With over 70 years of history providing business travel services to corporations, government offices, and organizations, Hankyu Hanshin Business Travel has built a reputation for expertise in complex travel arrangements. Its tailored proposals for optimal airfare, experience in visa applications for over 100 countries, and efforts to streamline travel planning to settlement have earned high praise from numerous clients.

In June 2022, the company established a local subsidiary in India, its first overseas office independently operated without collaboration with the global subsidiaries of its parent company, Hankyu Travel. Explaining the rationale behind this move, Nishikawa, the president of the Indian subsidiary, said,

"Previously, we handled customer interactions through a representative office. However, with the increasing number of Japanese companies entering India, we received numerous requests to assist with expense reimbursements for travelers."

With this came the need for an accounting system to manage billing operations.

"We explored systems with versatility and scalability to manage transactions efficiently and appropriately for our dealings with Indian clients," Nishikawa added.

Managing billing operations in India is no easy task. Nakayama explained the challenges compared to Japan:

"For instance, in India, two types of invoices—Tax Invoices and Reimbursement Invoices—must be used depending on whether the billed items are subject to GST (Goods and Services Tax). There are also cases where two invoices are required for a single order. Accounts receivable management is far more complex than in Japan."

While addressing challenges like those mentioned above, GLASIAOUS was chosen as the accounting system. Kunio Fujii, Director of the Indian subsidiary of Tax Corporation Nihon Keiei, which recommended GLASIAOUS, explained:

"It was crucial to have a tool that allowed clients to handle billing and payment settlement independently, even without local staff. GLASIAOUS, which supports diverse requirements across countries and is widely used internationally, is well-suited for India, which is a key region for us."

Nishikawa added,

"From the perspective of collaboration with our Japanese headquarters, having a cloud-based tool that allows real-time sharing of information on the same screen was indispensable. The system's multilingual support and future potential as an ERP solution made GLASIAOUS the best choice."

After deciding to implement GLASIAOUS, the company built its operational structure. Nishikawa looked back, "While the business operations and transaction formats of the Indian subsidiary were still unclear, we engaged in extensive discussions with Nihon Keiei to determine master data registration and necessary deliverables.

"With the establishment of the Indian subsidiary, the operation of GLASIAOUS was started simultaneously. Currently, the Indian subsidiary handles invoice issuance, while bookkeeping and related tasks are outsourced to Nihon Keiei. This co-sourcing model minimizes reliance on specific personnel and establishes a scalable operational foundation. Nakayama noted, "As we gain more experience, we plan to review this role-sharing arrangement periodically. "

He added, "As more data accumulates in GLASIAOUS, we aim to independently track key figures such as accounts receivable, payable balances, expense statuses, and cash flow, without relying on frequent inquiries to Nihon Keiei." Additionally, various positive outcomes are beginning to emerge as Hankyu Hanshin Business Travel's Japanese headquarters, its Indian subsidiary, and Nihon Keiei collaborate closely while utilizing GLASIAOUS.

"In the fiscal year ending March 2023, we faced our first financial closing as an Indian subsidiary and prepared the financial statements using GLASIAOUS. Although we were required to make adjustments such as rearranging account items and renaming them, we were able to respond promptly," said Nakayama.

"This achievement is realized thanks to the flexibility and speed of GLASIAOUS and Nihon Keiei's support. We are now confident that we can continue to expand our business in India while successfully handling future financial closings," added Nishikawa.

　Looking ahead, the Indian subsidiary plans to explore additional uses for GLASIAOUS, including making full use of its accumulated data. Nishikawa emphasized, "GLASIAOUS allows us to check key figures in real-time whenever needed, and we intend to leverage this for strategic management of the Indian subsidiary."

　Additionally, the company envisions utilizing GLASIAOUS as a comprehensive ERP system: "Currently, we use the system primarily for invoice issuance and revenue recording. We plan to manage accounts receivable more efficiently and integrate manual processes like managing advance payments and payables directly into GLASIAOUS for greater efficiency," Nakayama explained.