Strengthening product development and system equipment development capabilities

「Research and development expenses during the interim accounting period were ¥231 million, up 26.7% year on year. There were no material changes in the company's research and development activities during the interim accounting period.」

「This R&D is conducted primarily by the Company's R&D and Engineering departments. During the fiscal year under review, the Company had 41 R&D staff and R&D expenses were ¥229 million.」

「R&D expenses during the six-month accounting period were ¥182 million, up 2.3% year on year. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the six-month accounting period.」

「This R&D is conducted primarily by the Company's R&D and Engineering departments. During the fiscal year under review, the Company had 51 R&D staff and R&D expenses were ¥350 million. [Container Washing Machine] The Company developed a product dedicated to container washing, using its washing technology to expand sales into new markets, including the sixth industrial sector. [Labor-Saving Sanitary Container Washing System] The Company developed a washing system dedicated to containers used to store sanitary products. [Wide SV Roaster] The Company expanded the SV Roaster conveyor width to 1,500 mm and developed it to support line integration with tunnel freezers for cooling and freezing after superheated-steam cooking, in response to strong customer demand, particularly from food-processing plants.」

「R&D expenses during the six-month accounting period were ¥178 million, up 41.4% year on year. This was mainly due to the establishment, from the current fiscal year, of an R&D Department dedicated to medium- to long-term R&D. In addition to developing new products, the Company has established a framework for pursuing technologies and themes that may contribute to the growth of its business over longer time horizons of 3 to 5 years.」

「This R&D is conducted primarily by the Company's Engineering Department. During the fiscal year under review, the Company had 47 R&D staff and R&D expenses were ¥300 million. [Superheated-Steam Vegetable Sterilization Nozzle] The Company manufactures and sells continuous superheated-steam ovens, or SV Roasters, for large food-processing plants. Focusing on the sterilization effect of superheated steam, it developed a sterilization nozzle that sterilizes vegetable surfaces without using any additives or chemicals and without impairing the vegetables' taste, appearance or texture. [Pasta Weighing and Portioning System] Because existing technology makes it difficult to automate the weighing and portioning of noodles at food-processing plants, and the work is still performed manually at many facilities, the Company began developing equipment that automatically weighs and portions pasta to help reduce labor requirements. The equipment was completed to a level suitable for exhibition at a trade show in June 2024. [Hydrogen Project] As a proposal from the commercial-kitchen industry for a decarbonized society, the Company began joint R&D on hydrogen cooking with Heat Tech Energy Tech Co., Ltd., a plant manufacturer specializing in the development and manufacture of thermal equipment products.」

「R&D expenses during the nine-month period ended were ¥200 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the nine-month period ended.」

「R&D expenses during the six-month period ended were ¥126 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the six-month period ended.」

「R&D expenses during the three-month period ended were ¥56 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the three-month period ended.」

「This R&D is conducted primarily by the Company's Engineering Department. During the fiscal year under review, the Company had 41 R&D staff and R&D expenses were ¥319 million. [HakaReco, Code-Scanning Weighing and Recording System] The Company developed a system that weighs and records leftover food from school meals by class and by menu item.」

「R&D expenses during the six-month period ended were ¥156 million. [Automatic Dishware Counting System] The Company developed an automatic dishware counting system for school meal facilities and presented it at FOOD Expo 2022, held from 28 to 30 September 2022. The system compares the number of items registered for each basket with the actual number identified by image recognition using the barcode attached to the basket containing the dishware, automating the previously manual process of checking the number of returned dishes and reducing labor requirements. [Food Waste Weighing System] The Company developed a food waste weighing system for school meal facilities and presented it at FOOD Expo 2022, held from 28 to 30 September 2022.」

「R&D expenses during the three-month period ended were ¥66 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the three-month period ended.」

