Uji City Creates 2,000 Annual Hours Through Site-Led BizRobo! Development

Open Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Tomonori Takahashi), a subsidiary of Open Group Co., Ltd., is pleased to announce that Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture (Mayor: Atsuko Matsumura; hereinafter referred to as "Uji City") has developed and operated the RPA tool "BizRobo!" under site-led initiatives, creating approximately 2,000 hours of capacity annually through the automation of 6 business processes.

Background to BizRobo! Implementation

Uji City, with a population of approximately 178,000, is working to optimize its current staff of about 1,400 in preparation for future population decline, while also setting a long-term goal of restructuring operations to maintain and improve citizen services with limited resources. As a specific measure, the city is promoting the online processing of administrative procedures to eliminate the need for submissions by citizens and data entry by staff. Furthermore, the "Uji City Digitalization Promotion Guidelines*" formulated in February 2023 declared the "promotion of AI and RPA utilization" alongside the spread of My Number cards and the standardization of information systems.

In the same fiscal year, staff members operated a trial version of an RPA tool to verify its suitability for administrative tasks in two departments within the city hall. As this yielded certain results, the full-scale introduction of RPA was decided, and in April 2023, specific tools and support providers were selected through a public proposal process.

As a result of the proposal process, in which multiple companies participated, Uji City adopted the server-type RPA tool "BizRobo! Lite" and the implementation support services offered by Open, the tool's provider. The reason for this choice was that Uji City's principle is for departments requesting RPA implementation to develop and operate it in-house, thus emphasizing not only the tool's functionality and price but also the provider's system for providing technical support to the relevant departments.

* Uji City Digitalization Promotion Guidelines: https://www.city.uji.kyoto.jp/soshiki/6/61818.html

13 Robots Operating in 6 Business Areas, Creating 2,000 Hours of Annual Capacity

In Uji City, a total of 13 software robots are operating across 6 business areas, including the Mayor's Office, Accounting Office, and Waterworks and Sewerage Department. Among these, in the General Affairs Division of the Fire Department, daily tasks of inputting information into the personnel and payroll system from daily Excel reports recording overtime work due to unique shift systems have been migrated to RPA. By automating transcription, monthly verification tasks have also been streamlined.

In addition, the Accounting Office has switched to automated data extraction for daily expenditures, and the Water Sales Division has automated the creation of monthly closing reports to improve accounting efficiency. The Child Welfare Division is using RPA in conjunction with AI-OCR to rapidly process and aggregate information collected on paper from outside the city hall.

Overtime Daily Report Input to Personnel/Payroll System

Uji City has created a total of approximately 2,000 hours of human resource capacity annually through BizRobo!. Furthermore, as routine tasks are increasingly being freed up, staff members are spending more time on detailed face-to-face consultations and organizational management. The automation of manual aggregation and transcription tasks, which were sometimes performed outside of regular working hours, also contributes to the correction of long working hours.

RPA utilization, which has been at the forefront of DX, is generating increased interest due to the growing number of practical examples. Along with the adoption of new options such as generative AI, further improvements in utilization effects are expected.

Uji City / BizRobo! Implementation Case Study Article: https://rpa-technologies.com/case/case104/

Uji City / BizRobo! Implementation Case Study Video: https://youtu.be/PmhjazBQNeM

Expectations as a Linking Tool for System Standardization and Unique Operations

In the standardization of local government information systems currently being promoted by the government, the transition and unification to a common platform and the coordination with unique local government systems and operations are major challenges. In this regard, Uji City is actively utilizing RPA for tasks such as data import and transcription that occur when linking common systems with separate systems, aiming for "operations that require minimal human intervention."

Furthermore, for future RPA utilization and DX promotion, the city intends to focus on "standardization of development and operation" that is not dependent on individual skills. This is to ensure stable expansion of utilization and the resulting automation and efficiency improvements, even if there are variations in staff aptitude for digital tools. Specific measures being considered include "systematizing handover procedures due to personnel transfers" and "deploying robots for tasks common to multiple departments to other departments."

Open has provided development support in Uji City based on the FDE (Forward Deployed Engineer) approach, working alongside the city. The company aims to support local government operations, which form the foundation of community life, through the utilization of technologies such as RPA and AI, and to contribute to solving social issues like the declining working population. Open will continue to provide support to promote DX in local governments and to offer more thorough resident services.

About "BizRobo!"

"BizRobo!" is a digital labor platform that supports the implementation and operation of software robots, revolutionizing the productivity of white-collar workers. Through "robots" and "IT," it liberates white-collar workers from routine tasks, aims to improve the productivity of society as a whole, including businesses, and changes the future of work.

For details, please visit the product page: https://rpa-technologies.com/products/

- Major Product Lineup -

- BizRobo! Basic : https://rpa-technologies.com/bizrobobasic/

- BizRobo! Lite : https://rpa-technologies.com/lite/

- BizRobo! mini : https://rpa-technologies.com/bizrobomini/

About FDE (Forward Deployed Engineer) Promoted by Open

Open defines FDE (Forward Deployed Engineer) as engineers who are stationed on-site and commit to results through "ground-level implementation capabilities" in understanding issues, selecting technologies, system development, and RPA/AI implementation, and operational adoption.

Based on the following three principles, they aim to serve as a bridge between management and the field, and between IT and operations:

1. Understanding the Field

Stationed on-site, they thoroughly engage with practical understanding starting from the "users" in the field, and with the revision of the business flow itself assuming RPA/AI.

2. Rapid Prototype Development + Improvement

They minimize requirement discrepancies through on-site prototype construction, on-site testing, and iterative improvements.

3. Support Through to Operation and Adoption

They provide tenacious support until the field can operate autonomously.

They fill the "last mile" for the field.

For details, please visit the service page: https://open-fde.jp/lp/

Products and Services for Local Governments

▼ BizRobo! mini (Government License)

"BizRobo! mini (Government License)" is a product that enables small-scale RPA implementation even in environments and operations requiring LGWAN connectivity. By automating tasks in network environments where system construction is difficult due to security concerns, it can significantly increase productivity.

For details, please visit the product page: https://rpa-technologies.com/bizrobomini-government/

▼ AI Puncher On-Premise Edition

"AI Puncher On-Premise Edition" is a programming-free service that can be used in closed network environments, automating data sorting, conversion to Excel, and document creation with simple Japanese input. By entering item names and commands (prompts) in a list format on the setup screen and associating these commands with the information/files to be read, the AI handles the subsequent tasks.

Additionally, a wide range of prompts required for business and DX are available in the prompt store within the setup screen, allowing for setup completion simply by searching and installing.

For details, please visit the service page: https://rpa-technologies.com/ai-puncher

▼ DX Experience Pack

This is a training service that allows participants to experience DX in local government operations in as little as 4 hours, combining lectures, workshops, and aptitude assessments.

With content including tool operation for AI-OCR and RPA, and DX aptitude diagnosis, it fosters staff initiative and a sense of accomplishment. Participants can choose their preferred learning style, such as online, in-person, or hybrid, to suit the circumstances of each local government.

For details, please visit the service page: https://rpa-technologies.com/dx-experience-pack-government/

【Company Profile】

Open Corporation (https://open.co.jp/)

- Headquarters Location: KDX Nishi-Shimbashi Building 3F, 3-3-1 Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

- Established: July 2013

- Representative: Tomonori Takahashi, President and Representative Director

- Capital: 30 million yen

- Business Activities: Information processing services utilizing smart robots (RPA, AI), consulting business, outsourcing business, digital marketing, online advertising business

- Osaka Office Location: 19F, Hilton Plaza West, 2-2-2 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka