East Japan Railway Company (CEO: Yuji Fukazawa, hereinafter “JR East”) will expand its open innovation activities to include overseas start-ups. By incorporating services born from diverse ideas, JR East will develop stations to be more enjoyable and more convenient, and strongly promote the “Beyond Stations Concept” which is the JR East Group Strategic Vision as a Core Pillar.
The first co-creation activity will see JR East conduct test marketing at Tokyo Station and Yokohama Station with Singaporean startup Crown Technologies Holdings Pte. Ltd (“Crown”), via Crown Digital Pte. Ltd (“Crown Digital”) a subsidiary of Crown, to deploy the use of a Robot barista (“Ella”) developed by Crown. This service will solve issues such as reforming the cost structure of café business, the utilization of former ticket vending machine sites, as well as the provision of new contactless, non-face-to-face services to customers.
＊The business entity of One&Co is JR East.
Leveraging on the network of “One&Co,” an open innovation platform developed by JR East Singapore branch, JR East will combine “Innovation” with “Challenges Faced” to create solutions, and further expand the possibilities of railway stations through the “Flow of co-creation activities with overseas startups”, thereby securing new earnings and realizing value creation. As the first solution derived from this flow, JR East will work with Crown to make coffee served in Ekinaka (in-station) coffee shops more enjoyable and convenient, and to realize a new way of station operation that meets the needs of customers and changes in the social environment.
In the collaboration with Crown, JR East will resolve issues faced by coffee services and improve service levels from the perspective of coffee × digital × AI. This will change the placement and functions of Ekinaka (in-station) facilities and realize the “Beyond Stations Concept”, making effective use of the limited space inside the station.
●Features and specifications
The Robot Barista Ella developed by Crown Digital is a technology that automates a series of tasks that are usually performed by humans. In addition to resolving issues such as “eliminating labor shortages” and “improving the profitability structure of cafes” due to a decline in users and change in turnover rates, this product also meets the growing needs of customers in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, namely, social distancing and contactless service. With a retail footprint of less than five square metres, Ella has a safe, cashless and contactless interface that is able to serve up to 200 cups of gourmet coffee per hour to commuters. For greater convenience, commuters are able to order beverages ahead of time via the Ella app and collect the drinks immediately upon arrival at the station.
●Order and settlement methods at test marketing in Japan
–Mobile Order (Credit Card Payment, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
You can receive coffee without queueing by using the Ella app developed by Crown.
–Touch order (Transport-based IC)
Order from the touch panel mounted on Ella. We provide high-quality coffee to our customers with robotic arms that move forward when they receive orders and colorful LED lights that respond to their movements.
JR East will improve Ekinaka’s coffee services by revamping the UX (user experience) by adopting sophisticated designs, easy-to-use UI (user interface), and engaging users while they are waiting for their coffee.
Test marketing will be conducted at Tokyo Station and Yokohama Station in order to evaluate café operations and service effectiveness associated with the introduction of the Ella. This is scheduled to begin in December 2021. (JR East will announce the details as soon as they are finalized.)
Once the test marketing is successfully completed, JR East and Crown Technologies Holding are scheduled to launch a joint-venture company in Japan in order to realize further services. For example, as a service for loyal customers, the company will make the preferred coffee service customized using AI analysis and the coffee subscription service being tested on a JRE Passport which provides subscription service combined with commuter pass more convenient and useful.
＊What the “Beyond Stations Concept” aims for
We will transform stations from “transportation bases” to “platforms for people’s lives.” We will transform the placement and function of station spaces from the perspective of enrichment in people’s lives. At the same time, through quasi-areas of JRE POINT lifestyle, we will connect customers with the services that support their lives, as well as communities, local communities, digital, and safety and security. In addition, by creating new ties between customers, we will expand the possibilities of each customer and realize “spiritually enriched lifestyles” that we can provide only from our own perspective.
Be Authentic｜One&Co’s 2nd Anniversary
With the increase in connectivity happening all over the world, genuine individuality becomes important. As such, we are developing a number of initiatives to make Singapore a place where everyone can be themselves. We believe that the experiences that come with these initiatives are a great asset to One&Co as a space that connects Japan and Singapore. In the days to come, we will continue to develop all kinds of support programs as a business creation platform. We look forward to working with you.
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