Social Innovation with IT
Basic Approach
The rise of new technologies in recent years, such as AI and IoT, has led to the use of big data and business digitalization. Information technology, therefore, not only helps to improve operational efficiency but also plays a role in creating new businesses. Against this backdrop, NSD is helping to solve the many different problems customers face in the system development for customers by utilizing new technologies and digital transformations.
Through the development and provision of solutions and products, NSD is working to solve many of the issues common to its customers.
Examples
DX
With “Social innovation with IT” positioned as its materiality issue, we have been focusing on solving social issues by using our characteristics as an IT company. In recent years, we have done our utmost to resolve the following social issues.
Automated the preparation of white paperboard production plans
Social issue: Enhancement of work efficiency and succession of technology
At Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd., operations to prepare production plans have been carried out using the many years of experience and craftsmanship of plant operations staff. However, following the declining working-age population, the enhancement of work efficiency and succession of technology have been issues. NSD-DX Technology used mathematical optimization technology to realize algorithms for complex conditions based on the experience of personnel and production facilities. This enabled operations that used to take several hours to be performed in seconds or minutes, thereby contributing to the enhancement of efficiency and succession of technology.
Supporting next-generation water business DX
Social issue: Safe and stable operation of lifelines and reform of business processes
The NSD Group is identifying issues and considering taking measures regarding the "next-generation water business DX" initiative, which is being responded by water authorities. In March 2025, the Group concluded a cooperation agreement with Matsumoto City Waterworks and Sewerage Bureau on promoting DX, following the agreement with the Sendai City Waterworks Bureau in March 2024. The Group will provide IT support for the safe and stable operation of water lifelines through this initiative.
Introduction of public service for personal identification in the KAGA e-Residency Program
Social issue: Productivity improvement and regional revitalization
NSD supported the introduction of the public service for personal identification in the "KAGA e-Residency Program," which is promoted by Kaga City, Ishikawa Prefecture. NSD is encouraging initiatives for regional revitalization by opening local offices or donating to regional revitalization projects. As part of this effort, we provided an iOS application designed to perform My Number Card-based authentication to the “KAGA e-Residency Program,” under which persons who do not actually reside in Kaga City but visit Kaga City for sightseeing or workcation purposes are allowed to have an online “Kaga residency” status and receive various administrative services. NSD has strengthened the City’s security measures concerning personal identification by allowing the system to scan users’ My Number Card through the iOS scan function (NFC) and make an inquiry to the public service for personal identification. We also provided consulting concerning not only application development but also preparation and progress control necessary for the platform side to run services.
System development for chemical substance management tasks
Social issue: Productivity improvement and compliance violations
Nippon Steel Metal Products Co., Ltd. obtains safety data sheets from its product or material suppliers to investigate the chemical substance content as specified by laws, and lists this information by product and manages usage amounts. Since it had prepared these lists and checked the information manually, the customer faced issues such as a compliance violation risk caused especially by misunderstanding and reduced work efficiency due to omissions, rechecking, etc. NSD has developed a system for such management tasks by leveraging its AI-OCR technology and the extraction algorithm and document structurization technologies independently developed by NSD-DX Technology. This makes it possible to automatically extract a vast amount of information on chemical substances subject to inspection and prepare lists of the information, thereby contributing significantly to improved operational efficiency.
NSD’s approach (AI-OCR technology + document structurization)
- Safety data sheets (SDS) in different forms are scanned by AI-OCR, and necessary information is put into data
- A system has been created so that a database of chemical substance information built by extraction and document structurization with our own algorithm can be used for a chemical substance management system
Intellectual property applications
The NSD Group pursues technological research with an eye to practical use and promotes the use of research findings as solutions that are useful for actual business to resolve issues common to a wide range of customers.
Title of the invention: Handwashing evaluation system and its method
Overview
A handwashing evaluation system that includes a display device configured to simultaneously display an example video for handwashing guidance and a user's handwashing procedure captured by a camera.
Application example
Solution for handwashing evaluation: TeA-L / Right
AI constantly checks handwashing procedures on behalf of humans. The system offers support through example videos until the handwashing procedure can be done correctly. It reliably records who washed their hands and when, and thus this information can then be used as evidence for hygiene management checks at customers’ sites, such as convenience stores and food factories, where hygiene management is important. AI learns from handwashing procedures that differ among different organizations or factories, and the system helps users to reliably develop a systematic routine based on their environment. The system contributes to raising awareness about hygiene in the food business, where recruitment of diverse human resources is accelerated.
Title of the invention: Speaker diarization system and its method
Overview
A technology that enables the recording of voices of speakers without overlapping while identifying each speaker at places where several people speak in the shared space, such as meetings, call centers, and sites at which microphone headsets are used.
Application example
Solution for preparing meeting minutes: Quick Digest
Quick Digest, which incorporates the above technology, records meetings in full. The application automatically prepares written records and summaries, enhancing efficiency in minutes preparation. This technology enables persons in an organization who have not attended a meeting to grasp the meeting entirely, since minutes data can be shared across the organization. It also supports both face-to-face and online meetings, contributing to improved operational efficiency and productivity.
Technological research
As the technologies researched at NSD-DX Technology have progressed to the demonstration phase, DX-related business achievements have been accumulated. NSD-DX Technology continues its research and proof-of-concept efforts on generative AI and other DX-related technologies that have high social needs.
Numerical analysis and mathematical optimization
This technology uses mathematical methods to find solutions that maximize objectives among various constraints. By applying this technology, we are contributing to the enhancement of the efficiency of various business processes, such as production planning, warehouse optimization, and traffic forecasting. We offer the technology in formats that facilitate the lightweightness of algorithms and are suitable for practical use.
Generative AI
We successfully achieved certain results in the analysis of medical incidents, which we have been working on. In our initiatives to utilize RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) for the automation of inquiry handling operations, we succeeded in utilizing our accumulated know-how to receive consulting projects.
We are also implementing generative AI in our own solutions and taking advantage of it for information extraction, shaping, and the like. We have launched the "BizInsight" private generative AI platform. The product is a packaged solution that enables the safe and easy use of generative AI in an in-house exclusive environment such as on-premises. Combining the product with in-house data contributes to dramatically improved efficiency in business affairs such as inquiry handling, planning, and sales.
Other forms of new technology utilization
We are investigating, researching, and utilizing new technologies that are essential to our ecosystem, such as traditional containers (Kubernetes), microservices, and modern frameworks and languages.
Examples of the Development of In-House Solutions
Uses autonomous navigation to visualize the location information of workers operating indoors. By recording all the movements of workers that cannot be managed by warehouse/inventory management systems, we achieve the digitalization of factories and warehouses.
CAReNA provides the solution where information on health measures can be shared, vital data such as weight, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, and step count can be registered, and health check surveys can be carried out all with a single app on a smartphone.
