough terrain. I had the idea of providing a crawler module that could be combined with on-site materials to make what was needed on site, and that was my graduation thesis. However, I can now say that elemental technology alone will fall into disuse, and that elemental technology can only contribute to society if it is utilized. In that sense, I feel that we were meant to meet.

 

Phase 2] Starting a business

 

- At what point did you decide to start a business?

 

Kakazu: In 2015, after the previous contest, I started a company called Hopefield. And Terashima has joined as an engineer.

Terashima: I decided to follow Kadasu because he satisfied my need for approval and curiosity. While I enjoyed working on my own, I did not necessarily want recognition from others, and I was aware that I had a particularly strong need for recognition. The option of starting a venture company had never occurred to me before, so it was very fresh and appealing to me.

Kakazu: The first project I participated in after starting the company was a traveling unit for a small grass cutter ordered by a laboratory at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology. It was there that the initial version of the crawler module was developed.

At the time, the product we were working on was still in its rough stage, so we had to adapt it to their requirements.

To put it simply, the product Terashima had developed used a plastic belt, but we needed to use a chain belt to meet their requirements. However, Terashima told us that this was not the shape I wanted to make.

Crawlers developed at that time

 

Terashima: I wanted to give priority to my own particular needs, so I had doubts about reflecting other people's opinions in what I had created. 

Kakazu: As the person in charge of planning the project, this was a great headache for me, but on the other hand, I respected Terashima's technical skills, so I somehow managed to persuade him to move forward.

Terashima: There was a certain rationality to what Kakazu was saying. And I understood the weaknesses of what I was making. The requested improvements took the form of exactly the weaknesses that I had pointed out.
And if you say, "The customer requested it," then I had no choice but to respond to it. That is why I was convinced that I would design the building exactly as Kazuo had suggested.
Terashima: I wanted to give priority to my own personal preferences, so I questioned the idea of reflecting other people's opinions in what I had created.

 

- So Mr. Terashima was not just a stubborn man.

 

"Kakazu: It took some time to convince him.... And in fact, soon after that project, Terashima decided to go independent.

Terashima: I think it was an outburst of frustration that had been building up at the time. In that project, I was making things "for someone else," but over time I began to think, "This is not how I make things! I began to think, "This is not how I make things! At the same time, I felt the physical distance between Nagaoka, where I was working, and Tokyo, where Kakazu was working. There were times when I would participate online, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of alienation.

It was not the wrong direction for the company, but my main concern at the time was not the crawler unit but the crawler belt. However, in order to fulfill the customer's request, the crawler belt I had in mind was not good enough, so I took the offer of the president of another company who approached me at that time.

At the time, I was a graduate student and living in Nagaoka, and I wanted to focus on the theme of "crawler belts in snow country" rather than anything related to agriculture. I started my own business in Nagaoka with the support of the president who approached me to make what I wanted to make. I made it with subsidies and other forms of corporate support. That was the start of CuboRex.

 

The initial state of the company's establishment.

Exhibit: "Takumi no Eki," a comprehensive manufacturing support facility

 

Kakazu: I personally love vehicles, so when Terashima told me he was going independent to make vehicles, I was frankly delighted that it sounded interesting. So I was happy to send him off on his way.

 

- So Mr. Terashima started a business in Nagaoka.

 

Terashima: I was 22 years old, so I was the youngest founder in Niigata Prefecture at the time. 2016-2017 I was developing a vehicle for snow country, but I had no idea about sales, so it didn't work out as a company business. It felt like an extension of my club activities.

After breaking the team many times and having equity problems, I went to Tokyo in 2018. The president who approached me was a co-owner of the company, but our directions were very different, so I decided to buy back all the shares from him and liquidate the company.
After all, there are more business opportunities in Tokyo. I wanted to contribute to the snow country such as Niigata, but I thought the opportunities were better in Tokyo.

Then, after coming to Tokyo, I tried to do it my own way for about a year. I had a team, but one of the team members spent all our money.... I realized how difficult it is in areas such as people and organization, and it was quite mentally taxing.

 

 

Phase.3] A fresh start

 

ーWhat made you decide to work together again?

 

"Terashima: I raised the white flag. At any rate, I decided to talk to someone about it, so I contacted Kashira and we met. I think it was lunch at a pasta restaurant in front of Akihabara station.

Kakazu: I had met Terashima once a year before that, but that was the first time I heard that the situation was that bad. Terashima then and there invited me to work with him, but to be honest, I was worried.
Terashima has ability and horsepower, but he has a personality that demands the same ability and ideology from others as he does. He always said that it was the members who quit, not himself, who were to blame.

