Kao Corporation Introduces "route-D AI Data Entry" to Reduce System Input Workload for Forms by Over 70%

Next-generation OCR "route-D AI Data Entry," provided by route-D Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Mitsuaki Matsumoto; hereinafter "route-D"), has been introduced by Kao Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Executive Officer: Yoshihiro Hasebe; hereinafter "Kao").

Background of Introduction

Kao manages receipts and dispatches by recording pallet movement information used for product storage and transportation on slips, and manually entering this data into their management system upon shipment/receipt from factories to logistics centers. While the accuracy of pallet management is maintained at a high level, the issuance of tens of thousands of slips per month presented the following challenges:

Manual entry of slip information into the system resulted in approximately 200 hours of work per month at one factory.

Despite high management accuracy, input errors still occurred, leading to additional work such as discrepancy checks during inventory counts.

Introduction Overview

Kao compared and evaluated multiple OCR solutions to reduce the workload associated with pallet slip management. In addition to high reading accuracy, they also emphasized ease of confirmation work in practical operations. As a result, they decided to introduce "route-D AI Data Entry" after evaluating the following two points:

A service screen that allows for batch confirmation of multiple reading results

Since slip images and reading results can be confirmed in a table format, detailed data from multiple documents can be checked collectively. This was judged to significantly reduce the workload for confirmation tasks.

A "Confidence Highlight" function that visualizes items with potential misreads

Items with potential misreads among the reading results can be highlighted. Since slips include handwritten characters, the ability to efficiently identify items for confirmation, rather than assuming 100% reading accuracy, was highly valued.

Future Outlook

By implementing "route-D AI Data Entry" and improving business processes, a reduction of 147 hours per month, or approximately 74%, in labor savings has been achieved at one factory. Furthermore, digitizing the slips has improved operational consolidation and data preservation. In the future, they plan to further expand the scale of operations and deploy it to other factories and locations to standardize pallet management operations with AI. route-D will continue to support Kao's DX activities.

About "route-D AI Data Entry"

"route-D AI Data Entry" is a product that can automate system input for various forms with different formats, such as purchase orders and delivery slips. It is chosen by 90% of customers compared to competitors due to the following four main features:

AI understands documents and organizes data without the need for coordinate settings

AI becomes smarter by understanding business rules the more it is used

Converts reading content to internal master information - no line count restrictions, same pricing. Supports variations in notation search

Speedy operational deployment is possible without hassle through expert support and AI batch learning functions

Request for materials here

About route-D

In Japan's manufacturing and distribution industries, labor shortages are becoming increasingly severe, and there is a strong demand for the efficiency and automation of analog and inefficient operations. Furthermore, there is significant potential for utilizing data accumulated through business operations. route-D aims to solve these challenges using AI and realize a world where Japanese manufacturing and distribution industries can achieve sustainable growth even amidst labor shortages.

Established: December 2022

Representative: Mitsuaki Matsumoto

Business Activities: Development and sales of generative AI products specializing in the manufacturing and distribution industries

Number of Employees: 25 (including contract workers)

Capital: 373 million yen (including capital reserve)

Head Office Location: Kudan Minami Bldg. 4F, 4-6-10 Kudan Minami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

route-D AI Data Entry Web Page: https://route-d.co.jp/service/lp