Case Studies Utility Solutions Group

For John Biggs at Utility Solutions Group (USG), the question wasn't whether automation could help, but whether it could be built to last. The answer required more than just software. While at its core, he was looking for an automation solution, he wanted a partner that understood that in the manufacturing industry, efficiency and ROI come from systems you can maintain, not just deploy.

Unlike many companies that adopt automation with a flagship use case in mind, USG took a different path. John came to Keyence RK with prior experience in automation tools like Microsoft Flow, helping give him a realistic understanding of both the potential and the pitfalls.
"I had worked with Microsoft Flow in the past, in the early days. So I knew a little bit about how it works, the concept or the idea. I also knew that it was a little bit quirky in the beginning and that most likely anything we encountered is probably going to have some of the same difficulties."
That experience shaped USG's implementation strategy from day one. Rather than forcing the software to solve a predetermined problem on day 1, John and his team decided to explore the platform's capabilities first and let those capabilities guide their automation roadmap.
"I don't think there was one thing we were trying to solve. I think we had a few ideas we were kicking around, but we didn't lock in on anything or spend a lot of time on it because we weren't sure of the capabilities of the software. So we were going to explore the capabilities and then let that lead to what it could do or not do. Instead of trying to force a square peg in a round hole, let's just see what it can do, and then let's see how it could help us from there."
That exploratory mindset, combined with a commitment to doing things right rather than fast, has defined USG's automation journey and set the foundation for sustainable, long-term success.

From the very beginning, John understood that automation without measurement is just activity. So he built accountability directly into the system itself. Every single automation scenario at USG, all ten of them, ends with the same sequence. RK opens a SharePoint Excel spreadsheet and logs critical data: the scenario’s serial number, a description of what that scenario does, a timestamp down to the minute, and most importantly, the time saved and labor dollars saved for that specific run.
The spreadsheet is used to collect data, but more importantly, calculates impact in real time. At the top of the sheet, formulas track total man-hours saved, total dollars saved to date, and a projected annual savings rate based on current performance.
USG only started implementing scenarios in late March (2026), meaning they've been running for just four to five months. With ten scenarios now in production, some running hourly, some daily, and some weekly, the trajectory is clear.
"Currently it's saying that RK has saved us $7,468 this year… As time goes by, this is going to become more and more. I already have some in my mind that I want to add in. So I'm not terribly worried that this is less than $10,000 because we've only been at this for really four, four and a half months."
This aren’t vanity metrics. It's financial accountability that updates automatically with every automation run, giving leadership accurate visibility into whether the investment is paying off.
John and USG’s CEO are confident it will.

While USG has built ten different automation scenarios, one stands out as both the most complex and the most impactful: an automated daily report that John describes as "almost like a love letter from USG to HSC."
USG and Holland Supply Company (HSC) are sister companies under the same ownership. USG handles manufacturing, HSC handles distribution. Before RK, coordinating between the two required constant communication: emails, phone calls, text messages asking about order status, lead times, inventory levels, spare parts availability, and what was being manufactured for stock.
Now, every weekday morning, right after USG's daily shipping meeting, RK automatically compiles and sends a comprehensive operations report to key personnel at Holland. The automation pulls data from multiple sources, including Excel spreadsheets on SharePoint and live queries from NetSuite. It then packages everything into a single email with embedded tables and file attachments.
The results were visible from day one.
On the first day the report went out, Joe, the production manager at Holland, saw a three-inch 441 regulator in the stock list and immediately sent over a purchase order. USG cut a sales order and shipped it the same day.
On day two, Joe spotted twelve 12-inch standard 243 regulators with no IRVs in stock and requested those for a customer he thought he could reconfigure them for. Shipped.
On day four, Joe noticed that several regulators scheduled to ship to Holland in the next 30 days were being held up by a specific part. He happened to have that part sitting on his shelf at Holland, so he sold it back to USG so they could complete the regulators.
"The first three out of four days we had benefit to it that never existed before in the past because now they can see each other, you know, see back and forth."
This level of transparency and automated proactivity has fundamentally changed how the two companies interact.

What separates USG's approach from many other RK implementations is John's commitment to treating automation as a permanent solution. He approaches every scenario with discipline: detailed notes, consistent variable naming conventions, logical blocking, and a standardized template that ensures every scenario follows the same structure.
"I'm very good at putting in detailed notes. I am careful to block things out and have the same method and the same approach every time."
That discipline isn't just about making things easier for John. The solution is meant to last. If someone else needs to troubleshoot a scenario six months from now, they need to understand what's happening and why. John also maintains detailed records of each scenario: who created it, who owns it, who has edited it, what it does, and what specific ROI it delivers. He has approached Keyence RK as infrastructure for scale.
At USG, nearly every scenario has been built by John, with support from his customer success representative, Jason. The result? A library of automations that look, feel, and function the same way, making them easier to maintain, troubleshoot, and scale.

John was direct about what has made USG's automation journey successful. Jason, his dedicated customer success representative at Keyence.
"I think Jason [USG’s dedicated customer success representative at Keyence] has made the difference. Jason's spectacular. Like he is there whenever I need him. And then he's always checking in, like, you know, once a week or once every couple weeks. He's like, hey, got anything you need help with? Let me know. Let's set it up. Or maybe we have a check-in session. Let's talk through what you got going on."
That ongoing relationship has been critical, especially when John encounters problems that can't be solved through training materials, online videos, or even RK's built-in AI assistant.
"I think if you had a different person than Jason that wasn't either as customer-centric or was not as knowledgeable, then the experience would have been potentially much different."
Even as John has become skilled at building scenarios independently, he still relies on Jason for complex challenges, which has made a world of difference.

USG's approach to Keyence RK has been deliberate, methodical, and focused on sustainability over speed. John and Jason have been aligned on this from the beginning, and that patience is paying off. With ten scenarios in production and a growing list of future automations, USG's story offers a clear blueprint: Keyence RK isn't just software. It's infrastructure they're building their operational future on.