日本語
Many companies are introducing OCR to streamline operations, starting with form processing. However, OCR development varies widely in terms of accuracy and capabilities depending on the service or development company.
"I want to know which system development companies are recommended for OCR development."
"I want to know what points to focus on when selecting a system development company for OCR development."
This article answers these questions by introducing recommended system development companies for OCR development and key selection points. We've also summarized general cost estimates for development, so please use it as a reference.
Akira Shimazoe
CEO of Solashi Japan LLC. Engaged in the development and operation of internal systems at Suntory. Founded Yper Inc., serving as CTO and CPO, contributing to product launch and growth.
What is OCR Development?
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) is a technology that converts text from documents or image files—which cannot be edited digitally in their original form—into editable digital text. In Japanese, it is referred to as "光学的文字認識 (optical character recognition)."
It works by capturing images using optical devices such as cameras or scanners, recognizing the “text” within them, and converting it into image data. OCR is widely used in areas such as digitizing documents, automatic data entry, and improving searchability in archives. Traditionally, OCR systems were built based on fixed human-defined rules, but recently, AI-powered OCR (AI-OCR) has gained attention.
13 Recommended System Development Companies for OCR
Here are 13 recommended system development companies for OCR. In this article, we have categorized them based on their specific strengths.
- Companies with extensive experience
- Companies offering flexible services
- Offshore development companies
We’ve carefully selected high-quality OCR development companies in each category. Please use this list to assist with your company selection.
6 OCR Development Companies with Extensive Experience
Let’s start with six companies that have extensive experience in OCR development.
- TIS Inc.
- NTT DATA Corporation
- ProVision Inc.
- Shikoku Hitachi Systems, Ltd.
- InfoDio Inc.
- Arithmer Inc.
1. TIS Inc.
TIS Inc. is a system development company headquartered in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. From infrastructure to services supporting industry and public sectors, it provides IT solutions that drive growth strategies across all industries.
With over 50 years of experience, the company offers comprehensive support across consulting, system infrastructure development, and maintenance/operations. In the field of OCR, they offer a total AI-OCR service called “Paperoid.” This service consists of five modules, which can be selected based on the client’s goals and challenges.
- Form Classification AI Service
- Form Reading AI Service
- Document AI OCR Service
- Form Processing Consulting Service
- AI OCR Engine: SmartRead
It also supports on-premises implementation.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | TIS Inc. |
| Established | April 1, 2008 |
| Capital | 10 billion yen |
| Head Office Address | 8-17-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo |
| Main Features | Offers the AI-OCR total service "Paperoid" |
| Website | https://www.tis.co.jp/ |
2. NTT DATA Group Corporation
NTT DATA Group Corporation is a system development company headquartered in Tokyo. It is widely recognized as a major system development company with capital exceeding 140 billion yen, and it has a strong track record in various projects, including OCR development.
In OCR development, they offer document management solutions that convert documents and character data scanned by scanners into text data, as well as form OCR for reading forms such as application forms and slips. They support a wide range of sectors including government agencies, municipalities, retail, distribution, and disaster prevention, which is one of their key strengths.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | NTT DATA Group Corporation |
| Established | May 23, 1988 |
| Capital | 142.52 billion yen |
| Head Office Address | Toyosu Center Building, 3-3-3 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo |
| Main Features | Extensive experience across a wide range of industries |
| Website | https://www.nttdata.com/jp/ja/ |
3. ProVision Inc.
ProVision Inc. offers multiple licenses and tools, including AI-OCR and RPA. RPA refers to software robot technology that automates clerical and routine tasks performed on computers. They propose DX (digital transformation) solutions tailored to the client's business characteristics and company culture.
They have a solid track record in digitizing forms and implementing AI-OCR tools. Another great advantage is their comprehensive support from development through to operation.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | ProVision Inc. |
| Established | April 2005 |
| Capital | 850 million yen |
| Head Office Address | Landmark Tower 40F, 38F, 33F, 2-2-1 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa |
| Main Features | Comprehensive support from AI-OCR tool implementation to operation |
| Website | https://www.pro-vision.jp/ |
4. Shikoku Hitachi Systems, Ltd.
Shikoku Hitachi Systems, Ltd. is a long-established development company founded in 1989. It demonstrates strong one-stop support capabilities and aims to contribute to the local community. It offers solutions across various industries, including manufacturing, distribution, public services, municipalities, healthcare, welfare, and finance.
