Yamanashi Prefecture, NEXT DELIVERY Inc., SEINO.LAST.MILE Co.,Ltd. and Fugaku Express Co.,Ltd. conclude an agreement to build a phase-free regional logistics infrastructure in Yamanashi Prefecture

Yamanashi Prefecture (Governor: Kotaro Nagasaki), NEXT DELIVERY Inc. (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture; Representative Director: Keisuke Toji; hereinafter “NEXT DELIVERY”), SEINO.LAST.ONE.MILE Co.,Ltd. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Shuji Kawai; hereinafter “Seino Last One Mile”), and FUGAKU EXPRESS Co., Ltd. (Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture; President: Katsuhide Asanuma; hereinafter “Fugaku Express”) signed an agreement on August 28, 2024 to build a phase-free regional logistics infrastructure in Yamanashi Prefecture.

Aeronext Inc. (hereinafter “Aeronext”), the parent company of NEXT DELIVERY, and Seino Holdings Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Seino HD”) implement New Smart Logistics^*1 SkyHub^®*2, which combines trucks, light vans, and other land-based deliveries with drone transportation to improve logistics efficiency. The first social implementation in Japan was in Kosuge Village in October 2021, and is currently deployed in Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido, Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, and more for a total of 10 locations nationwide.

NEXT DELIVERY, Seino HD, Fugaku Express, and others were among the first to start shared delivery in Kosuge and Tabayama villages in August 2023, using a relay system to improve logistics efficiency as a countermeasure to the 2024 problem. This is one of the few cases in Japan where multiple companies, including major logistics companies, are engaged in shared delivery in the distribution of goods in a mountainous area.

In August 2022, Fugaku Express concluded a collaboration agreement with Yamanashi Prefecture regarding the use of the Yamanashi Chuo Logipark facilities in the event of a disaster, as well as with 27 municipalities in the prefecture.

Aeronext and NEXT DELIVERY, based on the experience of being the first in Japan to use drones to transport medical supplies to isolated areas and evacuation centers during the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024, believe that it is essential to establish a phase-free integrated solution that utilizes drones, for both emergency and non-emergency times. We believe that the new smart logistics SkyHub^®, we have been advancing, can serve as a foundation for such a solution, and we have begun fruitful conversations with both national and local governments.

In this agreement, through mutual collaboration and cooperation, the four parties will pursue the construction of a phase-free regional logistics infrastructure in Yamanashi Prefecture that will enable the strengthening of the regional logistics network for non-emergency issues, such as the 2024 problem and measures for vulnerable shoppers, as well as rapid transport of goods to disaster areas in the event of a disaster, thereby improving the lives of prefectural residents and the local economic infrastructure.

＜Agreement Outline＞

1. Date
August 28, 2024

2. Agreement Purpose
The purpose of this agreement is to promote the construction of a phase-free regional logistics infrastructure in Yamanashi Prefecture, thereby contributing to the resilience of the lives of prefectural residents and the local economic infrastructure.

3. Agreement Details
To achieve the above objectives, the parties will cooperate and collaborate on the following:

（１）Address regional logistics issues such as the 2024 problem
（２）Creation of disaster prevention infrastructure, including transportation of goods in the event of a disaster
（３）Other activities necessary to achieve the agreement objectives

The four representatives made the following comments at the signing ceremony of the agreement held on August 28.

<Kotaro Nagasaki, Governor, Yamanashi Prefecture>

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to NEXT DELIVERY, Seino Last One Mile, and Fugaku Express for entering into this agreement.

This “New Smart Logistics”, which started as a demonstration experiment in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, has already been deployed throughout Japan, and the establishment of this phase-free regional logistics infrastructure is an extremely important issue for our prefecture, which has many areas with declining populations, including mountainous areas.

In addition, as we review our disaster preparedness following the recent “Nankai Trough Earthquake Contingency Information,” we have once again recognized that the use of drones can be extremely effective.

This agreement is of great significance to Yamanashi Prefecture, and we will accelerate our efforts with the three companies to make the lives of the citizens of the prefecture more resilient.

<Keisuke Toji, Representative Director, NEXT DELIVERY>

It was in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture that we established NEXT DELIVERY, in January 2021, where we started drone delivery and shared delivery, and Yamanashi Prefecture has been the starting point for various new smart logistics initiatives. We are truly honored to be able to launch this new initiative with Yamanashi Prefecture. We would like to expand this project to all prefectures, which is based on collaboration with local transportation companies to build a regional logistics infrastructure that can be utilized phase-free during both emergency and non-emergency situations.

<Shuji Kawai, President, Seino Last One Mile>

Seino HD is actively engaged in the construction and expansion of last-one-mile delivery services, utilizing its strength in trunk line transportation to respond to lifestyle and structural changes, and to solve social issues such as measures for vulnerable shoppers and impoverished households.

In Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, and Tabayama, we have established a shared delivery system in cooperation with Fugaku Express and other logistics companies to address the 2024 problem and regional issues faced by logistics companies, and this delivery infrastructure also can be used to transport goods in an emergency.

We will continue to expand the Kosuge-Tabayama model to other regions in Japan that are facing the same issues, to create a sustainable environment where residents can live with peace of mind, and to maintain and improve services for residents.

