English 
Japanese 
A Fukuoka-based automotive trading company dramatically streamlined document creation, which previously took half a day, by using AI-generated drafts. This represents a "half-step ahead" in digital transformation.
Kyushu SSK Co., Ltd.
Issues before implementation
- The psychological and time burden of creating documents, meeting minutes, emails, and other written materials from scratch was significant, and I sometimes spent nearly half a day on specific administrative tasks.
- When conducting a "business process inventory" and brainstorming improvement ideas to create a better work environment, our thinking became rigid because we were only using our own perspective, making it difficult to come up with new ideas.
- Our use of free AI versions was limited to personal projects, and as a company, we lacked the organizational structure to systematically discover "what it could do" and the environment to safely utilize it in our business operations.
Effects after implementation
- By using AI as a "starting point," the process of writing a document, which previously took half a day, has been dramatically sped up to the point where a draft can be completed in just a few minutes.
- Through dialogue with AI (brainstorming), we were able to reassess our operations and formulate improvement plans from perspectives we hadn't considered before, significantly expanding the scope of our work.
- The introduction of AI Works has made image generation and its application examples a "common topic" among employees, fostering a positive atmosphere within the organization that encourages taking on new challenges.
table of contents
Company Introduction
Kyushu SSK Co., Ltd. is a comprehensive automotive-related trading company with a history of over 75 years since its founding in 1951, covering everything from automotive parts and accessories to maintenance tools. With the slogan "A comfortable and safe car life together with you," the company operates seven branches throughout Kyushu, centered around its headquarters in Fukuoka Prefecture. Through its community-based sales system, it provides extensive support to numerous automobile dealerships and repair shops in Fukuoka Prefecture.
The company name "SSK" embodies three guiding principles: Speed, Sincerity, and Kindness. Aiming to be a role model that is "half a step, one step ahead" of the industry, we are promoting our own unique digital transformation by combining the trust of a traditional trading company with the latest technologies, including generative AI.
Issues before introducing generative AI
As a general trading company specializing in automotive-related products that supports logistics and daily life in Kyushu, Kyushu SSK Corporation has always pursued "speed," which is one of SSK's guiding principles. However, in the back-office operations that support the front lines, analog methods and work that relied on individual skills were hindering that sense of speed.
The most burdensome tasks were those involving "structuring documents," such as creating materials, meeting minutes, and emails. The process of structuring documents from scratch was demanding, and for team members who had to dedicate significant time to document creation, it wasn't uncommon for a single project to take half a day. Furthermore, as the company celebrated its 75th anniversary and aimed to be an industry role model "half a step, one step ahead," attempts to review operations and develop improvement plans faced the challenge of stagnant ideas stemming from an internal-only perspective.
Effects after generative AI introduction training
After the training, the use of AI evolved from "personal trial and error" to "an organizational weapon."
The most significant achievements are the "time savings" in administrative tasks and the "elimination of psychological barriers" associated with them. By establishing a workflow where AI creates drafts and outlines, the effort involved in writing has drastically decreased. Tasks that used to take half a day can now be completed in no time. This difference is enormous.
Furthermore, the ability to freely experiment in the secure environment of AI Works ignited employee motivation. From giving shape to new ideas through image generation to consulting with AI on creating outlines for customer service and internal presentations, a culture has emerged where employees share discoveries made with AI with their colleagues. Computer-based tasks, which were previously considered daunting, have also transformed into a positive "let's try it out" attitude thanks to having AI as a "partner."
Future outlook
Kyushu SSK Co., Ltd. aims to make AI a driving force as a "role model for the industry." Currently, its use is mainly in the administrative department, but in the future, they plan to gradually grant accounts to the branch managers of each location and promote its introduction to the field with the administrative department's support.
In the future, in addition to building a chatbot that can instantly retrieve employment regulations and company rules, we are also considering using AI in our main business of "receiving orders from auto repair shops." By integrating the power of AI into our current order-taking process, which is mainly done by phone and fax, we aim to create a faster and more accurate response system.
"We will streamline administrative tasks with AI and dedicate the freed-up time to providing 'Kindness' and engaging in meaningful conversations with customers—things only humans can do." By combining the spirit we have upheld since our founding with cutting-edge speed, we will continue to lead the automotive industry in Kyushu.
