#Japan #Tokyo #Snowflake #AI Agents #Panasonic Connect

Snowflake and Panasonic Connect Collaborate on AI Data Strategies

On February 19, Snowflake Inc. (hereafter referred to as Snowflake), a provider of AI data cloud solutions, organized a press briefing to unveil how Panasonic Connect Inc. (hereafter referred to as Panasonic Connect) has been utilizing Snowflake's platform. During the event, Yuta Watanabe from Panasonic Connect's Digital Promotion Department shared valuable insights on their data strategy and the implementation of AI agents, highlighting specific success cases that benefited from leveraging unstructured data.

The event commenced with Kenji Takeichi, the head of Snowflake’s Manufacturing Sales Division, who outlined the company’s initiatives aimed at the manufacturing sector. He discussed pressing challenges facing Japan’s manufacturing industry, such as labor shortages and the risk of knowledge becoming too individualized. Takeichi emphasized two major recommendations for clients: the elimination of data silos employing cloud solutions and the promotion of innovation through generative AI and machine learning. He stated, "By bridging the divide between IT and OT data, we can manage both structured and unstructured data cohesively, transforming existing data into valuable assets." Furthermore, he showcased the latest AI features, such as Cortex Search and Snowflake Intelligence, reinforcing the platform's role in democratizing data analysis.

Following this, Watanabe expounded on the three-tier transformation approach adopted by Panasonic Connect since 2017, which includes culture and mindset reform, business reform, and location reform. He particularly emphasized the importance of the foundational layer, culture and mindset reform, asserting that the utilization of AI and data is not merely an IT initiative but an integral part of management and cultural transformation.

Watanabe described the architecture supporting their data strategy, placing Snowflake at the core of their data infrastructure, supplemented by Tableau Cloud and Power BI Premium as standard BI tools. Additionally, the integration of Streamlit in Snowflake and Cortex AI has been structured to enhance their operations. Watanabe cited two notable instances of AI agent implementation.

The first example involved enhancing customer satisfaction surveys. By utilizing Snowflake and Cortex AI alongside Streamlit, Panasonic Connect automated and objectified the analysis of thousands of free-text comments that were previously handled manually. This automation drastically reduced the processing time from approximately 200 hours to just about 20 hours—an incredible 90% reduction. The second case focused on streamlining the verification process for product designs and specifications. AI agents were employed to facilitate the extraction and structuring of data from unstructured documents like PDFs, resulting in a semi-automated process that allows for a blend of word matching and large language models (LLMs) to cut down the task duration by 80% to 97%. Watanabe highlighted the significant benefits, stating, "Not only does this reduce labor, but it also minimizes risks related to product recalls and brand damage due to human error."

To conclude his presentation, Watanabe discussed the initiatives aimed at fostering a data-driven culture within Panasonic Connect. He shared a metaphor about teaching individuals how to fish rather than simply giving them fish, emphasizing the importance of IT's role in empowering on-the-ground teams and investing in talent development. Furthermore, he noted that they have engaged in real-world community events and initiated the manufacturer and automotive user group within Snowflake’s user community, known as SnowVillage, to strengthen external collaborations. Watanabe remarked, "The advancement of technology has enabled AI to handle unstructured data in practical ways; significant transformations have indeed begun at operational levels over the past year or two."

Snowflake, as a platform tailored for the AI era, assists companies in rapidly driving innovation and extracting more value from their data. Over 12,600 clients, including many of the world’s largest enterprises, leverage Snowflake’s AI data cloud to innovate and share data and applications effectively. Snowflake enables data and AI to become a transformative force for everyone. For more details, visit snowflake.com/ja (New York Stock Exchange: SNOW).

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