Kintetsu Cosmos, Inc.

We currently use RK in several sales office locations and departments, but we had the chance to speak with the employees responsible for packing and cargo operations to see their application of RK. In the packing area, RK is primarily used for inputting labor charges. It reads Excel files with manually entered fee tables for each packing process, compiles and processes them, and automatically inputs them into the core system. This input is also used to sort and upload separate files for each customer.

In the cargo operations area, where analog tasks are dominant, RK is frequently used for desk work. For instance, data received from customers regarding shipment processing is automatically input into the core system.

Additionally, though still in the experimental phase, efforts are underway to share RK scenarios (automated workflows developed in RK) between locations.

Approximately 10 individuals across 2 locations are capable of developing scenarios. However, most employees at these locations can execute tasks by simply pressing a button.

When we heard that KEYENCE was releasing a new RPA tool, we decided to see a demo. Upon seeing the actual interface, it was exactly what we had hoped for. It seemed to be very user-friendly, much like the operational tools for other KEYENCE products we have used in the past. Therefore, we promptly decided to adopt it.

We did not compare RK to competitors during the adoption progress, however we currently operate two other RPAs in tandem with RK at our company.

The primary reason was ease of use. Creating scenarios with other vendor's RPA tools required a significant level of specialized knowledge, making it difficult for most employees to use them effectively and adapt scenarios to real-world operational needs. Additionally, responding quickly to operational changes was challenging with these tools.

Therefore, we decided to adopt RK, which seemed feasible for our general staff to use and implement.

I initially thought it would be complex when we decided to introduce RK in-house. I imagined my scenarios would be pretty complex to build out, however when I tried it myself for the first time, I was able to easily build a program using the recording feature. Coming from someone with no prior knowledge of programming or even macros, I was still able to build a complete scenario in about three weeks after first playing with RK. Now that I’ve become more familiar with the software, I can create new scenarios in as little as three days.

The introduction of RK has enabled us to reduce working hours, operating costs, and data input errors, and make our business operations more efficient.

1. Reduction of working hours

The amount of time saved varies depending on the scenario, but some tasks that used to take nearly an hour and a half per instance have been reduced to almost no time to completion. RK takes care of the tedious tasks, and while it's running, you can work on other tasks, which has been very well received by our employees.

2. Cost reduction

In our company, we calculate the operating volume of RPA for each department and the cost reduction resulting from it. According to this, even in departments where there are many analog tasks that are difficult to automate with RPA, the cost-effectiveness is nearly double currently. We plan to increase the number of scenarios in all departments in the future, so we expect the effects to increase even more.

3. Reduction of errors

By automating common data entry tasks with RK, we have eliminated human error from these tasks. This has led to an improvement in quality in all areas. This may be the biggest benefit to our employees on a day-to-day basis.

4. Efficiency of operations

Another effect of the introduction is that it has made our operations more efficient. For example, tasks that used to require two employees to read over and verify correct information are now able to be carried out by one person, thanks to the elimination of errors by RK.

On a side note, at this year's internal conference, we presented a case of operation improvement by RK. At that conference, we received an “Excellence Award” ranking in the top three out of 19 entries.

My first tip would be to start with creating simple scenarios instead of challenging ones. This will motivate you to create more and can lead to new insights for how the tool can be used.

I would also recommend keeping any scenarios that fail and saving any fixes as a different version. This can be used as a reference for future scenarios and an opportunity to learn why the scenario failed to avoid it in the future.

Sharing information with other scenario developers is also important. Taking time to teach each other and share scenarios can help everyone’s skills improve. So far in our company, we have just been communicating via email and verbally, however we plan to use SharePoint to keep scenarios as shared assets in the future.

There are probably three main strengths of RK that I’ve seen so far.

1. User-friendly interface

The operation screen of RK is color-coded for each command, and the set commands are stacked in blocks, which makes it easy for anyone to quickly understand what a scenario is doing. Even when you need to modify or review a scenario later, it's easy to figure out what changes need to be made.

2. Version upgrades that address dissatisfaction

The speed of version upgrades and the continuous resolution of dissatisfaction points are also attractive. For example, in the latest version a print function was added. It’s a minor detail, but it does have an effect on usability, so I was very grateful for that addition.

3. Comprehensive support system

The comprehensive support system is also a plus. When I reached out with a question, I received a detailed response within a couple hours. The response was quick and polite, and they were even able to correct a scenario remotely for me which was a lifesaver.

The biggest overarching strength of the product is KEYENCE’s desire to provide a good user experience with their products. I think many people think RPA is difficult to use and has a high barrier-to-entry, but RK ended up being extremely easy to use and get started with. I recommend it because the support resources available are invaluable, especially if you run into trouble building a scenario.

We are at the point where RK has become an entity that we lean on for our business processes. We would be in trouble if it were taken away. We plan to continue utilizing it more and more, we are listing the tasks we would like to automate with RK to see where we can use it.

To continue expanding RK’s utilization, we want to increase the number of employees who can develop scenarios in RK. Currently it is difficult to expand RK skills with just our own employees, so we are hoping that KEYENCE holds some kind of virtual RK seminar and other events to help spread RK to various departments.