They have extensive experience in automation using AI-OCR, RPA, and voice recognition tools. They aim to improve business efficiency through consulting. If you are considering OCR development in the Shikoku area, this is a recommended development company.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | Shikoku Hitachi Systems, Ltd. |
| Established | October 1989 |
| Capital | 100 million yen |
| Head Office Address | 5-31 Chuo-cho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture |
| Main Features | Strong in business automation using AI-OCR |
| Website | https://www.shikoku-hitachi-systems.co.jp/ |
5. Infordio Corporation
Infordio Corporation is a development company based in Tokyo. It offers a cloud-based “Smart OCR” solution that automates paper forms using AI and OCR technologies. With many implementations in government agencies and large enterprises, it boasts over 1,150 user companies.
“Smart OCR” is a cloud-based business efficiency support solution that scans paper documents and forms, extracts text data from the scanned images, and utilizes AI-based deep learning to accurately recognize handwritten text and unstructured forms.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | Infordio Corporation |
| Established | July 2002 |
| Capital | 100 million yen |
| Head Office Address | 5F Hongo Center Building, 2-27-20 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo |
| Main Features | Developer and distributor of the cloud-based “Smart OCR” |
| Website | https://www.infordio.co.jp/ |
6. Arithmer, Inc.
Arithmer, Inc. is a development company known for its strength in proprietary OCR technologies based on advanced mathematics. The company conducts research and development on various solution services, including still image analysis, natural language processing, video analysis, and 3D model automatic generation.
In October 2019, NEC launched a digital identity verification service called “Digital KYC (Know Your Customer),” which incorporated Arithmer’s AI-OCR technology. Their proven high-level skills are a major draw. Additionally, the company has a solid track record including adoption by Japan Post Bank and a partnership with Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd. They offer several proprietary image analysis packages, such as the “ArithOCR Invoice Package.”
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | Arithmer, Inc. |
| Established | September 1, 2016 |
| Capital | 100 million yen |
| Head Office Address | 3F ONEST Hongo Square, 1-24-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo |
| Main Features | Developer of multiple proprietary image analysis packages |
| Website | https://www.arithmer.co.jp/ |
Top 5 OCR Development Companies Specializing in DX Promotion
Next, we’ll introduce five OCR development companies that excel in DX (Digital Transformation) promotion. These companies specialize in RPA integration, business automation, and seamless collaboration with other tools.
- Nippon Information Development Co., Ltd. (株式会社エヌアイデイ)
- C-System Co., Ltd. (シー・システム株式会社)
- Nihon System Kaihatsu Co.,Ltd. (日本システム開発株式会社)
- ProVision Co., Ltd. (株式会社ProVision)
- CEC Customer Services Co., Ltd. (株式会社シーイーシーカスタマサービス)
7. Nippon Information Development Co., Ltd.
Nippon Information Development Co., Ltd. is a well-established development company headquartered in Tokyo. Since its founding in 1967, it has provided a wide range of software solutions, IT infrastructure construction, and monitoring and operation services. The company not only develops AI-OCR but also integrates it with RPA, making it stand out in the field. It supports DX promotion by digitizing paper forms with AI-OCR and automating routine tasks using robots.
With over 300 RPA development projects under its belt, the company is a strong choice for organizations aiming for seamless digitalization of paper documents.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | Nippon Information Development Co., Ltd. (株式会社エヌアイデイ) |
| Established | May 1967 |
| Capital | 653 million yen |
| Headquarters | 29F, Harumi Island Triton Square X, 1-8-10 Harumi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo |
| Main Features | Support from AI-OCR to RPA integration |
| Website | https://www.nid.co.jp/ |
8. C-System Co., Ltd.
C-System Co., Ltd. is a development company certified as a “DX Promotion Company” by Osaka Prefecture. Their product, “AI JIMY Paperbot,” combines AI-OCR with RPA functionalities.
It allows for seamless processing of document input, AI-based sorting, character recognition via AI-OCR, and data entry through RPA. The tool also supports integration with third-party solutions and offers a rich set of additional options.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | C-System Co., Ltd. (シー・システム株式会社) |
| Established | March 18, 1983 |
| Capital | 20 million yen |
| Headquarters | 4F, Sakurabashi Yachiyo Building, 2-5-6 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka |
| Main Features | Development and provision of the AI-powered data entry automation tool “AI JIMY” |
| Website | https://seagp.com/ |
9. Nihon System Kaihatsu Co., Ltd.
Nihon System Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. is a development company that engages in AI, IoT, and ROS development. The company offers a high-precision OCR engine called “Form OCR,” and provides OCR implementation support services, including outsourced form reading tests. To address areas where OCR alone cannot cover, they propose solutions by combining it with RPA.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | Nihon System Kaihatsu Co., Ltd. (日本システム開発株式会社) |
| Established | August 1985 |
| Capital | 49 million yen |
| Headquarters | 9F, Nagoya International Center Building, 1-47-1 Nagono, Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, Aichi |
| Main Features | Proposals combining OCR with RPA solution “EoRPA” |
| Website | https://www.nskint.co.jp/ |
10.CEC Customer Service Ltd.
