Executive Management Leadership Ver06. “PMO Case in a Major ASEAN Foundry" - Bridging the Decision-Making Gap Between HQ and Local Operations

shigenoritanaka3
3月28日
読了時間: 4分

Mar 28, 2026

Hello everyone,

Thank you for reading.

Today, I would like to share a case from one of my overseas PMO (Project Management Office) assignments.

Just before the end of the COVID-19 restrictions, I was instructed by the APAC President (my direct boss) to urgently fly to Indonesia. The mission was to support order acquisition for a local distributor whose sales had been declining. Normally, this region was directly managed by China, but due to the strict lockdown at the time, they were unable to operate. As the Japan representative, the responsibility was passed to me.

In 2022, I visited 14 customers together with the distributor's president. Most of them were Japanese-owned foundries. During these visits, one customer, a major ASEAN foundry in which a Japanese company had invested, asked for support regarding the repair of a cooling drum originally installed by Japan (brand from European HQ, manufactured in China).

HQ vs Local Reality: A Customer Seeking Repair vs HQ Wanting to Sell New Equipment

I reported the issue to both China and the European HQ. Their responses were clear:

“The customer is overloading the drum beyond its design capacity. This is an operational issue.”
“Repair is impossible. They must purchase a larger-capacity new drum.”

However, the customer had no intention of replacing the equipment and strongly insisted on repair and reinforcement. The distributor and I were caught in the middle. Even after consulting HQ's sales and service teams, the answer remained the same: “Not possible.”

At this rate, we risked losing the customer’s trust, and the distributor’s business would be severely impacted.

Flying to European HQ and Extracting a “Proven Solution” from the Expert

Realizing that remote communication would not resolve the issue, I flew directly to the European HQ. There, I managed to speak with the cooling drum specialist—and the situation changed dramatically.

A similar case existed for a well-known German luxury car manufacturer, and the solution had been running without issues for over 10 years.
By using Italian-made components and reinforcing the drum according to a specific drawing, repair was fully feasible.
“This is not my invention. It is a proven solution used by other companies.”

In other words, what HQ had declared “impossible” was, in fact, possible.

Explaining the Concept Remotely and Being Formally Assigned as PMO

I brought this solution back and explained the reinforcement concept to the distributor and customer using drawings and hand sketches. The customer responded positively.

Since the customer's project leader was a Japanese national who did not speak English, I was formally requested to act as the PMO responsible for the entire project until completion.

Designing and Managing the Entire Process from Order to Final Acceptance

I structured the entire project into a single critical path:

Quotation from European HQ
Support for the distributor's quotation and order process
Manufacturing and shipment of components by the Italian supplier
Design and fabrication of local components by the Indonesian distributor
Heavy machinery arrangements
Dispatch of the overseas specialist (pre-survey & installation supervision)
Completion of repair and reinforcement during Ramadan
Final acceptance

Every week, I held remote progress meetings with HQ, the distributor, and the customer. It was a fully remote PMO operation.

The Biggest Crisis: Logistics Delays and the Ramadan Deadline

During the COVID-19 period, global logistics were severely disrupted. The Italian components were significantly delayed, putting the Ramadan completion schedule at risk.

I instructed the distributor to:

Conduct pre-negotiations with customs
Expedite the pickup process
Reorganize the local work schedule

Thanks to these efforts, we managed to complete the project within the Ramadan period.

To Be Honest, I Felt No Peace of Mind

Throughout the project, the customer called me on weekends and late at night, and the pressure never stopped.

Until the distributor finally reported, “The work is complete,” I truly felt no peace of mind.

The Moment Everything Was Rewarded

When I left the company, I had the opportunity to speak with the customer. They told me:

“Mr. Tanaka, the repaired drum is performing perfectly.”

It was the moment I realized that a project HQ had labeled “impossible” had succeeded through coordinated efforts across HQ, the distributor, and the customer— and through PMO leadership.

Executive Insight: What This Case Reveals About the True Role of PMO

This project demonstrated that PMO is not merely a “coordinator,” but rather:

A translator of decision-making processes between HQ and local operations
A navigator who understands the technical, cultural, and organizational-political layers
A driver who moves forward the areas where no one wants to take responsibility

In overseas investments, the quality of PMO significantly influences the success rate. This Indonesia case became a symbolic example of that reality.

Contact

If you need support in project management, PMO, overseas factory operations, or bridging decision-making gaps caused by cultural differences, feel free to contact me: info@metricjapan.com

In September, I plan to visit GIFA Indonesia and also plan to visit several customers locally.

TAGS

#CrossCulturalLeadership