MTI

　MTI Ltd. (MTI) and Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (ONE) established a joint venture, “QUAVEO Company Limited” (QUAVEO), in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in December 2025. The new company aims to promote Digital Transformation (DX) of operations and business models by utilizing AI technology. By combining the strengths of both companies, QUAVEO aims to drive DX in the container shipping industry and create new use cases for AI applications.

◆Background and Purpose of Establishment

ONE, as one of the world’s leading container shipping companies, operates over 260 vessels and provides container transport services connecting over 120 countries globally. Meanwhile, the need for DX involving AI technology adoption—such as responding to diversifying market needs, pursuing further operational efficiency, and enhancing customer experience—is rapidly intensifying. By overcoming challenges such as labor shortages and decarbonization, and by prioritizing safety and market needs, the shipping industry is poised to lead the global competition.

MTI, leveraging its long-standing expertise in providing services for consumers, corporations, and local governments, as well as its knowledge in AI technology and application, aims to realize “AI-driven DX.” This involves transforming business models, operational processes, and value provision mechanisms of companies and organizations with AI at the core, rather than merely digitizing operations.

QUAVEO was jointly established to realize problem-solving and new value creation for customers, including the shipping industry, by leveraging ONE’s extensive knowledge and practical experience in the container shipping industry and MTI’s know-how in AI-utilized human resource development. The company will promote the development of AI talent familiar with customer operations and the rapid development and introduction of AI solutions that function effectively on the front lines.

◆Business Activities

Develop and provide operation optimization solutions for the shipping industry
Realization of operational improvements utilizing AI, such as the sophistication of vessel allocation plans and equipment operation, and the efficiency of logistics processes.
Provide AI services contributing to customer experience improvement
Improvement of customer satisfaction through the automation of inquiry responses by AI and the provision of personalized services tailored to customer needs.
Business Automation Support by AI Agents
Promotion of automation for back-office operations and routine tasks to create an environment where employees can concentrate on higher value-added work.
AI Talent Development and In-house Production Support
Supporting the development of AI talent at client companies and the construction of sustainable DX promotion systems by utilizing the training know-how cultivated by MTI.
Provide and sell AI solutions for external companies
Expansion of AI contract development and data utilization support services targeting not only the shipping industry but also distribution, manufacturing, and other industries.

◆Thoughts Behind the Company Name

“QUAVEO” is a new name created by combining positive elements from words that represent creativity and growth, such as QUALITY, QUANTITY, IDEA, and EVOLUTION. It was designed to be memorable and serve as a unifying identity for our international team, including Vietnam.

◆Future Outlook

While the volume of business data has exploded in recent years, efficiently harnessing these vast assets to generate revenue remains a significant challenge. This gap represents a massive, untapped market for AI-driven DX.

To monetize AI effectively, companies need to move beyond the Proof of Concept (PoC) stage. Success requires robust solutions capable of withstanding complex, real-world operations, supported by an agile implementation structure.

QUAVEO draws on the deep expertise ONE and MTI have cultivated through joint AI development in the complex arena of global shipping. Our core strength lies in our agility to rapidly apply cutting-edge technologies, such as Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs). Leveraging these strengths, we will expand our services beyond the maritime industry to sectors like distribution and manufacturing, driving digital transformation across society.

【Overview of QUAVEO】

Company Name: QUAVEO Company Limited (Trade name: QUAVEO)
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Establishment Date: December 2025
Capital: 1.6 million USD (Approx. 250 million JPY)
Shareholding Ratio: MTI 51%, ONE 49%
-CEO: Ichiro Igari (Managing Executive Officer, MTI)
Business Activities: Development and provision of solutions utilizing AI technology and data science, human resource development, etc.
HP：https://quaveoai.com/

【Ichiro Igari, Managing Executive Officer, MTI Ltd.】
“MTI has strengthened the AI development and data science team launched at our Vietnamese subsidiary, MTI Technology, and has proceeded with business implementation mainly for our own services. In that process, we met ONE and gained the opportunity to utilize our AI development capabilities in real businesses that move people, goods, and money on a large scale. Currently, the ability to flexibly conceive ideas from a business perspective regarding AI technology, which is evolving at an unprecedented speed, is required in the market. In the new company, we will create results in the container shipping and healthcare businesses and realize business transformation through the latest AI technology for a wider range of client companies.”

【Kenichi Michida, Senior Vice President, Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd.】
“ONE has built a strong relationship with MTI over many years, and as a result, we have already developed multiple solutions in-house. In the container shipping industry, the need for service quality improvement and operational efficiency utilizing AI and LLM is rapidly increasing. Through the establishment of this new company, we intend to introduce highly competitive AI/LLM solutions that meet these needs more rapidly and on a larger scale than ever before, and actively proceed with securing excellent AI talent.”

