In recent years, boosting the efficiency of business processes through digital technology as a means to enhance competitiveness has grown increasingly important, and the utilization of RPA, which incorporates robots to automate routine PC-based work, has been drawing significant interest. While the introduction of RPA has progressed among the financial and some other industries, extensive introduction in the materials industry where AGC operates has been generally regarded as impractical due to the wide diversity of tasks and limited amount of common business processes.

To further boost operational efficiency, the company plans to continue expanding RPA in terms of both geographical locations and the scope of business processes. By introducing RPA in Europe, US, and Asia, and by expanding its applications beyond those at indirect departments to production control divisions at production plants, AGC aims reduce work hours by at least 10,000 hours/year by the end of 2020.