Kubota has begun full-scale provision of the Kubota smart waterworks system “PIPROFESSOR,” which was jointly developed with IBM Japan.
This system is Japan’s first service that realizes DX of drawing and document preparation work associated with waterworks construction. By providing solutions that support the renewal work of aging water pipelines, we will enable the construction of safe, secure, and sustainable water infrastructure.

This system consists of three applications that handle each task of “design,” “construction planning,” and “construction management,” as well as an application that automatically creates reports from the data.
It is mainly intended for use by construction companies, and allows users to use the necessary applications for a monthly or yearly flat-rate charge (subscription).
　　
In Japan, approximately 20% of water pipelines have exceeded the legal service life of 40 years. If water pipes continue to deteriorate, there will be an increased risk that lifelines will be affected by water leaks or water outages due to broken water pipes, so there is an urgent need to renew the pipes. However, the pipeline renewal rate, which indicates the pace of water pipeline renewal, is decreasing year by year, and at the current pace of 0.65% per year, it will take more than 150 years to renew all the pipelines. In addition, many water utilities are in financial difficulties and have staff shortages.

Construction companies are also facing issues such as labor shortages and skill succession.
Against this background, there is a need to use ICT to automate and streamline operations related to waterworks.