Strengthening initiatives through DX from multiple perspectives

The azbil Group was founded in 1906 by Takehiko Yamaguchi with the aim of “freeing Japanese workers from drudgery.” The company quickly recognized the importance of automation and began commercializing it, contributing to the development of Japanese industry. We continue to carry on the spirit of our founding years and are expanding our business as a comprehensive automation manufacturer under the Group philosophy of “human-centered automation.”

Currently, the role and opportunities required of automation are increasing due to changes in the global environment, business landscape, technological trends, and social needs. In addition to addressing social issues through automation in its existing business activities, the azbil Group is also enhancing the value it provides by creating new ways of working through digitalization. We believe that promoting digital transformation^*1 (DX) is crucial for achieving our long-term goal for 2030 as we undertake business reforms. In this context, we refer to the transformation that will lead to a significant improvement in productivity in our business activities and the creation of new ways of working for the employees of the azbil Group itself as “internal DX,” and the services that will contribute to our customers' production and building operations and the creation of new added value as “product DX.” By promoting four major DX-related activities, including human resource development and infrastructure enhancement, we aim to foster a corporate culture that will bring about change.

Amid challenges such as workforce shortages and the transfer of skills in the current business environment, Azbil Corporation is promoting in-house DX. This initiative aims to significantly improve productivity in business activities by creating of new ways of working that involve all employees using IT technology.

As part of these activities, we developed an AI support tool exclusively for all employees of the azbil Group. In spring 2023, we began investigating the technology, building the usage environment, and formulating guidelines for safe usage. In August 2023, we launched an in-house exclusive generative AI chat service for the secure handling of internal information. Since September, we have been expanding this service to Group companies in Japan and overseas.

Around 7,800 employees across the azbil Group use this service, with a total 10,000 daily uses. Supporting the spread of this generative AI usage is the Generative AI Promotion Task team, which was formed within the company. This team promotes the use of generative AI by holding webinars and sharing successful case studies to help employees understand its value and use it to improve their work.

In addition, each department, including production sites, sales and engineering departments, development departments, services, and staff, is promoting DX measures tailored to their respective operations. For example, there are ongoing discussions about using AI to improve operational efficiency in expense reimbursement and product inquiries. Another example is “Generative KY (Hazard Prediction),” an AI service that supports risk assessment operations for on-site service staff. By entering information about the on-site environment and work, this service extracts similar cases from a large amount of accumulated work report data. It then proposes solutions to the risks involved in the target work. This enables on-site workers to carry out their tasks safely, drawing on the knowledge of experienced workers. Service departments have already completed evaluations nationwide, and preparations for on-site operations are underway. Additionally, other initiatives have begun where personnel in charge at worksites develop generative AI applications using low-code^*2/no-code^*3 tools to solve various issues in their respective operations.

Meanwhile, in product DX, we are promoting the development of products and services based on big data analysis technology and cloud technologies. For example, our online anomaly detection system BiG EYES™, which uses AI, is employed at many customer manufacturing sites to analyze equipment operating status and detect anomalies. This system is used to take early action against problems and quality defects. In addition, the Dx^*4 Valve Cloud Service, a valve analysis and diagnosis service, collects and analyzes valve operating conditions in the cloud and visualizes the valve’s health on a dashboard to identify signs of failure. It contributes to the stabilization of production equipment and the enhancement of safety. These products and services support the DX promotion of customers and help solve issues.

As DX develops, we are also working to improve our systems. The Digital Design Department, established in October 2024, promotes proactive DX by imagining the future and creating it with digital technology. It collaborates with each organization within the azbil Group to strengthen the DX promotion system and accelerate business innovation. The department is also responsible for planning, building, and operating the in-house generative AI chat service and is working to promote DX that will directly lead to business growth.

In addition, the azbil Group has offered an IT consultation service since 2020, which responds to inquiries and requests from each administration department regarding the use of digital technology. As the company-wide “aggressive” stance on DX initiatives is promoted, the IT consultation service has been systematically integrated into the Digital Design Department. The nature of the work has also changed significantly, with many activities now focusing on proactive DX that contributes to business growth and innovation in on-site operations from a company-wide perspective, rather than just responding to individual requests from departments and individuals. For example, the company has clearly set a direction for taking an integrated approach to requests from the front line and playing a leading role in constructing a company-wide foundation to support DX.

In addition to these organizational improvements, the azbil Group is also focusing on the development of DX human resources. These resources are categorized into three levels: leader, specialist, and literacy. Of these, the literacy level is intended to include all employees, with the goal to train 5,000 people with basic knowledge and a mindset related to DX by 2030. In addition, we are working with the Azbil Academy, a human resources development organization, to implement a program aimed at training 1,000 specialists who will play a central role in promoting digital transformation at each site and 300 leaders who will drive organizational initiatives.

As the promotion of DX holds the key to business success and organizational survival, the azbil Group will continue to strengthen its multifaceted measures centered on proactive DX. Furthermore, by promoting DX alongside our customers, in addition to our own initiatives, we aim to create a positive cycle of mutual influence that leads to further value creation.

* BiG EYES is a trademark of Azbil Corporation in Japan.
* This article was translated from the Japanese version.