「This R&D is conducted primarily by the Company's Engineering Department. During the fiscal year under review, the Company had 42 R&D staff and R&D expenses were ¥393 million. [Labor-Saving Mixer N Mixer] Because the mixing vessel is separate from the main mixer, ingredients no longer need to be transferred to the mixing vessel before and after mixing as with conventional machines, significantly reducing the workload.」

「The number of R&D staff during the six-month period ended was 43, and R&D expenses were ¥195 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the six-month period ended.」

「The number of R&D staff during the three-month period ended was 44, and R&D expenses were ¥87 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the three-month period ended.」

「This R&D is conducted primarily by the Company's Engineering Department. During the fiscal year under review, the Company had 44 R&D staff and R&D expenses were ¥254 million.」

「R&D expenses during the nine-month period ended were ¥167 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the nine-month period ended.」

「The number of R&D staff during the six-month period ended was 44, and R&D expenses were ¥92 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the six-month period ended.」

「The number of R&D staff during the three-month period ended was 44, and R&D expenses were ¥48 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the three-month period ended.」

「This R&D is conducted primarily by the Company's Engineering Department. During the fiscal year under review, the Company had 41 R&D staff and R&D expenses were ¥259 million. [Smart Washing Machine N500] Developed primarily for restaurant chains, the machine uses a new hot-water cleaning method consisting of cleaning, circulation and rinsing to reduce water consumption. It is equipped with a touchscreen, and its operability and cleanability were improved through an automatic interior-cleaning function. The machine adopted previously unavailable colors and a sharp design and received the 2019 Good Design Award.」

「R&D expenses during the nine-month period ended were ¥178 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the nine-month period ended.」

「The number of R&D staff during the six-month period ended was 44, and R&D expenses were ¥113 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the six-month period ended.」

「The number of R&D staff during the three-month period ended was 41, and R&D expenses were ¥48 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the three-month period ended.」

「This R&D is conducted primarily by the Company's Engineering Department. During the fiscal year under review, the Company had 39 R&D staff and R&D expenses were ¥277 million. [SV Roaster] Targeting food-processing plants serving convenience stores, the Company developed a compact machine that accommodates a wide variety of menus and offers improved cleanability.」

「R&D expenses during the nine-month period ended were ¥200 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the nine-month period ended.」

「The number of R&D staff during the six-month period ended was 37, and R&D expenses were ¥123 million. There were no material changes in the status of the Company's R&D activities during the six-month period ended.」

「During the cumulative period of the first quarter, the company had 33 R&D staff and R&D expenses of ¥66 million. There were no material changes in the status of the company's R&D activities during the cumulative period of the first quarter.」

「This R&D is conducted mainly by the company's engineering department. During the fiscal year, the company had 39 R&D staff and R&D expenses of ¥226 million. [Electric fryer] Two-stage heating using an oil tank and shower suppresses oil absorption by the food, producing a crisp exterior and juicy interior that is tasty and healthy.」

「During the cumulative period of the third quarter, R&D expenses were ¥166 million. There were no material changes in the status of the company's R&D activities during the cumulative period of the third quarter.」

「During the cumulative period of the second quarter, the company had 35 R&D staff and R&D expenses of ¥109 million. There were no material changes in the status of the company's R&D activities during the cumulative period of the second quarter.」

「During the cumulative period of the first quarter, the company had 35 R&D staff and R&D expenses of ¥43 million. There were no material changes in the status of the company's R&D activities during the cumulative period of the first quarter.」

「During the cumulative period of the third quarter, R&D expenses were ¥152 million. There were no material changes in the status of the company's R&D activities during the cumulative period of the third quarter.」

「During the cumulative period of the second quarter, the company had 33 R&D staff and R&D expenses of ¥98 million. There were no material changes in the status of the company's R&D activities during the cumulative period of the second quarter.」

「During the cumulative period of the first quarter, the company had 33 R&D staff and R&D expenses of ¥46 million. There were no material changes in the status of the company's R&D activities during the cumulative period of the first quarter.」

「The company is conducting research and development on individual products and system equipment to meet increasingly diverse needs.」