<Katsuhide Asanuma, President, Fugaku Express>

We look forward to using this partnership agreement as an opportunity to further cooperate in building a regional logistics network and addressing regional issues.

Reference

*1 New Smart Logistics
A public-private initiative to find solutions to the issues commonly faced by the logistics industry, such as labor shortages, environmental and energy issues, and DX areas, while utilizing digital and technology to ensure the future sustainability of logistics, which is an indispensable infrastructure for people’s daily lives. The project aims to realize the last mile joint delivery, the best mix of land and air transportation, freight and passenger consolidation, automated technology, etc., through co-creation based on an open public platform (O.P.P.) that transcends the boundaries between the industry and the outside world.

*2 New Logistics SkyHub^®︎
A new smart logistics platform jointly developed and deployed by Aeronext and Seino HD that connects existing land transportation and drone logistics, as well as connecting ground and air infrastructure to deliver goods anytime, anywhere. An open and standardized platform with built-in drone delivery, operating from Drone Depots^®︎ and using cars and drones as delivery vehicles, and SkyHub^®︎ TMS as the base for SkyHub^®︎ Delivery (shopping service), SkyHub^®︎ Eats (food delivery), SkyHub^®︎ Medical (pharmaceutical delivery), as well as joint delivery of packages from different logistics companies in bulk, to develop and provide services tailored to local issues and needs. The introduction of SkyHub^® not only has the logistics benefits of promoting unmanned and inventory-free operations and improving last mile delivery efficiency, but also introduces a new logistics infrastructure. Where the logistics industry facing the “2024 Logistics Problem,” SkyHub® will contribute to solving social issues in the region, such as transportation problems in specific depopulated areas, medical problems, disaster countermeasures, and measures for the vulnerable in logistics, SkyHub® will also contribute to address regional issues such as traffic problems in specific depopulated areas, medical problems, disaster countermeasures, and measures for the vulnerable in logistics, as well as raise the level of satisfaction of residents and communities by improving convenience and quality of life.

【About Yamanashi Prefecture】
Yamanashi Prefecture is located almost in the center of Japan, and is a land of natural beauty, surrounded by mountains including Mt. Fuji. In the Edo period (1603-1867), the area was a strategic point between East and West, where new Kabuki plays were tried out, and in the Meiji period (1868-1912), the “Koshu Zaibatsu,” industrialists who laid the foundations of today’s Japan, including railroads and electric power, emerged from the area. When the Linear Central Shinkansen Line opens in Yamanashi Prefecture, it will connect the prefecture to Tokyo and Shinagawa in about 25 minutes and to Nagoya in about 45 minutes, dramatically improving access to and for both domestic and international travelers. In order to make the most of this opportunity, the prefecture is taking on the challenge of working with a wide range of people who are pursuing possibilities and opening up the future together, including providing full support for start-up demonstration experiments.
For more information: https://www.pref.yamanashi.jp/try_yamanashi/index.html

【About NEXT DELIVERY】
A strategic subsidiary of Aeronext, whose main business is drone delivery, established in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture in 2021 based on the Aeronext Group’s mission, “A new societal infrastructure for the 100-year life era, a world where enrichment is spread to every corner of the world.” Aeronext and Seino HD jointly develop and deploy SkyHub®, a new smart logistics system that connects existing logistics and drone logistics to create a new societal infrastructure. We are also developing related businesses such as development, sales, operation, and maintenance of both hardware and software related to integrated delivery and drone delivery. Starting with Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, we are working to improve the efficiency of regional logistics and address regional issues throughout Japan, including Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido, and Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture.
For more information: https://aeronext.com/

【About SEINO.LAST.ONE.MILE Co.,Ltd.】
SEINO.LAST.ONE.MILE Co., Ltd. was created in April 2024 as a subsidiary of Seino Holdings Co. The “last mile,” or the last point of contact for customers with logistics services, is expected to expand further in the future, and this is why we decided to establish a new company to respond flexibly to customer needs. The logistics issues in Japan today are wide-ranging, and specifically include the problems of vulnerable shoppers, depopulated areas, redelivery of packages, and the home delivery crisis. SEINO.LAST.ONE.MILE Co.,Ltd. is responsible for “last-one-mile solutions to social issues,” using business methods to approach these social issues.
For more information: https://slo.co.jp/company/

【About FUGAKU EXPRESS Co., Ltd.】
Registered in August 1901 as Fugaku Express, the company was established in 1944 by a merger of 14 small transport companies in six stations between Uenohara Station and Sasago Station on the JR Chuo Line and various stations on the Fujikyu Line, in accordance with a wartime consolidation order. Initially, the main business was toll transportation, but in the late 1950s, with the development of road transportation networks, we gradually expanded into the automobile transportation business. In addition, we have expanded our local transportation business and expanded our route business to include Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kanagawa routes. In recent years, we have also expanded our warehousing, distribution, and security businesses, and as the largest transporter in Yamanashi Prefecture, we have been able to meet a wide variety of logistics needs by connecting Yamanashi Prefecture and the rest of Japan.
For more information: http://www.fugaku.co.jp/company/index.html

*Aeronext, the Aeronext logo, and NEXT DELIVERY, as well as “4D GRAVITY®” “SkyHub®“  are trademarks of Aeronext Inc.
*Other company names and product/service names mentioned in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.