i-Reporter use case and case study: IX Holdings

Company: IX Holdings

Masuya Co., Ltd. has its headquarters and factory located in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, and is engaged in the manufacturing and sales of rice confectionery, with a focus on onigiri senbei.

DX (Digital Transformation)

The system development project team at Masuya is actively working on DX with the goal of improving factory productivity. They are utilizing IoT technology to visualize in formation from sensors, introducing and supporting the use of electronic daily reports (e-reports), and digitizing on-site information.

Digitization of on-site information

Digitization of on-site information is considered a crucial element in initiating DX, and Masuya has adopted i-Reporter for this purpose.

Previously, various production data and records were documented on paper-based daily reports, and the conversion to digital information was done through manual data entry, resulting in significant labor costs.

With the implementation of e-reports, digitalization is now achieved simultaneously with report entry, leading to a dramatic reduction in input labor costs. Furthermore, in the future, it is anticipated that input tasks to the central system can be automated during night-time using RPA technology.

i-Reporter Implementation Results

Significant reduction in transcription labor and paper usage.

Although the transcription of e-report data to the central system is still being done manually, there has already been a reduction in transcription labor at the current stage

With the future introduction of RPA technology, it is expected that the daily transcription tasks, currently performed by 2.5 people, can be largely eliminated.

Challenges faced during implementation

One of the challenges faced during the implementation of e-reports was that not all employees in the factory, who come from diverse age groups and backgrounds ranging from 18 to 70 years old, were equally proficient in operating tablets. The system team organized tablet operation training sessions multiple times, provided explanations during test input sessions, and took a patient and gradual approach to the implementation process.

Masuya Co., Ltd., which places an emphasis on improving productivity, has achieved significant reduction in paper usage and information visualization through the utilization of i-Reporter. They are also aiming to increase awareness of onigiri senbei in Kanto and Hokkaido regions in the future. It would be great for residents of Kanto region to be able to easily purchase onigiri senbei at convenience stores or supermarkets.