Denka, an integrated Japanese chemical manufacturer, introduced VoicePing as a virtual office during the COVID-19 pandemic and now uses it company-wide for transcription, simultaneous translation, and meeting minutes.
Denka × VoicePing Case Study
Introduction
“It would be great if VoicePing could become something we can rely on as a base platform.”
These are the words of Mr. Moriguchi, General Manager of Denka’s Internal Control Department. Denka is one of Japan’s integrated chemical manufacturers, with a broad product lineup spanning inorganic and organic materials. The company introduced VoicePing as a virtual office during the COVID-19 pandemic and now uses it across the organization for transcription, simultaneous translation, and meeting minutes.
What is especially notable is that VoicePing spread across departments through word of mouth, without any internal promotion.
We visited Denka’s head office to speak with four people involved in the rollout: Mr. Moriguchi, General Manager of the Internal Control Department; Mr. Tamura of the Internal Control Department; and Ms. Toriumi and Mr. Oike of the Digital Strategy Department.
At Denka’s head office lobby. From left: VoicePing CEO Akinori Nakajima, Mr. Moriguchi of Denka’s Internal Control Department, Ms. Toriumi of the Digital Strategy Department, Mr. Oike of the Digital Strategy Department, and Mr. Tamura of the Internal Control Department.
An Integrated Chemical Manufacturer with More Than 100 Years of History
The interview took place in a meeting room at Denka’s head office.
– First, could you tell us about Denka?
Mr. Moriguchi (Internal Control Department): Denka is what you would call an integrated chemical manufacturer. One of our distinctive strengths is that we offer a wide product lineup from inorganic to organic materials. Among chemical manufacturers, I think it is quite unique to handle both inorganic and organic materials in an integrated way. We are a company with more than 100 years of history, so we are a traditional Japanese company, but we are working hard to bring in new technologies. VoicePing is one of them.
– Could you tell us about everyone’s roles?
Mr. Tamura (Internal Control Department): I am Tamura from the Internal Control Department. I handled the first VoicePing contract and payments.
Mr. Oike (Digital Strategy Department): I am also in the Digital Strategy Department, where I work on business management using generative AI. As translation tools became more popular, I helped promote the rollout.
Ms. Toriumi (Digital Strategy Department): I am Toriumi from the Digital Strategy Department. I mainly handle web meeting management. We have simultaneous translation needs in web meetings with overseas manufacturers and customers, so we use VoicePing.
Introduced During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Address Communication Gaps
– What led you to introduce VoicePing?
Mr. Moriguchi: It was during the COVID-19 pandemic. When everyone started working from home, communication inevitably became insufficient. We were looking hard for a way to recreate the real office environment, and that is when we found VoicePing. We thought, “So this exists. A virtual office.”
The first appeal was the ease of communication: a colleague can be sitting nearby, and a conversation starts just by moving closer. The second was cost performance. We felt, “Can we really use these functions at this price?” Looking ahead, we also thought we could use the bilingual features for overseas audit work.
We compared several similar services, but many were expensive. Some had one feature but lacked another. When we compared them overall, VoicePing had an advantage.
In a meeting room at Denka’s head office. Four Denka representatives joined the interview.
No Internal Promotion: VoicePing Spread Company-Wide by Word of Mouth
– How did VoicePing expand from the Internal Control Department to the whole company?
Mr. Tamura: It started when General Manager Moriguchi found it and said it looked easy to use and cost-effective. I handled the contract and payments. At first, we introduced it as a virtual office, but we also had high expectations for the translation features.
What is interesting is that we did not promote it internally. People in other departments searched for VoicePing, thought it looked promising, and then found out it had already been introduced at Denka. That led to the decision to roll it out company-wide, and it was handed over to the Digital Strategy Department.
The number of accounts increased significantly, but the unit cost performance is very good, so Denka appreciates that as well.
The Main Use Case: Transcription and Generative AI for Meeting Minutes
– How do you use VoicePing in your daily work?
Mr. Moriguchi: The most common use is transcription. We use transcription as the base, apply generative AI, and turn it into meeting minutes. That is probably the main use case.
For example, we take the transcription to Gemini, give it a prompt such as, “This is the type of meeting. Please create minutes while highlighting the key points,” and it quickly produces minutes based on the VoicePing transcript. It is almost instant. By sharing those minutes with meeting participants immediately, the next actions move forward much faster.
It is very easy to use. We can say, “Let’s have a meeting now,” and then, “Okay, I’ll press the button.” That is all it takes to connect. That ease of use is excellent.
VoicePing bilingual mode. Japanese speech is transcribed in real time and English translation is displayed at the same time.
– How specifically do you connect VoicePing with generative AI?
Mr. Moriguchi: We use Gemini in Google Workspace. We have prompts registered in advance as Gems, such as for creating meeting minutes for specific purposes. We simply call the Gem and paste in the VoicePing transcript. We do not have to pull up past history; once we call the Gem, we can proceed immediately.
VoicePing’s “copy entire page” feature is very convenient. Without downloading anything, we can copy the full text to the clipboard with one click and paste it directly into Gemini.
Transcription Is Useful Even for Meetings Hosted by Other Companies
– How do you use VoicePing alongside Teams and Zoom?
Ms. Toriumi: Transcription is basically the main use case. For in-person meetings like this or web meetings where we are the host, we can use transcription in Teams or Zoom. But that only works when we are the host. When we are invited to a meeting by another company and want to transcribe it, VoicePing is used.
More Daily Conversations with Overseas Staff: Unlimited Translation Time Matters
– How do you use simultaneous translation?
Ms. Toriumi: We have a research institute in Machida, and overseas staff work there. VoicePing is also used for daily communication with those staff members. Many simultaneous translation services charge by time, but with our current plan, we can use it without time limits, which makes it much easier to use. We hear people say that conversations have increased.
Mr. Tamura: The need is strong among people whose native language is not Japanese. Several departments requested it for communication with Japanese speakers.
Mr. Moriguchi: After hearing that reputation, overseas subsidiaries have also started asking to use it.
Ms. Toriumi: In February, we signed a contract that spans companies, but the billing method has not yet been finalized. In fiscal 2026, we would like to expand it more broadly. The need is very high.
– What impact has the introduction had?
Mr. Moriguchi: The problems we had before introducing it have been solved. We were able to secure a certain level of communication during the COVID-19 period, and previously various transcription tools were being introduced here and there, with people saying, “Our team uses this one” or “I use that one.” Now it has been standardized to some extent. I think there are cost benefits as well.
Breaking Through the Barrier of Technical Terminology with Vocabulary Builder
– You mentioned that VoicePing is not yet used as much in sales departments. Why is that?
Ms. Toriumi: In sales departments, accuracy drops when people discuss technical terms with overseas customers or manufacturing sites, so honestly, it is not used that much yet.
Mr. Oike: In some cases, there are people at overseas sites who have product knowledge, and having them translate can convey the intended meaning more accurately.
– VoicePing introduced a new feature to address that challenge.
Mr. Moriguchi: You mean the Vocabulary Builder feature. For example, if we upload our integrated report, it contains many technical terms. Can VoicePing learn those terms?
Nakajima (VoicePing): Yes. By uploading a PDF or text file, our model automatically corrects only the terms it could not recognize. It completes in 30 seconds.
Mr. Moriguchi: That is a major update. I did not know about it.
Requests from the Field: Image Pasting in Chat and Easier Mode Switching
– Are there any improvements you would like to see in VoicePing?
Mr. Moriguchi: The virtual office chat is currently text-only. We cannot paste screen captures or documents, so we end up moving to another tool. We have to leave VoicePing, and that feels wasteful when we are using it.
