Expansion of the agricultural ICT cloud and environmental control businesses

「農産物生産現場の省力化等に資する施設園芸用暖房機器と施設園芸用ヒートポンプの併用（ハイブリッド）運転の推進による暖房機器売上や農業 ICT クラウドサービス売上等の拡大により、農産物生産者の生産性向上に当社は引き続き貢献して行くことで、業績の改善に取り組んで参ります。」

「Specifically, we are contributing to labor savings and the modernization of cultivation sites through three core services: the agricultural ICT cloud “Agrinet Advanced,” which visualizes and analyzes cultivation-environment data and enables remote operation and monitoring; “Chokotto Remote Control,” which enables remote monitoring and operation of heating equipment; and Chabu-Dai, a data-integration platform that can also connect to third-party services.」

「We are also expanding the functions of Chabu-Dai, an agricultural platform that enables our information and communications equipment to connect with third-party systems. The platform has been adopted and is being used by local governments.」

「We began basic development of compact circuit boards and software using our proprietary IoT technology, with the aim of bringing to market an affordable communications device using 4G communications lines that enable higher transmission speeds and greater data capacity. We are also expanding the functions of Chabu-Dai, an agricultural platform that enables our information and communications equipment to connect with third-party systems. The platform has been adopted and is being used by local governments.」

「We are also expanding the functions of “Chabu-Dai,” an agricultural platform that enables our information and communications equipment to connect with third-party systems. The platform has been adopted and is being used by local governments. In addition, to promote the adoption of smart agriculture in line with the “Strategy for Sustainable Food Systems,” we are developing software based on standard API specifications and conducted a demonstration test of data integration among the “Agricultural Data Collaboration Platform” system, commonly known as WAGRI, led by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, third-party cloud systems and Chabu-Dai.」

「Expenses increased because of the impact of higher steel prices and increased development costs for IoT applications, but」

「In terms of profit and loss, expenses increased because of higher steel prices and increased costs for promoting the IoT business, but, owing to higher net sales,」

「In the agricultural ICT cloud service business, we officially launched the Agrinet Advanced service in July 2020. The number of subscribers using the service is currently increasing steadily, and customers have begun submitting requests for improvements.」

「We will build a platform that links our core agricultural heating equipment with Agrinet and can also connect to third-party services. By optimizing customers’ cultivation environments on an integrated basis, we will provide services that create greater added value.」

「To improve services in the agricultural ICT cloud business, we are developing the “Agrinet Advanced” system for launch in October of FY73. Agrinet Advanced has been rebuilt from the ground up to meet customer needs and incorporates the latest IoT technologies.」

「We continue to develop monitoring systems for protected horticulture cultivation sites and environmental control equipment in the agricultural ICT cloud business. We are developing monitoring functions and screens based on the key concepts of greater ease of use, easier analysis and improved visibility. We are also developing environmental control panels capable of supporting medium- to large-scale operations, with a launch targeted for the following consolidated fiscal year. In addition, we are proceeding with development of the next-generation environmental control system, or integrated control system.」

「We continue to develop monitoring systems for protected horticulture cultivation sites and environmental control equipment in the agricultural ICT cloud business. We are expanding the range of environmental monitoring sensors compatible with the MAC-5010 developed in the previous fiscal year, while assessing applications not only in protected horticulture but also in open-field farming and non-agricultural fields such as sake brewing and eel farming, in an effort to address a broad range of needs. We are also developing irrigation control panels and supplemental lighting control panels and continuing to verify their effectiveness.」

「We continue to monitor protected horticulture cultivation sites and develop environmental control equipment in the agricultural ICT cloud business. We are expanding the range of environmental monitoring sensors available with the MAC-5010 developed in the previous fiscal year, and exploring ways to address a broad range of needs by assessing applications not only in protected horticulture but also in open-field cultivation and outside agriculture, such as sake brewing and eel farming.」