BRAIN SYSTEMS

What BRAIN SYSTEMS does

BRAIN SYSTEMS Co., LTD. (株式会社ブレーンシステムズ) is a privately held Japanese regional IT services company founded in August 1984 and headquartered in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture. The firm specializes in original custom system development on the IBM i (AS/400) platform — a niche it has occupied for over 30 years, having migrated its own stack progressively from IBM System/36 (1985) through AS/400 (1988), iSeries (2003), and Power Systems (Power720, 2014). Its customer base consists of local manufacturing, retail, and service-industry businesses that rely on legacy IBM i systems for production management and core operations, addressing pain points such as shrinking support availability for AS/400, knowledge gaps from departing personnel, and the need to digitize paper-based processes.

The company's product portfolio is anchored in custom IBM i development and extended by a set of modular solutions: a FileMaker-based automated report generation system, an IBM-provided FAX automation tool, an AI-OCR plus RPA order-entry automation service (launched in 2021), UTM-based gateway security, Internet VPN construction, antivirus services, and peripheral hardware sales. Supporting services include network/system integration, website and smartphone application development, and ongoing system operation and maintenance under managed-service arrangements.

BRAIN SYSTEMS employs approximately 5 people (3 male, 2 female) and operates with ¥10 million in registered capital under a direct sales model from its single Saku City office. Revenue is generated through professional services (custom development, network/SI), managed services (operation and maintenance, security), and hardware resale, all priced via quote-based contracts. The company has no external institutional investors, no parent organization, and no disclosed subsidiaries, with current president Takahiro Yamaura leading since October 2018.

Name

BRAIN SYSTEMS

Legal name

株式会社ブレーンシステムズ (BRAIN SYSTEMS Co.,LTD.)

Website

http://www.brain21.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BRAIN SYSTEMS is a privately held, 5-employee regional Japanese IT services firm specializing in original custom IBM i (AS/400) system development and adjacent solutions for manufacturing, retail, and service-industry customers in Nagano Prefecture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saku

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom System Development: Original software development for IBM i (AS/400) platforms, creating bespoke production management and core business systems tailored to specific customer operations, workflows, and industry requirements.
2. System Operation and Maintenance: Ongoing system support services including troubleshooting, updates, modifications, and regular system council meetings to ensure optimal system performance and alignment with evolving business needs.
3. Hardware Sales: Sale of computers, tablets, printers, handheld terminals, multifunction devices, and peripheral equipment for system deployments.
4. Network Infrastructure Services: VPN construction, remote connection environment setup, network system integration, and homepage/web system development services.
5. Security Solutions: Gateway security measures using UTM devices, antivirus solutions, and security consulting for enterprise risk management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

BRAIN SYSTEMS develops original custom software on IBM i (AS/400) platforms, primarily production management and core business systems, for manufacturing, retail, and service companies in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The company also provides ongoing system operation and maintenance, complementary FileMaker-based automated report generation, AI-OCR plus RPA order-entry automation, network/VPN construction, gateway security, and peripheral hardware sales as a one-stop IT solution.