CEC Customer Service Ltd. is a development company headquartered in Tokyo. They provide a wide range of IT solutions, supporting business efficiency improvements, cost reduction, and security enhancements.
They specialize in OCR integrated RPA solutions. "SmartSESAME MultiScan!" supports various manufacturers' multifunction devices, and it can be integrated with OCR, document management, and cloud storage via API.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | CEC Customer Service Ltd. |
| Established | August 1, 2000 |
| Capital | 50 million yen |
| Headquarters | 5-1-11 Higashihara, Zama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Sagamino System Laboratory |
| Main Feature | Proposing OCR integrated RPA solutions |
| Website | https://www.ceccs.co.jp/ |
3 Companies for High-Quality OCR Development at Low Cost
Here, we introduce three companies that offer high-quality OCR development at low cost. Offshore development involves outsourcing system development to overseas companies. Since it costs less than domestic development, it is recommended when you want to achieve cost-effective system development with skilled engineers.
- Solashi Co., Ltd
- HELIGATE JSC.
- Pluszero Inc.
11.Solashi Co., Ltd
Solashi Co., Ltd is an offshore development company based in Vietnam. Offshore development refers to outsourcing development to countries with lower labor costs than Japan. Our company has extensive experience in Japan and handles a wide range of development including AI-OCR, web, blockchain, and app development.
Nowadays, OCR is not used solely on its own but combined with technologies like generative AI to reform business processes. We have developed various OCR technologies for customer requests and internal projects. Some examples of our achievements include:
- Reading and storing information from business cards
- Reading resumes and work experience records / Combining with generative AI to output summaries and suggest suitable job positions
- Invoice reading system (including handwritten) with an accuracy rate of over 97%
We provide proposals with a view to future business development. By securing talented engineering resources and having a well-established team structure, we can offer development at a lower cost than Japan. If you're looking for a one-stop solution from development to operation and maintenance, please feel free to consult with us.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | Solashi Company Limited / Solashi Japan LLC |
| Established | February 2019 / August 2022 |
| Capital | Approx. 30 million yen |
| Headquarters | No 35, 45 lane, Tran Thai Tong street, Cau Giay district, Ha Noi / 1F, Ninomiya Building, 18-4 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya, Tokyo |
| Main Feature | One-stop service for AI-OCR development, operation, and maintenance |
| Website | https://solashi.com/ |
12.HELIGATE JSC.
HELIGATE JSC. is a system development company based in Vietnam, with a Japanese subsidiary located in Tokyo. They develop systems for Japanese companies and provide cost-effective, high-quality IT outsourcing as a one-stop solution provider focused on cost reduction.
They are capable of flexibly sourcing resources depending on the project. Through offshore development, they can offer lower-cost development compared to Japan. They are also strong in AI-OCR development, with capabilities to read handwritten or low-quality images and extract text with high precision. They have various OCR development achievements, including the reading function for insurance cards.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | Heligate Japan JSC |
| Established | 2018 |
| Capital | 10 million yen |
| Headquarters Address | Room 901, Libera Iwamotocho Building, 3-5-14 Iwamotocho, Chiyoda, Tokyo |
| Main Features | Rich experience in AI-OCR development |
| Website | https://heligate.co.jp/ |
13. Pluszero Inc.
Pluszero Inc. is a development company that offers solutions using AI, natural language processing, software, hardware, and more, including development, maintenance, operation, sales, and associated consulting services. In the OCR field, they offer the "OCR's+" service, which reads documents and drawings to support the automation and efficiency of business processes. "OCR's+" features high-precision AI-OCR capabilities and expertise in fine-tuning OCR to achieve practical accuracy beyond the reach of generic OCR engines.
In addition to package implementation, they also provide support for business process changes and data processing optimization based on thorough hearings. They propose OCR solutions tailored to each company's operations, offering low-cost, customized options. It can also handle special styles such as strike-throughs. This service is recommended if you wish to design OCR to fit your own business processes.
| Item | Details |
| Company Name | Pluszero Inc. |
| Established | July 10, 2018 |
| Capital | 13 million yen |
| Headquarters Address | 4F Senda Building, 2-6-10 Kitazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo |
| Expertise | Proposes OCR tailored to business operations |
| Website | https://plus-zero.co.jp/ |
Cost Range for OCR Development
This section introduces the cost range for OCR development.