But then, for the first time, Terashima said, "Maybe I am at fault, too," and when I heard that, I felt that we might be able to work together.
I thought I knew Terashima's personality, so I knew how hard it would be to continue working with him. So when Terashima said to me, "I might have done something wrong, too," it was a very big moment for me.

Terashima: At the time, I was thinking, "I am doing my best. I was doing my best, and it was the fault of those who could not keep up with me. However, after many failures, I finally began to think, "Perhaps this way of thinking is not good.
There was no answer to this question, but I consulted with Kadar because I thought he might be able to help me. Kadasu came to mind as a manager who was close to me, someone I could run with, not as an adult.
It was like I was consulting with him and he suddenly said, "Why don't we do this together?

Kakazu: At the time, the company I had started, Hopefield, had already dissolved because it was unable to make progress in its business.
So I said, "I want you to be on a limited-term outsourcing basis for six months, with the assumption that it will end after six months. I gave the condition, "I am not confident that I can run with Terashima for more than six months. I thought I understood both the good and the bad of Terashima, so I wanted to work with him, but I also knew that I could not stay with him for more than six months. And so the two-person team began in February 2019."

 

- How did you feel about the two-person team?

 

Terashima: At that time, my business was to build vehicles for the snow country, and I wanted to keep going with that, and in fact, I had received projects from my alma mater.

 

Made at that time. It is still on display at Nagaoka University of Technology.

 

Kakazu: I was going to rebuild my business. Although we were able to deliver the products for which we had received orders, we found that there was no work at all after that.
So, for the first month after starting over, I learned about the technology and read, moved, researched, and discussed the materials with Terashima until I was able to design the machine in my brain.
I then asked Terashima, "Isn't what you want to make (a vehicle) going to take three years? When I asked him, "We only have three months' worth of money," his only response was, "We will make it.

I was in such a state, but I began to get the feeling that the robot crawler we had built together during our time at Hope Field might be a breakthrough. I also began to get the feeling that the robot crawler we had built together during our time at Hope Field might be a breakthrough, so I presented that development idea to them."

 

 

"Terashima: However, crawlers were not a new technology during the Hopefield era, so they did not excite my interest. On the other hand, I thought, "I can understand it as a breakthrough to rebuild the company.

Kakazu: The word "understand" gave me confidence that I had a certain understanding of the technology and the market, and I was able to convince him after about three months of persuasion. I will spare you the details.
I won't go into the details, but for the first time in my life, I had a 10-yen bald spot on my head.

Terashima: Then, there was a robot convention in Nagaoka, where I had been a regular customer, and I went there to pitch the product.
The sales were several hundred thousand yen, but at that time it was equivalent to half a year's worth of sales. I felt that this was a good thing. The technology was still in its infancy, but I felt that this concept was directly related to the demand in the robotics industry."

 

At the time RoboCup 2019 in Nagaoka

 

Kakazu: At the time, I was also thinking of selling the "E-cat kit," an example of an electric unicycle kit, to the construction industry at the same time, but it did not lead to any orders.
At that time, Terashima told me that we could definitely sell it to a local tangerine farmer in Wakayama, so I flew to Terashima's parents' house and stayed overnight to sell it to tangerine farmers day after day. That is how we were able to receive orders for about 10 sets.

My parents' home is a temple and Terashima is the eldest son of the temple." I think we were amazingly lucky to be able to gain credibility not as "a young stranger from Tokyo" but as a "hard-working local young man" and have people buy our products.

 

Selling in Arita, Wakayama

 

Kakazu: This cat car electrification kit and crawler for robots were the turning point for our business. After that, Terashima gradually became convinced and we were able to expand our product lineup.

Terashima: The point is not only to develop the technology, but also to be able to incorporate it into a product, which I could feel firsthand.

 

 

Phase 4]: Behind the Scenes of the Presidential Change

 

- This time, the company's representative authority will be transferred from Mr. Terashima to Mr. Kakazu. What is your intention behind this?

 

"Terashima: In 2019, the seeds of our business were planted, the product grew, and the number of employees increased.
We also gathered talented engineers, and it is thanks to their technical skills that the product has grown into a superior product, far superior to the initial product we created. Because of this, as a company, we are able to uphold the value of being a pioneer in rugged terrain."

 

Group photo with internal members & CuGo users at Makers Fair 2022

 

"Terashima: I think we are no longer a venture company but a manufacturer, and as that happens, my role is more in the management area than as an engineer, and to be honest, I am not very good at it, and it is getting tougher.

I was faced with two choices: I could grow or I could bring in someone from the outside, but it was difficult to find someone who could take my place. Because we were the pioneers in our market, there were very few people who thought the same way, or if there were similar people, they were already busy doing something.
So once there, I intended to continue until a successor could be found. However, I was more exhausted than I had imagined, and in November of 2022 I fell ill.
The doctor told me that it was caused by stress, but I was honestly surprised because I prided myself on having a stronger mental capacity than most people.