If we could paste images into chat, we could send private text and screen captures in the same place. Then we could complete those exchanges inside VoicePing. I think usability would improve quite a lot.
– VoicePing will consider that positively.
Mr. Moriguchi: One more point: switching from the virtual office to transcription mode currently takes a few steps. I think it used to be simpler. It would be good if we could switch by clicking a single icon.
The VoicePing virtual office actually used by Denka. Member status and location are visible in real time.
“If VoicePing Became a Basic IT Infrastructure”: Expectations for a Company-Wide Platform
– What expectations do you have for VoicePing going forward?
Mr. Moriguchi: When I think about future development, it would be great if VoicePing could serve as the infrastructure base: translation, meeting minutes, and more. It would be great if we could get to the point where we feel, “As long as we are on VoicePing, we are covered.”
Right now, we switch between Gemini, Microsoft 365 Copilot, VoicePing, and Teams. If AI were built into VoicePing and the transcribed content could be turned directly into meeting minutes inside VoicePing, we would no longer need to go to Gemini.
Translation, transcription, research, meetings, and chat, all in one place. As a one-stop platform, it could become a basic IT infrastructure.
Ms. Toriumi: In fiscal 2026, we would like to expand it across overseas subsidiaries as well. We expect to use it not only for Japanese-English, but also for Chinese and local languages.
Mr. Moriguchi: As our communication with overseas teams increases, the more we use VoicePing, the stronger the need will become for what I mentioned earlier: VoicePing as IT infrastructure.
Attention from Internal Audit Professional Networks
Mr. Moriguchi: I am also a member of a professional internal audit organization. In those settings, I sometimes introduce VoicePing. It is a virtual office that even people who are not familiar with IT can use naturally. If my name can be mentioned, it may lead to inquiries.
Denka representatives. From left: Mr. Tamura of the Internal Control Department, Mr. Moriguchi, General Manager of the Internal Control Department, Ms. Toriumi of the Digital Strategy Department, and Mr. Oike of the Digital Strategy Department.
Summary
The Denka case study highlights several key points:
- Company-wide expansion by word of mouth: VoicePing expanded naturally from one department’s trial introduction, without internal promotion.
- Instant meeting minutes through transcription and generative AI: By pasting VoicePing transcripts into Gemini, minutes can be created in seconds.
- Unlimited translation time increased conversations with overseas staff: Removing time-based concerns made daily communication easier.
- Use during business trips: VoicePing is increasingly being used instead of hardware translation devices.
- Vocabulary Builder supports technical terminology: Industry-specific chemical terms can be handled by generating dictionaries from PDF uploads.
Going forward, VoicePing is expected to expand to overseas subsidiaries and serve as a one-stop IT infrastructure for translation, transcription, meeting minutes, and chat.
Interview date: March 26, 2026
Location: Denka Head Office
Interview cooperation: Mr. Moriguchi (General Manager, Internal Control Department), Ms. Toriumi (Digital Strategy Department), Mr. Tamura (Internal Control Department), Mr. Oike (Digital Strategy Department)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Company name | Denka Company Limited |
| Founded | May 1, 1915 |
| Location | Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, 2-1-1 Nihonbashi-Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-8338, Japan |
| Business | Manufacturing and sales of organic and inorganic materials, electronic materials, pharmaceutical-related products, and related fields |
| Stock exchange | Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market (Securities code: 4061) |
| Official website | https://www.denka.co.jp/ |
Transform Your Team’s Meetings with Transcription and Generative AI
VoicePing is a next-generation communication tool that combines real-time transcription, simultaneous translation, and a virtual office in one app.
- Connect meeting transcription with generative AI to complete meeting minutes instantly
- Use unlimited translation time to make daily communication with overseas members easier
- Improve technical-term accuracy with Vocabulary Builder
- Use VoicePing instantly during Teams and Zoom meetings
Why not use VoicePing as a company-wide communication platform, as Denka does?
