#Japan #BizRobo! #Asahikawa #Asahikawa City #RPA Technology

Asahikawa City’s Digital Transformation with BizRobo!

Asahikawa City, home to approximately 310,000 residents, has initiated a remarkable digital transformation (DX) through the adoption of the RPA tool, BizRobo!. This endeavor is aimed at enhancing operational efficiency across its municipal offices, which are staffed by about 3,000 employees. In a strategic move to boost process automation, the city has experienced a significant output of 6,460 hours of productivity per year by automating 53 different tasks across 27 departments.

The Journey to Implementing BizRobo!

The city began its journey with RPA implementation in the fiscal year 2020, focusing on improving internal operations. Initially, efforts involved staff developing their own software robots, yet the deployment was limited to just eight tasks over two years. A key challenge during this period was the restrictive pricing model that mandated one license per workstation, preventing simultaneous use across multiple operations. Additionally, existing RPA tools occupied the terminals, limiting employees' ability to perform other tasks concurrently. With only a handful of employees skilled in RPA development, Asahikawa City recognized the need to reassess their development infrastructure.

In 2022, the city conducted a public proposal to solicit support for RPA implementation and operation. This led them to select BizRobo! Lite, a server-based tool provided by Open Corporation, which was instrumental in developing their automation strategy. A major factor in choosing BizRobo! was its flexible licensing model based on the number of simultaneous robot executions rather than the number of devices. This allowed for resource management and the flexibility to expand RPA deployment as needed without exceeding budget constraints.

With BizRobo! now at the helm of their automation efforts, the city streamlined their tools, consolidating operations and thus successfully reducing total costs related to RPA usage.

Achievements in Automated Operations

The deployment of BizRobo! across Asahikawa City has resulted in streamlining significant operations involved in taxation, pensions, payroll, and various municipal services. By automating repetitive tasks through outsourced development, the city has significantly increased productivity. For instance, in the education department, BizRobo! was incorporated to streamline the complex task of processing school aid applications. Previously, staff were bogged down with paperwork and manual data entry. With BizRobo!, data is now automatically compiled and inputted into systems after verifying applications, drastically reducing processing time.

Moreover, another automation effort involving the distribution of bus cards to seniors has utilized both RPA and AI-OCR technology, effectively eliminating tedious data entry from paper forms. What once required three staff members three days to accomplish has been transformed into a single employee completing the work in just one day.

Through these innovative uses of BizRobo!, Asahikawa City has amassed the equivalent of 6,460 hours in human resources annually. The automation not only mitigated lengthy overtime but also reduced the incidence of human error. Furthermore, RPA has been instrumental in initiatives aimed at digitizing administrative processes and minimizing paper use, supporting the city’s drive toward a more sustainable operation model.

Focusing on Enhanced Municipal Services

Asahikawa City is committed to further leveraging digital technologies for comprehensive business reform and plans to announce its "Asahikawa City DX Acceleration Policy" by January 2025. This policy emphasizes the ongoing use of RPA as a strategy for maintaining employee engagement in delivering high-quality municipal services.

The transition to government cloud infrastructure is underway, promoting seamless integration between local systems and national standards. RPA is becoming increasingly crucial for automating these processes, enabling better service delivery for the city's residents. City officials have expressed that RPA has vastly improved the workflow, making it easier for staff to handle deadlines without resorting to excessive overtime.

Open Corporation, a subsidiary dedicated to enhancing municipal operations through technologies like RPA and AI, aims to address workforce shortages and improve working conditions within the public sector.