For on-premise OCR development, the initial cost is typically around 3 million yen or more.
On the other hand, the cost of implementing cloud-based OCR services is about 200,000 to 300,000 yen. Cloud-based solutions may seem more affordable and attractive compared to on-premise systems.
OCR services available in the market are often designed for wide industries (such as invoices or resumes) and can recognize characters on those types of documents. However, when dealing with industry-specific documents or characters from unique environments, they may not function as expected. Therefore, there are cases where existing OCR services fail to meet expectations, and custom OCR development for your company becomes necessary.
Therefore, if you are considering OCR solutions, it is efficient to start by considering the development cost for on-premise systems. Actual development costs vary by system development company, so use the cost range as a reference and request estimates from multiple companies for comparison.
4 Key Points for Choosing an OCR Development Company
Finally, here are four key points to consider when choosing an OCR development company.
- Can they develop according to your goals?
- Do they have similar past project experience?
- Do they have strong proposal skills?
- Do they have a solid operation and maintenance system?
For those choosing a system development company, these points will be helpful to consider.
1. Can They Develop According to Your Goals?
The most important thing is to choose a company that can meet your business goals. For example, do you prioritize cost-effectiveness, or are you willing to invest in features and functionalities? Depending on your goals, the ideal development company may differ. Start by defining your goals, and choose a company that can best achieve your vision.
2. Do They Have Similar Project Experience?
It is crucial to check whether the development company has experience with projects similar to yours. Make sure to review their past projects, especially in the same industry or with similar requirements. OCR development, especially AI-OCR, requires high expertise and technology, so recent relevant experience is desirable.
Also, some details might not be visible on the company’s website. During discussions, ask about development periods based on system scale and available resources to gather accurate information. Asking about points of focus and key success factors in past projects can help you gauge the company’s expertise.
3. Do They Have Proposal Skills?
Proposal skills are also essential when selecting a system development company. While delivering the requested results is important, it’s equally important to choose a company that can provide tailored OCR development solutions. Choose a company that understands your business and can offer solutions to address your challenges.
It’s also important that they can scale your requests appropriately and proactively suggest improvements for your business’s future growth. A company that offers such support will be a valuable partner for your internal digital transformation (DX) efforts.
At Solashi Co., Ltd, we have project managers with experience as CTOs and IT consultants at Japanese startups. We provide not only OCR development but also long-term IT consulting tailored to your business needs. If you are interested in IT consulting, please feel free to contact Solashi Co., Ltd.
Japanese PMs Handle Communication
Looking for an Offshore Development Company
For such individuals, we recommend Solashi’s Vietnam offshore development
4. Is There a Solid Operation and Maintenance System?
Operation and maintenance after system release is an essential part of system development. However, some companies do not offer post-release support.
If the company does not handle operation and maintenance, you may need to hire another development company for post-release services. If you plan to outsource operation and maintenance, choose a company with a one-stop system to cover both development and maintenance. Also, confirm whether they support technical knowledge transfer for maintaining the system in the long run.
For OCR Development, Choose "Solashi"
We’ve introduced recommended system development companies and tips for choosing the right one for OCR development. There are various companies with different features and strengths, so it’s important to choose based on your specific needs. If you’re unfamiliar with web and IT systems or this is your first time considering system development, choose a company that can propose development plans based on your challenges.
If you're looking for an OCR development partner, trust Solashi Co., Ltd. We offer high-quality OCR development while keeping costs low. Our project managers, with experience in launching startups and serving as CTOs, are well-equipped to handle overseas system development requests, ensuring peace of mind.
Additionally, we have many engineers skilled in cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain and AI, capable of supporting various fields from B2B to B2C. Feel free to reach out to us for further inquiries.
Akira Shimazoe
Representative of Solashi Japan LLC. Born in April 1989 in Fukuoka Prefecture. Graduated from the Graduate School of Information and Mathematical Sciences at Osaka Prefecture University. Joined Suntory System Technology Co., Ltd., an IT subsidiary of Suntory Holdings, in 2014. Broadly responsible for the development, operation, and implementation of vending machine delivery management, efficiency improvements, and sales management systems. Founded Yper Inc. in 2017, serving as CTO and CPO. Contributed to the launch and growth of the app-linked delivery bag "OKIPPA." Selected for Toyo Keizai's prestigious "Amazing Venture 100" and Forbes' "Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2019."
