KYUDEN i-PROJECT: A Push for Innovation
What is KYUDEN i-PROJECT?
Project Overview
Areas
Under
ConsiderationGOALCreate Future Businesses
Create businesses in new areas and reengineer existing business models
Upgrading Organization and Systems (Foundation)
Furnish environments to promote and sustain efforts
・Promote personnel development and utilization, upgrade organization, systems, funding support, etc.
Concept Creation
Structure ways to create numerous concepts
Concept Commercialization or Deployment as Service
Structure ways to enhance promising concepts
Support
The Kyuden Group will pursue innovation through concept creation, concept commercialization or deployment as service, and by upgrading
its organization and systems.
To realize concept creation, we will adopt three systematic actions.
Energy services
Potential areas of synergy with energy service businesses
Customer and social problem-solving by mobilizing the Kyuden Group’s resources
Feature 2
Amid a changing management environment, the Kyuden Group must work to create new value demanded by customers and society, if it is
to continue to be customers’ choice.
In response, we are promoting group-wide innovation and the creation of new businesses and services with KYUDEN i-PROJECT.
KYUDEN i-PROJECT is an initiative to create future businesses through innovation. We aim to generate approximately 30% of revenue from
businesses other than regional electric power generation by FY2021, and our goal is to create businesses in new areas and reengineer
existing business models.
Identify
Promising
Concepts
Upgrade Structure, Formulate Business Plan
Theoretical Business (Service) Plan
Verification/Evaluation
Commercialization or Deployment
as Service
・Rapid theory verification through field and other testing
・Evaluate attractiveness, feasibility, etc.
I Innovation Creation Workshops
・Two approaches: customer-centered and
future-centered
II i-Challenge
・Business concept solicitation from the Group
as a whole (including joint proposals with external entities)
III Collaboration with Other Entities (Open Innovation)
・Create innovation across enterprise boundariesIII
Kyuden Group Annual Report 201834Innovation Creation Workshops
Cross-organization workshops to consider new businesses and services, promoted through two approaches.
We will conceive new businesses and services by identifying latent needs from a customer-centered perspective.
Using social issues and needs 15 years from now as a departure point, we will conceive strategies for new business areas.
Workshops
Approach ❶ : Customer-Centered
Approach ❷ : Future-Centered
Commercialization pending Two Concepts (as of July 2018)
制作中
制作中
ACTION 1
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4
FUTURE
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4
< Customer-centered perspective >
Stake out customer-centered
innovation area
Future defined as extension
of the present
Collect change-inducing factors Formulate future scenarios
and strategies
Presentation to senior
management
< Identify principal issues >
Identify latent needs,
clarify issues to resolve
< Delineate business model >
Concretize business
concept
< Concept screening >
Presentation to senior
management
Feature2KYUDEN
i-PROJECT:APushforInnovation
Kyuden Group Annual Report 2018 35
Our Strategy
i-Challenge presentation
Principal Resources of the Kyuden Group
Commercialization pending
In 2017, we collaborated with Creww Inc. to implement Kyushu Electric Power Accelerator 2017, a program to foster joint business creation through
open innovation with startup companies.
Ties to over 8 million customers Networked with Kyushu local governments
2.4 million Kyushu power poles Networked with local enterprises
Smart meter connections 30,000-employee network
Networked to 89 Group companies Field test locations
ACTION 2 i-Challenge(Business Concept Solicitation)
ACTION 3 Collaboration with Other Entities (Open Innovation)
We are proposing and incubating business and service innovation proposals by soliciting business concepts. We are considering
commercialization, or deployment as a service, of promising proposals from a group of 143 business concepts received.
The Kyuden Group will not rely solely on its own management resources and technology. By collaborating with external entities, we will
share technology, expertise, and concepts to jointly create new businesses and services. Our aim in creating new businesses is to generate
new value that will help solve social issues.
(as of July 2018)
Five Concepts
Commercialization pending (as of July 2018)
Ten Concepts
STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4
THEME12 3
Concept solicitation Document screening, interview Initial presentation Final presentation
Kyuden Group Annual Report 201836Concept in Action
Concept in Action
QUUN: IoT Service with Original Voice-Capable AI
• QUUN offers a wide range of useful services for enriched daily lives via a proprietary, voice-capable AI engine. For example, users can receive news and weather reports delivered by popular voice actors. Through simple voice
activation, QUUN can also operate home appliances, manage home security systems, and more.
• Service launch: July 2018
Qottaby: IoT Monitoring Service
• Monitors and guardians can use a smartphone or PC to track the location of children, seniors, or pets with a
beacon-equipped transmitter.
• Selected for full field testing support by Fukuoka municipal government; testing started March 2018.
Park Shop,
convenience store
School,
cram school
Monitor
Capture location data
⇒ Location search, arrival notification3Location transmitter (example)
●くろまる Weight: Approx. 10 g
●くろまる Size: Approx. 86 mm x 18 mm
Base stations throughout city
⇒ Detect location transmitter beacon signal2Fixed base station (example)
Simple plug-in setup
Portable location transmitter
with beacon1Mobile base station
Install app to smartphone
Smartphone, PC
Guardian, pet owner
Tracking subject
Kyushu Electric Power’s monitoring service Qottaby
Kyushu Electric Power’s voice interface device
(AI speaker)
Good morning, Halomint.
Good morning, Halomint.
Chocolat,
turn the lights on!
Chocolat,
turn the lights on!
Mekarion,
let’s play a word game.
Mekarion,
let’s play a word game.
Carrot, what’s the
morning news?
Carrot, what’s the
morning news?
Sirius, what’s my
horoscope for today?
Sirius, what’s my
horoscope for today?
High-quality voice interface with user-selectable
human/character voices.
High-quality voice interface with user-selectable
human/character voices.
Control home appliances such as air
conditioners and TVs with a single word.
24-hour home security both when user
is present and absent.
Control power usage and
monitor costs.
Monitor power usage by senior family
members remotely to gauge day’s activity.QUUNVoiceQUUNAutomationQUUNSafetyQUUNEnergyQUUNFamilyLinkFeature2KYUDEN
i-PROJECT:APushforInnovation
Kyuden Group Annual Report 2018 37
Our Strategy