About MTI Ltd.
President: Toshihiro Maeta Headquarters: Tokyo Opera City Tower 35F, 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Business Activities: Content Business, Healthcare Business, School DX Business, Other Business (AI, corporate DX support, etc.) https://www.mti.co.jp/

About Ocean Network Express (ONE)
Ocean Network Express (ONE), headquartered in Singapore, is one of the world’s leading liner shipping companies. It operates a fleet of over 260 vessels with a capacity exceeding 2 million TEUs. Through its extensive global network, ONE provides reliable container shipping services to over 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.one-line.com

※1：Large Language Model (LLM): Artificial intelligence with the ability to understand and generate human language by learning vast amounts of text data. It is applied widely not only in language processing but also in image generation, video generation, music generation, robot control, etc., playing a central role in current artificial intelligence technological innovation.

For further information, please contact:

MTI Ltd.
Public Relations Department
E-mail：mtipr@mti.co.jp

Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd.
Corporate Communication
E-mail：Media@one-line.com

　We are committed to creating an environment where employees can select a work style that suits them personally, thereby boosting productivity and enabling diverse human resources to flourish. We do this via strategies such as adopting a super flextime system with no core working hours, and standardizing telework.
　As part of this initiative, we have made it possible for employees who are foreign nationals to telework from their home country, with an upper limit of 183 days per year. Since adopting this system in 2021, we have seen results such as a roughly two-fold increase in the number of foreign nationals working for us.
　In this article we feature feedback from foreign nationals who utilize this system to telework from their homeland, covering a range of topics from work-related tips such as how they deal with the time difference with Japan and handle communication to insights about their daily lives in their home country. They tell us about the ideal work-life balance they have achieved thanks to this system.

【Case１】Telecommuting enables him to tackle his work with fresh vigor, and connect more deeply with his family and friends

Profile
WANG NAIYI
Account System Engineer Dept., Technology Division
Joined MTI in 2011, straight after graduation. Since joining MTI, has been involved in smartphone app development as an engineer. Currently the leader of the development group for FEEDER, an app that utilizes AI to read receipts.
Teleworked from his homeland of China for periods of around a month three times in 2023.

Time spent with his family increased dramatically from around two weeks to over three months a year

– What kind of work are you currently involved in?
　I’ve worked as a development engineer of smartphone apps during the twelve years since I joined the company in 2011. I was initially involved in the Luna-Luna female health information service, after which I gained experience in the development of a diverse range of services, including the Life Ranger Weather integrated weather information site.
　I currently lead the development group responsible for improving the quality of FEEDER, an app that utilizes AI to read receipts.

– How frequently did you return to your home country before it became possible to telecommute from your homeland?
　I used to take around a week’s paid leave once or twice a year to return to my homeland of China. Mind you, I always felt pressed for time when I was only there for a week.
　As well as that, it was impossible to check up on work while I was back in China, so I would worry about what would happen if something cropped up and I couldn’t return to Japan on schedule.

– Has the frequency of your trips home changed since it became possible to telework from your home country?
　I went back home for a month in both May and September 2023. I’m also scheduled to telework from China for a month in December.
　Previously I had only been able to spend around two weeks a year in China but now, by utilizing the telework option, I can spend around three months there.

– How do you feel about being able to do your work in your homeland?
　I consider Japan to be a very good country to work in, but I think I can tackle my work with fresh vigor when I’m back in China thanks to the change in my environment.

– Have you run into any problems with teleworking from overseas?
　The tools necessary for telework have been in place since it became a standard work style of the company in 2020, so I haven’t had any particular problems or felt inconvenienced by it.
　I do think that communication difficulties due to the time difference are a challenge when telecommuting from overseas. However, there’s only a one hour difference between China and Japan, so I can work during the same time period as the other members of our group, and there’s absolutely no difference from when I’m in Japan.

The importance of personal connections that can only be made locally

– Has the way you spend your leisure time in your homeland changed now that you can stay there longer?
　The best thing is that I can spend more time with my parents. They’re getting on in years and I was always thinking that I really ought to support them in various ways. I can now provide support for my parents on a daily basis thanks to teleworking in China, which makes me really happy. I think my parents are also relieved that we can spend more time together.
　MTI has always been a good place to work, but I did use to regret the fact that it was hard to return to China for a lengthy period of time. I feel it’s an even better company to work for now that I can stay a long time in China by utilizing the telework system.

– Going forward, are there things you want to do by utilizing the system to telework from your homeland?
　I will emphasize spending time with my friends as well, not just my family. Through my friends I will gain an understanding of the latest developments at various companies in China, which I can only find out about when I’m there. I will also value things such as opportunities to meet new people, which I hope will help me in my own work going forward.

