Play Equipment Product Development and Operations Focused on Safety and Security

「Revenue 1,384 1,871 486 35.1 Operating profit 249 191 △58 △23.3 Orders received 1,911 751 △1,159 △60.7 Order backlog 1,886 927 △959 △50.8 Revenue increased as manufacturing and maintenance of amusement machinery and equipment grew. However, operating profit declined because visitor numbers fell due to unfavorable weather on holidays and extreme heat at the operation and management of amusement-park facilities, a highly profitable business.」

「Although parts sales and maintenance remained strong, revenue and profit declined year on year because sales of amusement machinery and equipment were low, revenue from the Palette Town Giant Ferris Wheel disappeared after operations ended on 31 August 2022, and unfavorable weather on holidays caused visitor numbers to stagnate. Orders received and order backlog both increased substantially, mainly because the company received a large Ferris-wheel order from ㈱よみうりランド.」

「Although parts sales and maintenance performed well, revenue and profit declined year on year because sales of amusement machinery and equipment were low, revenue from the Palette Town Giant Ferris Wheel disappeared after operations ended on 31 August 2022, and unfavorable weather on holidays affected visitor numbers. Orders received increased significantly, including an order for a Ferris wheel from ㈱よみうりランド.」

「Orders received 598 1,911 1,312 219.4 Order backlog 1,039 1,886 847 81.6 In the current second quarter, although the company continued to focus on parts sales and maintenance, revenue and profit declined year on year because sales of amusement machinery and equipment were low, revenue from the Palette Town Giant Ferris Wheel disappeared after operations ended on 31 August 2022, and unfavorable weather on holidays affected visitor numbers. Orders received increased significantly, including an order for a Ferris wheel from Yomiuriland.」

「In the current first quarter, although the company continued to focus on parts and maintenance, revenue and profit declined year on year because sales of amusement machinery and equipment were low, revenue from the Palette Town Giant Ferris Wheel disappeared after operations ended on 31 August 2022, and unfavorable weather on holidays and during Golden Week affected visitor numbers.」

「Revenue 1,742 2,820 1,077 61.8 Operating profit 151 640 489 322.1 The third quarter of the previous fiscal year was severely affected from April to September 2021 by requests to suspend or voluntarily refrain from amusement-park operations due to the state of emergency and priority preventive measures under the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the disappearance of inbound visitors due to border-control measures. In the current third quarter, although the number of infections remained elevated due to the seventh and eighth waves of the Omicron variant, restrictions on activities were eased in stages, domestic visitors returned, and revenue from amusement-park operations increased. The company also captured demand for parts and repairs from amusement parks, resulting in substantial increases in revenue and profit.」

「In the current second quarter, the number of infections remained elevated due to the Omicron variant, but domestic visitors returned and revenue from amusement-park operations increased as some activity restrictions were eased. The company also captured demand for parts and repairs from amusement parks, resulting in substantial increases in revenue and profit. Revenue 964 1,834 870 90.2 Operating profit or operating loss (△) △81 443 525 －」

「The first quarter of the previous fiscal year was severely affected by requests to suspend or voluntarily refrain from amusement-park operations due to the state of emergency and priority preventive measures under the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the disappearance of inbound visitors due to border-control measures. In the current first quarter, domestic visitors returned and revenue from amusement-park operations increased, while the company captured demand for parts and repairs from amusement parks, resulting in substantial increases in revenue and profit.」

「In the leisure segment, a difficult business environment continued, including requests to suspend amusement-park operations due to states of emergency and priority preventive measures under the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the disappearance of inbound visitors due to border-control measures. However, the business emerged from its worst period as vaccination coverage increased, and visitors began to return. As a result, revenue from amusement-park facility operations increased year on year and the operating loss was halved. The amusement machinery sales business also received large orders from closely affiliated amusement parks. Although it remains in an operating loss position, business conditions are improving. As a result, revenue for the cumulative first half of the current fiscal year was ¥964 million, an increase of ¥229 million year on year; the operating loss was ¥81 million, compared with an operating loss of ¥382 million in the same period of the previous year; orders received were ¥1,273 million, an increase of ¥990 million year on year; and order backlog was ¥1,146 million, an increase of ¥926 million year on year.」

「In the leisure segment, a difficult business environment continued, including requests to suspend amusement-park operations due to states of emergency and priority preventive measures under the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the disappearance of inbound visitors due to border-control measures. However, the business is emerging from its worst period as vaccination coverage has increased. In particular, revenue from amusement-park facility operations doubled year on year, while the amusement machinery sales business received large orders from closely affiliated amusement parks. Although the segment remains in an operating loss position, signs of an earnings recovery are emerging.」

「In amusement machinery manufacturing, the company independently developed a new attraction, “Atalante!”, by adding a shooting function to a compact model, and installed it at Hirakata Park, where commercial operations began. It also completed development of a new inspection method for amusement-park machinery and delivered it to a customer, while proceeding with drone-based inspections and development of a self-propelled inspection robot for coaster tracks to enhance the maintenance business, which is expected to become a new core business.」

「Amusement-park operations, which had previously suffered a sharp decline after being forced to close due to state of emergency declarations and overseas travel restrictions, began to show signs of a modest recovery as the government eased restrictions and took other measures. However, the outlook is not conducive to optimism because of the arrival of the third wave of COVID-19.」

「Amusement-park operations, which had previously suffered a sharp decline and dealt a major blow to group performance after being forced to close due to state of emergency declarations and overseas travel restrictions, remain in a difficult situation. However, signs of a modest recovery have begun to emerge as the government has eased restrictions and taken other measures.」

「The impact was particularly significant on the operation of domestic and overseas amusement parks and on contracted management services, which were forced to close due to the declaration of a state of emergency and restrictions on overseas travel. As a result, group-wide revenue and profit both fell sharply.」

「In the M&T business, location-based operations at domestic amusement parks drove revenue and profit as visitor numbers increased due to growth in inbound tourism and favorable weather.」

「In the M&T business, location-based operations, under which the company manages domestic amusement parks on a contract basis, drove revenue and profit as visitor numbers increased due to factors including growth in inbound tourism and the effect of the 10-day Golden Week holiday.」

「In amusement machinery manufacturing, the company prototyped an amusement ride for a new model by adding a shooting function to a compact model. It also proceeded with developing a drone-based inspection method for amusement-park machinery and conducted test flights at its own factory. It plans to conduct test operations at an amusement-park site. In addition, it began developing a self-propelled inspection vehicle for coaster tracks. The company will expand its inspection methods while ensuring safety.」

「In the leisure business, many customers requested ferris-wheel renovations, so the company worked on developing gondolas with new features. After receiving favorable feedback from passengers during test operations, it is now proceeding with their commercial rollout. It also worked on developing a low-cost model for children in response to market needs, completing the basic design and cost estimates.」

「In the domestic market, the company plans and develops amusement rides suited to consumer preferences and proposes them to amusement parks, its customers. In its location-based operations, it provides thorough employee training focused on courteous and attentive customer service based on safety and security.」