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Press Release

“Drone Depot Sakaimachi” is Opened: A New Smart Logistics SkyHub® Base in Sakaimachi, Ibaraki

Sakai Town, Ibaraki Prefecture (Mayor: Masahiro Hashimoto) and NEXT DELIVERY Inc. (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture; Representative Director: Keisuke Toji, hereinafter referred to as “NEXT DELIVERY”) have opened “Drone Depot Sakaimachi” on February 3, 2023, as a base of new smart logistics*1 “SkyHub®”*2, a new smart logistics platform jointly developed and deployed by Aeronext Inc. (hereinafter: Aeronext) and Seino Holdings Co., Ltd. (hereinafter: Seino HD) .

Based on the “Agreement on the Utilization of Next-Generation Advanced Technologies Including Drones and Self-Driving Buses” signed by Town of Sakai, Seino HD, Aeronext, BOLDLY Inc. and Cenec Co. Ltd., on October 3, 2022, and after extensive preparation for implementation, the opening ceremony of the Drone Depot®*3 was held on this occasion.
NEXT DELIVERY is a subsidiary of Aeronext and will be responsible for the implementation and promotion of the new smart logistics “SkyHub®” including drone operations and “Drone Depot Sakaimachi”.

Town of Sakai is the fifth municipality in Japan to implement the new smart logistics SkyHub® into society, following Kosuge Village in Yamanashi Prefecture, Kamishihoro Town in Hokkaido, Tsuruga City in Fukui Prefecture, and Katsuura City in Chiba Prefecture.

From left to right: Keisuke Toji, CEO, Aeronext/President, NEXT DELIVERY; Masahiro Hashimoto, Mayor, Town of Sakai; Isao Kuramochi, Chairman of the Sakaimachi Assembly

Exterior of “Drone Depot Sakaimachi” and a light van to be used for SkyHub® service

AirTruck “*4, a dedicated logistics drone to be used for SkyHub® service

 

After February 3, the service will begin by offering shopping services, and will be combined with drone delivery as the product lineup is enhanced and expanded to meet the needs of residents.

Through mutual collaboration and cooperation, the parties will continue to build an efficient logistics system using drones and automated buses in line with Town of Sakai’s issues and the needs of its citizens, aiming to solve problems in the logistics industry and reduce CO2 emissions, as well as improve convenience for residents and revitalize the local economy.

(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 SkyHub®︎
A new smart logistics platform jointly developed and deployed by Aeronext and Seino HD that connects existing logistics and drone logistics, and connects ground and air infrastructure so that goods can be delivered anytime, anywhere. SkyHub® is an open and standardized system that incorporates drone delivery. On this platform, based on the Drone Depot®︎, we develop and provide services tailored to local issues and needs, such as delivery agency services based on the SkyHub® application, on-demand delivery, pharmaceutical delivery, and joint delivery of packages from different logistics companies in one package. 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 contributes to addressing social issues in the region, such as the shortage of workers due to the declining population and aging population, transportation problems in specific depopulated areas, medical problems, disaster countermeasures, and measures for the vulnerable in logistics, from the aspect of logistics reform, and will also raise the level of satisfaction of residents and communities by improving convenience and quality of life.

*3 Drone Depot®
Warehouses and bases for the accumulation and delivery of goods at the connection points between existing land-based logistics and drone logistics, with a setup that enables drone delivery of goods.

*4 Dedicated logistics drone AirTruck
AirTruck, the first mass-produced logistics drone developed in Japan by Aeronext Corporation, a next-generation drone technology startup, in collaboration with ACSL, achieves stable flight with Aeronext’s proprietary 4D GRAVITY®*5 airframe structure design technology. The AirTruck is a dedicated logistics drone that goes “faster, farther, and is more stable” with enhanced for logistics, specialized for forward motion, and aerodynamic characteristics required for long-distance flight. The prototype has flown in demonstration tests in various regions of Japan and has the No. 1 flight record in Japan.

*5 Airframe structural design technology 4D GRAVITY®
Airframe structure design technology developed by Aeronext optimizes aerodynamic characteristics by equalizing motor speed regardless of attitude, condition, or movement during flight and controlling lift, drag, and fuselage center of gravity based on fuselage shape and structure to improve the basic performance of industrial drones, such as stability, efficiency, and mobility, and the transportation performance of drones dedicated to logistics. Aeronext has patented this technology and manages it as part of the 4D GRAVITY® patent portfolio. 4D GRAVITY® improves basic performance and opens up new markets and applications for industrial drones.

【About NEXT DELIVERY】
A subsidiary of Aeronext, a company mainly engaged in drone delivery, established in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture in 2021 with the vision of “becoming a country where affluence is spread to every corner of the earth through 4D LogisticsTM infrastructure that connects air, land, and time in the age of 100 years of life. The company is also involved in the development, manufacture, sale, rental, and maintenance of hardware and software related to drone delivery. We are also developing peripheral businesses such as development, manufacturing, sales, rental, and maintenance of hardware and software related to drone delivery. Starting with Kosuge Village in Yamanashi Prefecture, we are working to improve the efficiency and revitalization of regional logistics in places such as Kamishihoro Town in Hokkaido and Tsuruga City in Fukui Prefecture.
*For more information: https://nextdelivery.aeronext.co.jp/#company/

*Aeronext and the Aeronext logo, as well as “4D GRAVITY®”, “SkyHub®“, Drone Depot® and “Drone Stand® “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.

 

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