{"id":8081,"date":"2025-05-27T07:32:14","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T22:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mirai-works.co.jp\/consulnext\/column\/8081\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T13:04:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T04:04:41","slug":"8081","status":"publish","type":"column","link":"https:\/\/mirai-works.co.jp\/consulnext\/en\/column\/8081\/","title":{"rendered":"[A Day in the Life of Manager Shin Yamaguchi] The Greatest Reward Is Sparking Innovation Together with Clients"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When people hear “consultant,” many think “demanding work.” But what does a consultant’s day actually look like? In this article, we follow a day in the life of Shin Yamaguchi, a Manager at JDSC Inc., and ask him about both the rewarding moments and the tough parts of being a consultant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Profile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Shin Yamaguchi
JDSC Inc., Manager<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduating from university, he joined Nomura Research Institute, where he worked on consulting for manufacturing and logistics industries, supporting business reform and DX initiatives. He was posted to India in 2017\u20132018 and to the United States from 2022 to 2024, supporting the global expansion of Japanese companies entering those markets. He then joined JDSC in September 2024. As a strategy consultant, he currently leads DX initiatives in manufacturing and logistics. He works with data scientists and engineers to drive client business reform and talent development.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

A day in Yamaguchi’s schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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8:30<\/strong>
After dropping his child off at daycare, he heads straight to the office and starts work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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9:30<\/strong>
Joins a project-team meeting. They confirm tasks and the path forward. His manufacturing client is global and currently pursues “strengthening DX capability” and “shifting from selling things to selling experiences” as key strategies. So the meeting is not just status updates \u2014 he aligns with the team on what technical and business priorities to focus on. They also use this meeting to decide how to allocate resources across issues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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11:00<\/strong>
Meeting to strengthen JDSC’s internal capabilities. Manufacturing-domain experts and data scientists join, and they discuss how to embed the knowledge and know-how built up over the years across the company. Together they craft the strategy for getting the most out of the organization’s capabilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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12:00<\/strong>
Lunch meeting with data scientist colleagues. Topics often include digital twins, generative AI, and advanced cases from Western manufacturers. Casual conversation helps him catch up on the latest tech trends and feed them into the next round of client proposals. It is valuable time for gathering information on industry trends and technology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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13:00<\/strong>
Prepares for a regular meeting with the client. The theme is “strengthening DX capability in manufacturing,” and he organizes the key points and challenges. He focuses on producing materials that support management decisions, not just technical content. He also frames issues by theme \u2014 such as developing digital talent and organizational design \u2014 so the discussion can continue across future meetings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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15:30<\/strong>
Regular meeting with the client’s CTO and business leads. Beyond short-term project issues, they discuss the “next move” from a medium- to long-term perspective \u2014 organizational reform and culture building. They explore methodologies for shifting from selling things to selling experiences, and consider how robotics can change the way work is done. This is an important meeting for clarifying the direction of the client’s DX initiatives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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17:30<\/strong>
After the client meeting he heads straight home and switches to remote work, holding an online meeting with project team members. He organizes the points and issues from the client meeting and confirms the action plan for the next session. He makes sure to share the key points with the team while the discussion is still fresh. The aim is to move quickly toward solving the issues.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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18:30<\/strong>
Wraps up work. He picks his child up from daycare and prepares dinner together. After dinner, he gives the child a bath, reads picture books, and gets the child to sleep. He pays attention to work-life balance, securing solid family time even on weekdays. He treasures this part of the day for switching out of work mode.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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22:00<\/strong>
Time to reflect on the day. He looks back on what he did, organizes new insights, and sets the next steps. This reflection is his daily habit \u2014 time he sees as necessary for his own and the organization’s growth going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n