Product overview

BRAIN SYSTEMS (株式会社ブレーンシステムズ) is a system development company with over 30 years of specialization in IBM i (AS/400) platforms. Its core offering is original IBM i-based system development, primarily focused on production management systems for diverse industries. The product portfolio is anchored by the IBM i (AS/400) システム開発 platform, supplemented by modular solutions including: 帳票自動作成システム (automated report generation via FileMaker), FAX自動送信システム (automated FAX transmission from AS/400 using IBM tools), and AI-OCR＆RPA 活用サービス (AI-OCR document digitization combined with RPA workflow automation for order processing). Supporting solutions include ウイルス対策 (antivirus services), VPN構築サービス (Internet VPN construction), ゲートウェイセキュリティ対策 (UTM-based gateway security), hardware sales (PCs, printers, handheld terminals, multifunction devices), network construction SI services, and web/app development. The company also provides ongoing system operation and maintenance services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IBM i (AS/400) System Development (IBMi(AS400)によるシステム開発) Original custom system development centred on IBM i (AS/400) platforms, focused on production management and core business systems for manufacturing, retail, and service companies; supports long-term stable operation, robust security, and backward compatibility with legacy application assets.
• Automated Report Generation System (帳票自動作成システム) FileMaker-based custom solution that automates data extraction from core systems and generates reports, eliminating manual Excel/Access-based processes and enabling consistent output regardless of operator.
• Automated FAX Transmission System (FAX自動送信システム) Automated FAX transmission system from IBM i (AS/400) using IBM-provided FAX support tools, enabling automatic sending of delivery inquiry and reminder faxes directly from the AS/400, eliminating manual operations, reducing paper consumption and transmission errors.
• AI-OCR & RPA Service (AI-OCR・RPA活用サービス) Order document automation service combining cloud-based AI-OCR (for handwritten/printed forms) with RPA tools to convert paper-based orders into electronic data and automate system registration, with humans performing only visual verification.
• Antivirus Countermeasure Service (ウイルス対策サービス) Antivirus and computer security services tailored to customer network environments, offering various antivirus solutions including cloud-based options that require no management server, addressing data leakage, unauthorised access, and ransomware threats.
• VPN Construction Service (VPN構築サービス) Internet VPN construction service for building secure, encrypted networks between geographically distributed offices; enables centralised data entry, BCP off-site backup, and remote system access at significantly lower cost than dedicated lines.
• Gateway Security Solution (ゲートウェイセキュリティ対策) UTM (Unified Threat Management) based gateway security solution integrating firewall, intrusion prevention, and continuous monitoring as a multi-layered perimeter defense against targeted attacks, ransomware, and data breaches, with full-time maintenance support.
• Peripheral Hardware Sales (PC・プリンター等 関連機器販売) Sales of computing peripheral hardware including PCs, tablets, printers, handheld terminals, and multifunction devices as part of the company's total solutions offering.
• Network Construction and System Integration (ネットワーク構築・SI事業) System integration services covering network construction, server setup, and infrastructure deployment, including system introduction planning, network design, and implementation for organisations adopting new IT systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dramatic reduction in report creation time from several days to minimal processing
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IBMcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership with IBM for IBM i (AS/400), Power Systems, and related FAX support tools. BRAIN SYSTEMS has been utilizing IBM technology for over 25 years, developing expertise in System/36, AS/400, iSeries, and Power Systems platforms. The company leverages IBM's enterprise-grade hardware and tools for customer solutions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• JFE Systems: Subsidiary of JFE Holdings and one of Japan's leading IBM i (AS/400) system integrators, providing custom system development, operation, and maintenance for manufacturing and industrial clients. Most directly comparable to BRAIN SYSTEMS in IBM i platform focus, vertical industry orientation, and full-lifecycle service delivery model.
• Obic (OBC): Japanese ERP vendor whose flagship OBIC7 product is built on and runs natively on the IBM i platform, serving manufacturing, wholesale, retail, and service industry mid-market customers across Japan. Comparable in target customer profile (manufacturing/retail/service SMBs on IBM i), though at significantly larger scale and as a packaged software vendor rather than custom developer.

Broad incumbents

• Otsuka Corporation: Largest Japanese SMB-focused IT services and hardware distributor, providing comprehensive office IT, network, security, and system integration services to mid-market and small businesses across Japan. Comparable in serving Japanese SMB IT needs and bundling hardware sales with managed services, but at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Nihon Unisys (BIPROGY): Major Japanese system integrator and long-standing IBM partner providing consulting, system integration, and outsourcing services across IBM platforms including IBM i. Comparable in IBM partnership heritage and full-lifecycle service model, though serving enterprise customers across many platforms beyond IBM i.
• SCSK Corporation: One of Japan's largest system integrators (Sumitomo Corporation group) providing IT services, system development, and BPO across financial services, manufacturing, and distribution verticals. Comparable in delivering custom system development and managed services to Japanese enterprises, though serving much larger customers and operating across multiple technology stacks.
• NTT Data: Japan's largest system integrator and global IT services firm with deep enterprise relationships, including legacy IBM platform expertise. Comparable only at the broadest level in providing custom system development and IT services to Japanese firms; operates at vastly different scale and across a much wider technology portfolio.
• Fujitsu: Major Japanese technology vendor and SI firm that historically partnered with IBM on enterprise systems, including IBM Power/IBM i deployments in Japanese enterprises. Comparable in providing legacy enterprise platform services to Japanese manufacturing and distribution customers, though as a global conglomerate rather than a niche specialist.

Emerging players

• AI inside: Japan-based AI-OCR and document automation platform vendor whose technology BRAIN SYSTEMS integrates and resells for order processing automation. Comparable in targeting the same Japanese SMB digital transformation use case (paper-to-digital workflow automation), though AI inside is a SaaS platform vendor while BRAIN SYSTEMS is an implementation partner.

Others

• RPA Holdings (BizRobo!): Japanese RPA platform vendor providing the automation technology that BRAIN SYSTEMS integrates with AI-OCR for order processing workflows. Comparable as a complementary technology provider in BRAIN SYSTEMS' automation solution stack, but does not directly compete; functions as a supplier/ecosystem participant.

Regional players

• JR East Mechatronics: Regional Japanese IT services subsidiary of JR East Group providing system development, maintenance, and infrastructure services to clients primarily in eastern Japan. Comparable as a Japan-domestic IT services firm delivering custom system development and ongoing maintenance, but operating in a different geographic region and at larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/brain21.jp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about BRAIN SYSTEMS