sohos.co.jp

What It Is

Wedge is a “simple system development tool” offered by 株式会社ヒューマンネット（HumanNet, Inc.）. It is positioned not as a general-purpose development framework, but as a Web system-building tool and accompanying service for business process improvement at small and midsize companies. The official site highlights use cases such as reducing handwriting/manual data entry, paper-based workflows, confirmation and communication errors, and replacing phone/FAX-based ordering.

Core Capabilities

Based on the available text, Wedge supports configuration and simple programming through a Web interface, without requiring Windows system development software, and can generate programs adapted for tablets and smartphones. Its use cases cover inter-company ordering and receiving, Web purchasing, direct shipment, content distribution, core business operations, inventory management, schedule management, as well as Web-based vehicle dispatch and operations management. Its systemization support includes introductions to low-cost development contractors, intermediary services for middle-aged and senior development personnel, dispatch of improvement consultants, and training of in-house development talent.

Technology and Ecosystem

Public materials do not specify supported programming languages, frameworks, databases, APIs/SDKs, nor do they state whether the product is open source or closed source. For deployment, the site only mentions an “easy-to-set-up cloud-type network” and the “setup and operation of a dedicated Wedge server,” but does not clearly say whether customer self-hosting is supported. For integrations, it mentions data exchange with existing devices and software, but this is treated as an add-on feature and lacks concrete interface details.

Pricing

The pricing structure is relatively clear: basic planning is free, consulting is 100,000 JPY/month; basic development is charged by elements such as tables, programs, PDF output, and menus, at 30,000 JPY each; add-on functions cost 30,000–100,000 JPY each; server operation and system maintenance each cost 10,000–30,000 JPY/month. In the example, an inter-company ordering and receiving system with 28 elements totals 840,000 JPY; the official site compares this with an estimated cost of around 2,000,000 JPY without Wedge.

Pros, Cons, and Who It’s For

The strengths are that Wedge is closely aligned with traditional workflow pain points among Japanese small and midsize businesses, its cost breakdown is straightforward, and it provides support from planning and development through operations and maintenance. The downsides are limited technical transparency, documentation that reads more like a business overview than developer documentation, and the official site’s statement that it is currently mainly aimed at small and midsize companies in Aichi Prefecture, which limits its geographic scalability. It is best suited to local SMBs that want to move paper, phone, and FAX-based processes onto the Web on a relatively low budget.

Access from China

The available text does not provide information on access from China, payment methods, or cross-border service support, so this remains unknown. Chinese companies looking for similar capabilities may want to evaluate kintone, FileMaker, Microsoft Power Apps, Zoho Creator, or local low-code platforms.