As the company gains momentum and matures more and more, social skills become more and more required. Furthermore, I am the type of person who likes to do things by trial and error, but as more and more people get involved, the act of "trying" becomes harder and harder to do. It was very hard for me not to be able to 'try' as I wanted."

 

Terashima reveals his feelings at the time at the handover ceremony.

 

Kakazu: Since about 2021, we have been dividing the position of president internally (Kazumi) and externally (Terashima), but I felt that it would be difficult to continue with this arrangement once the number of employees increases.

Terashima: For example, when I received a project from an external party and had to think about how to use internal resources to proceed, I had to grasp the internal situation and coordinate with the other parties. I was dealing with the situation in spite of the stress, so I thought, "There won't be a presidential change for a year or two. However, from November to December of 2022, my stress level rose sharply both at work and in my personal life, and I became overwhelmed.

Kakazu: Suddenly it became difficult to get in touch with him, and while I was personally concerned, the company had to take immediate action based on the premise that Terashima would not be around. I was caught between a rock and a hard place.

What took away the hesitation was a decision made by the two of us at the beginning of the restart in 2019.

In the first six months, we had a series of dialogues about whether we valued CuboRex or Terashima more. Frequently, we would ask, "Is that Terashima's word or the company's word?" This was a way to communicate calmly with Terashima, who did not distinguish between individuals and teams, or between himself and others.

From there, the question "What is the purpose and priority of a team that starts with the two of us?" The question "What is the priority and purpose of the team starting with the two of us? We both agreed that our position as individuals should be second or third or lower.

This worked out well later. In other words, when Terashima became ill, the order of priority for my actions was immediately established. Protecting the company, protecting the employees, and growing the company significantly: these requirements were the top priorities, and as a result, I could decide that a change of representative was necessary. And as Terashima said, bringing in an ideal president from the outside was not going to happen, so I was determined to "do it.

Terashima: In the first place, without Kadasu, the president change would not have been possible, and the company would not have grown so much, though. In the end, the only person I could trust and entrust the company to was Kakazu."

 

Photo at the time of 2020

 

 

Phase.5] From now on

 

- Terashima-san, please tell us about your future involvement with CuboRex.

 

Terashima: From now on, as the founder, I will be involved with CuboRex not as a member of the company, but as an external equal partner, and I will work with CuboRex to promote the industry.

To be honest, I have been feeling a bit suffocated, so I would like to have a period of freedom to work alone. I am 30 years old this year, and it has been exactly 10 years since I started basic research at the National College of Technology, so I think it is just right. I am also convinced that both the company and the industry can grow without me; CuboRex has always had the idea that customers = development colleagues, and with an increasing number of customers supporting us, I feel that this will be a good thing.

As for the company, I feel secure in the fact that there is a person at the top who has supported me for a long time, such as Kazunari. So I would rather be an "activist" in the industry.

Kakazu: Terashima is really energetic when he talks about his vision as an activist, and I think he has finally been able to take a load off his shoulders."

 

A scene at the handover ceremony

 

"Kakazu: I think it all comes down to continuing what we have been doing while keeping our feet on the ground. As long as we are conscious of product manufacturing and development as a manufacturer and make use of what we have done so far with all of our dependable employees, we will be fine. Actually, two years ago, Terashima and I both contracted corona at the same time. I was treated at a hotel, and Terashima was hospitalized, but the company was running smoothly. The decision to replace the president this time was also made suddenly, but everyone did a good job of following up, and it did not interfere with business operations. I am proud to have built such a good team.

Let me tell you about the development of our business, with "complexity" as the key word.

CuboRex's current products, such as crawlers for robots and electrified kits for unicycles, combine motors, frames, batteries, controllers, etc., and are defined as "medium" in terms of complexity.

In the short term, we plan to introduce simpler, less complex core products in the next 1~2 years. Specifically, motors and batteries. This is partly because there are many situations where existing parts are not suitable for the new markets we are developing, and partly to establish a technological competitive advantage in the long term.

In the medium term, from 2 to 4 years from now, we plan to release more complex products, such as robots that can clean the inside of plant equipment. While it is difficult to develop a market for such highly complex service robots, if they can truly solve problems, they will become a large business with high added value.

In addition, together with Terashima, we have established a new slogan: CRAWL YOUR FIELD."

 

 

"This is an attempt to continue to demonstrate our value as a pioneer of muddy and uneven terrain in any field, and also an attempt to expand our business overseas.

We will continue to contribute to the development of the industry together with Terashima, and we look forward to your continued support.

Thank you very much for sharing your passionate story with us. Thank you very much for sharing your passionate story with us. (Interview by Ito)
"

 

February 2023 at the representative handover ceremony