– Please tell us your message to foreign nationals who are considering working for MTI.
　MTI has in place systems such as super flextime, as well as telecommuting, to make flexible working possible. You can create a work style that suits your own lifestyle by utilizing those systems.
　And since it has group companies overseas as well, I think you will have opportunities to flourish by making use of English in your work.

【Case２】 Leveraging the time difference to work earlier hours and fully enjoy leisure time

Profile
KOCZAN MICHAL (From Poland)
Weather Business Dept., Life, Entertainment & Sports Division
Joined MTI in 2020, straight after graduation. Since joining the company, has been responsible for marketing the ARVI and 3D ARVI aviation weather systems, and has been involved in work such as marketing activities targeting aviation companies around the world.
Teleworked for two to three weeks from his homeland of Poland three times in the period between 2022 and 2023.

Telecommuting from his homeland makes it possible to interact with overseas customers with no time difference, which also makes his work more efficient

– What kind of work are you currently involved in?
　Currently I’m mainly involved in marketing the ARVI aviation weather system and 3D ARVI, which provides 3D visualization of bad weather areas that have the potential to negatively impact an aircraft’s flight. The aim is to roll out these systems overseas.
　To be more specific, we exhibit at expos for aviation-related services overseas, and I engage in marketing activities targeting aviation companies around the world. In 2023, we exhibited at expos in Singapore, America and Portugal, and I engaged in marketing that targeted aviation companies in places such as Europe, America and the Middle East.

– Working in countries around the world is part of your regular routine, isn’t it? How frequently do you utilize telecommuting from your home country during the course of your work?
　I teleworked from my homeland of Poland once in October 2022, and twice in 2023, in May and October, making a total of three times. Each time I spent between two and three weeks there.
　I joined MTI in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant that I couldn’t return to my homeland at all for around two years after that. I finally got to do it in 2022. Even a direct flight from Japan to Poland takes around 14 hours, and it can take 24 to 25 hours if it’s a connecting flight, so you don’t have much time to relax and enjoy yourself back home even if you take around a week’s paid leave. I’m glad that I can spend a long time in Poland by making use of telework.

– What are the advantages in utilizing telework to carry out your duties from your homeland?　　
　In my case, many of my customers are European companies so if they email me with an inquiry while I’m in Japan, the time difference means that they are sometimes kept waiting for a reply. However, there isn’t much of a time difference between Poland and European countries, so I can respond swiftly to customers’ emails, and can go and meet them face-to-face if necessary.
　My work proceeds more smoothly now that I can telecommute from Poland.

Overcoming challenges posed by the time difference with cooperation from colleagues and the use of the super flextime system

– Have you run into any problems with teleworking from your homeland?
　There’s the time difference, of course. Poland has summer time and winter time, so the time difference with Japan is seven hours in summer and eight hours in winter
　MTI has a super flextime system that enables employees to work when they like between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. However, I need to start work in Poland at some point between 5 and 6:30 a.m. if I’m going to work between those hours in Japan. 5 a.m. in Poland is noon in Japan so I started work at five in the morning. Although it was a bit tough getting up in the early hours to work, it did mean that I finished early. I made the most of that to do things like meet up with friends after work or visit various places.
　My colleagues were kind enough to cooperate with me, for example by setting internal meetings after 2 p.m. JST. Basically, I’ve been telecommuting ever since I was in Japan, so I didn’t find anything particularly inconvenient other than the time difference, and I didn’t run into any problems with telework.

– Please tell us how you spent your leisure time in Poland.
　It’s been around seven years now since I moved abroad, including my time in Japan, and I’ve spent most of my twenties living overseas. As a result, there are in fact many things I don’t know about Poland, and many places I’ve never been. From now on, I want to visit various places in Poland and neighboring countries while I’m doing telework.

– Finally, please tell us about your goals for the near future.
　First of all, I’m going to make every effort to get ARVI and 3D ARVI adopted by overseas aviation companies. I’m only engaged in marketing at the moment, but I intend to become capable of also taking charge of support for users once they have actually adopted those services. I think my work in Poland will be even more meaningful if I can provide prompt support for customers in Europe, and visit them personally sometimes. I want to expand the range of my work by adding more and more tasks that can only be done because I’m in Poland.

– Please tell us your message to foreign nationals who are considering working for MTI.
　Japanese companies have an image of requiring a lot of overtime, and I was worried about working for a Japanese company at one point.
　However, MTI has adopted super flextime so that, for example, even if there are days when work has piled up and you have to do overtime, you can make up for that by leaving work early when you’re not so busy. I think being able to work flexibly means that even foreign nationals find it a very good company to work for.

MTI and ONE Establish Joint Venture “QUAVEO” in Vietnam