IT Japan Award 2009 – Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Wins the Grand Prize

Tokyo – July 1, 2009 – Nikkei Computer, an IT magazine published by Nikkei Business Publications (President & CEO: Yasuo Hirata; Tokyo), has announced the winners of IT Japan Award 2009. The Award is given to companies and people making innovative use of IT. The awarding ceremony will take place during IT Executive Forum IT Japan 2009, held on July 1 at Hotel New Otani Tokyo.

IT Japan Award, the third holding this year and supported by METI, Japan Society for Management Information, Information Systems Society of Japan, Information Processing Society of Japan, Information-Technology Promotion Agency, Japan (IPA), and Japan Users Association of Information Systems (JUAS), aims to spotlight companies achieving outstanding results with the help of information systems and let their knowhow for success widely known.

During the application period of January through the end of March, 2009, we received 78 entries. After the final review of these candidates, the selection committee (chaired by Mr. Koichi Matsuda, head of Software Engineering Center, IPA) selected the winners of the METI Minister Award (Grand Prize), Second Prize (six winners), and Special Prize (three winners) as follows:

[IT Japan Award 2009 Winners]

[Comments]

The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ won the METI Minster Award with its system integration (Day 2) project. The 250-billion-yen project brought the system integration of former Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and former UFJ Bank to completion, with the development man-hour of 110,000 man months, nearly three years of the development period, and involvement of 6,000 engineers at max. The selection committee recognized the project's great contribution to management of the bank. Overcoming the massive pressure of "nothing less than a success is acceptable," the project was completed and made it possible for the bank to provide good-quality and safe services to its users.

Six entries received the Second Prize, namely, Inagi Library Service, Seiko Epson, Zurich Insurance Japan Branch, Tsumura, Techno Project, and Nippon Express. Inagi Library Service realized IC tag-based automated inventory and 24-hour checking-out service. The library also topped in the 2008 library almanac, among libraries of 60,000-80,000 population cities throughout Japan, in terms of the number of books checked out.

Seiko Epson put the global SCM system in operation. By consolidating the worldwide data of about 6,000 expendable items for printers such as ink cartridges, the company succeeded in reducing the inventory worth 7 billion yen in a half year.

Zurich Insurance launched a service enabling customers to complete application of auto insurance through its cell-phone website. The company had already been providing a service of accepting emergency calls from its policyholders via GPS-supported cell phones in the event of an accident or trouble. The establishment of a new channel in cell-phones, next to fixed telephones and PCs, won it the award.

Tsumura successfully cut by 70% the cost for servers by integrating its 137 web / application servers into 12 units. Using virtualization technology, it resolved dependency between hardware and software and built durable and strategic infrastructure.

Techno Project developed "healthcare network Shimane," a network supporting community healthcare and telemedicine in Shimane Prefecture. The system enables access to electronic medical charts from different hospitals and clinics in the prefecture, making patient referral and infection detection easier and facilitating various services including support for perinatal care.

Nippon Express' "Nittsu RFID traceability system" uses RFID tags to track the status of international cargo. The system has enabled tracking of the status of each pallet and each package being transported in real time and developed the base of supply chains.

Commemorating our 40th anniversary, the Special Prize winners were selected by the editor-in-chiefs of three Nikkei BP computer / network magazines, Nikkei Systems, Nikkei Communications, and Nikkei Computer. Selected by Nikkei Systems was Toho Titanium, which had accomplished a development project with undetermined requirements yet strict deadlines, by adopting an agile development method. The company tried several ingenious ideas during the project, including engaging key persons of the user division in the project team.

Ricoh received the award by Nikkei Communications. The company accomplished full restructuring of its domestic group networks in three years. By unifying a number of its networks, integrating its bases, and streamlining the network environment, it achieved 1 billion-yen-scale annual cost reduction.

The Nikkei Computer award went to Ryohin Keikaku, which, with its unique development method, succeeded in reduction of time and costs in system development. The company developed 130 systems in-house, including a merchandising system, while achieving reduction of the IT investment-sales ratio by half.

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