Kosuge Village, Aeronext, NEXT DELIVERY, and Seino HD sign agreement for regional development through the use of next-generation advanced technologies including drones.

Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture (Mayor: Naoyoshi Funaki), Aeronext Inc. (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Keisuke Toji, hereinafter “Aeronext”), NEXT DELIVERY Inc. (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture; Representative Director: Keisuke Toji; hereinafter “NEXT DELIVERY”), and Seino Holdings Co., Ltd. (Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, President: Yoshitaka Taguchi, hereinafter “Seino HD”) signed a collaboration agreement on April 17, 2024, for regional development through the use of next-generation advanced technologies, including drones.

In November 2020, Aeronext and Kosuge Village signed a partnership agreement for the realization of drone delivery business and regional revitalization through the introduction of drone delivery. Aeronext and Kosuge Village have been pursuing industrial development, local employment and human resource development, and social and infrastructure development through the introduction of drone delivery.

With the understanding and cooperation of Kosuge Village and its residents, NEXT DELIVERY, a strategic subsidiary of Aeronext established in Kosuge Village in January 2021, in collaboration with Seino HD, began pilot operations of a new regional logistics infrastructure, New Smart Logistics*1 SkyHub^®*2, linking existing land transportation and drone logistics in April 2021, and moved into the implementation phase in October 2021.

The site of a closed store in the Hashidate area has been transformed into a new smart logistics SkyHub^® base, Drone Depot®, which currently offers SkyHub^®Delivery (shopping agency), SkyHub^®Eats (food delivery), and SkyHub^®Store (on-demand drone delivery). Since last August, the Aeronext has also been providing delivery services tailored to the issues and needs of Kosuge Village, including the launch of a joint delivery service that bundles packages from different logistics companies for delivery.

In addition, for the convenience of residents and to contribute to the increase in the number of people connected to the community by revitalizing it, a SkyHub^® Smart Store Kosuge (an unmanned convenience store) will officially open on April 27, next to the product center at the Kosuge Roadside Station.

The new smart logistics SkyHub^® initiative in Kosuge Village has been adopted as an excellent example of the Digital Rural City National Concept and is being expanded in other areas throughout Japan.

The purpose of this agreement is to further promote activities utilizing this drone and other next-generation advanced technologies, and to promote measures that contribute to regional development through mutual coordination and cooperation.

<Agreement Outline>

1. Date
   April 17, 2024
2. Agreement Details
   Through the use of drones and other next-generation advanced technologies, the parties will collaborate in the following areas:
   （1）Promotion of agriculture, tourism, industry and economy
   （2）Regional employment, human resource education, human resource development, and industrial infrastructure development
   （3）Ensuring sustainable regional transportation and logistics that are both carbon neutral and convenient, and creating a more livable environment
   （4）Contribution to local disaster prevention and development of new societal infrastructure
   （5）other matters deemed necessary upon consultation between all parties.

At an event held for the agreement held on April 17, the three representatives made the following comments.

<Naoyoshi Funaki, Mayor, Kosuge Village>
It has been three and a half years since we concluded an agreement with Aeronext Inc. in November 2020 and during that time, we have received help from many people who have worked hard to resolve various issues surrounding Kosuge Village. We are very happy and reassured that we can once again conclude a comprehensive collaboration agreement with NEXT DELIVERY Inc. and Seino HD, who have played a central role in the development of this partnership.
Kosuge Village is on the frontier among areas in Japan in terms of depopulation, declining birthrate, and aging population. If Kosuge Village can do something, Japan can do something. With this in mind, the four companies will work more closely together than ever to resolve these issues. We look forward to your continued support.

<Keisuke Toji, CEO, Aeronext / Representative Director, NEXT DELIVERY>
Since we signed the agreement in November 2020 and established NEXT DELIVERY in January 2021, we have been working closely with Kosuge Village on the implementation of new smart logistics SkyHub®︎. Without the encounter with Kosuge Village, the growth of the Aeronext Group would have been more limited, we are indebted to Kusuge and it is hard to express the depth of our gratitude to them. We are honored to renew our agreement and sincerely happy to be able to move forward to the next stage. I hope to stand firmly with the people of Kosuge Village and to be of service in the creation of new societal infrastructure.

<Shuji Kawai, Executive Officer, Seino HD>
In the area of last-one-mile delivery, Seino HD is responding to lifestyle and structural changes by leveraging its strengths in trunk line transportation and is actively promoting and expanding the construction of last-one-mile services that solve social issues such as measures for vulnerable shoppers and impoverished families. In Kosuge Village, in response to the logistics 2024 issue, we have been working with local logistics companies since last August to establish a joint delivery system by gathering their cargo at a depot (consolidation center) located in a former store in Kosuge Village, based on a common understanding that logistics in mountainous areas must be more efficient and sustainable. We will continue to develop this Kosuge Village model in regions across Japan that face the same challenges, creating an environment where residents can live with peace of mind in a sustainable manner, and maintaining and improving resident services.

Through this partnership agreement, the four parties will mutually collaborate and cooperate to address regional issues and contribute to regional development in Kosuge Village through the use of next-generation advanced technology, including drones, in accordance with the town’s objectives and the needs of its citizens.

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.

【Kosuge Village】
Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, is located at the headwaters of the Tama River, which flows through Kanagawa Prefecture, Tokyo, about 2 hours from Tokyo. It is directly connected to the Okutama area and has a population of 621 (as of March, 2024). It consists of 95% forest. Since 1987, it has been creating villages with the keyword “Tama headwaters”, and in recent years it has succeeded in attracting tourists and immigrants.
*For more information: http://www.vill.kosuge.yamanashi.jp/ for details.

【About Aeronext Inc.】
Aeronext, an IP driven R & D technology startup for next-generation drones, is a company that designs the sky through technology to create a world where the sky becomes a social infrastructure, is economized, and solves social issues through drones. Our core technology is 4D GRAVITY®︎, a unique structural design technology that improves basic drone performance such as stability, efficiency, and mobility of industrial drones by optimizing the center of gravity of the aircraft. In order implement this 4D GRAVITY®︎ as standard equipment on industrial drones, we have constructed a strong patent portfolio and are promoting a partnership-based platform business for the 4D GRAVITY®︎ license globally. Aeronext has also founded a subsidiary to implement the SkyHub® smart logistics and pursue drone delivery.
*For more information: https://aeronext.com/company/

【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://nextdelivery.aeronext.co.jp/

【About Seino Holdings Co., Ltd. 】
With logistics as its central axis, Seino HD also provides one-stop value in areas peripheral to logistics, such as finance, human resources, and procurement. We aim to be a corporate group that connects hearts and minds beyond logistics to contribute to the prosperity of our customers and bring smiles and happiness to all. Under the slogan of “Team Green Logistics,” we are currently working to develop an open public platform (O.P.P.) that transcends industry and corporate boundaries as an overall strategy to solve social issues facing Japan, such as the declining birthrate, aging population, and environmental problems, and to take on the challenge of co-creating “green logistics” that will optimize a sustainable logistics network. In the last mile area, we are actively building a “last mile O.P.P. that solves social issues” as a countermeasure for vulnerable shoppers and poor families, in line with the changing lifestyles and structures of society as a whole. *Open Public Platform (O.P.P.) Our concept is to build a logistics platform that is open and accessible to all, regardless of industry or location, to improve the efficiency and value to each user, and to contribute to industry, the environment, and people’s lives as an infrastructure.
*For more information: https://www.seino.co.jp/seino/shd/overall-condition/

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.