Contribution to Local Communities
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Fundamental Approach
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Contribution to
Local Communities -
Initiatives at Overseas
Business Sites
RAKUPITA SOUGEI
Pick-up and Drop-off Support System
Daihatsu is committed to KOTODUKURI1, providing solutions that are tailored to the needs of customers and local communities, under the Daihatsu Group slogan “Light you up.” One of our KOTODUKURI activities is the RAKUPITA SOUGEI support system for pick-up and drop-off operations at adult daycare facilities. Pick-up and drop-off accounts for around 30% of a facility’s operations and causes a psychological burden for around 60% of caregivers. RAKUPITA SOUGEI is a service that helps improve the productivity of nursing care facilities. The system achieves this by using a cloud system and dedicated smartphones to change the traditional method of manual pick-up and drop-off operations and by solving problems that occur before pick-up, during transportation, and after drop-off. This service is already in use at many facilities throughout Japan and helps to satisfy pick-up and drop-off planners, drivers, administrators, users, and their families. The service has also been publicly recognized, receiving the MaaS & Innovative Business Model Award 20202 Grand Prix and the New Business Model Award at the ASPIC IoT/AI/Cloud Awards 2021.3
1. Increasing points of contact with customers and local communities in a way that is unique to Daihatsu
2. An award for innovative products, services, and businesses in the MaaS and other mobility technology fields; revolutionary initiatives and partnerships that have societal significance; and novel attempts to overturn existing transportation and lifestyles
3. An award presented by the ASP-SaaS-AI-IoT Cloud Industry Association (ASPIC) to recognize excellent and socially beneficial cloud services in Japan
Voice from Customers Using RAKUPITA SOUGEI
Improving Both User Satisfaction
and Facility Operational Efficiency
Keiko Shoji
Happy Days Mizonokuchi
(at time of interview)
Sompo Care Inc.
Introducing RAKUPITA SOUGEI has enabled us to visit users on time with predictable timing for them, so it has been very well received. It used to take around an hour in total to plan a user’s pick-up and drop-off before introducing the system, but now it can be completed in around 15 minutes, and this streamlining has greatly improved the working environment. In terms of facility operation, we used to use all of the vehicles in our fleet for pick-up and drop-off, but with RAKUPITA SOUGEI we can now visualize vehicle utilization and occupancy rates, allowing us to reduce the number of vehicles used for pick-up and drop-off operations by one. It has also helped us reduce operating costs, which is greatly appreciated.
Goissho Shared Pick-up and Drop-off Service for Social Welfare and Nursing Care Facilities
Daihatsu has focused on reducing the burden of pick-up and drop-off operations at nursing care facilities through RAKUPITA SOUGEI, a pick-up and drop-off support system that has been offered since 2018. We have examined business models in which pick-up and drop-off operations conducted at each adult daycare site is shared by entire communities as a solution to the shortage of nursing care personnel, which is becoming more serious due to increased demand caused by an aging population. As a result, we developed a system that enables the creation of pick-up and drop-off plans across multiple facilities as well as complex information integration and operation management. This system, the Goissho shared pick-up and drop-off service for social welfare and nursing care facilities, was launched in 2022. Since most pick-up and drop-off operations at adult daycare facilities are in the morning and evening, this service allows free time and vehicles to be used for daily mobility services such as shopping and hospital visits. Through these services, we will continue to work toward solving the shortage of nursing care personnel and mobility issues in local communities.
Structure of Goissho
Creating a Regional Circular and Ecological Sphere in Ryuoh-cho, Shiga Prefecture through Collaboration by Agriculture and Industry
Under its Environmental Action Plan 2030, Daihatsu is taking action with consideration for local production for local consumption and contribution to local communities with the aim of decarbonizing the energy used at its plants. We are participating in the collaboration between cultivation and livestock farms* promoted by the town of Ryuoh, where the Shiga (Ryuoh) Plant is located, and are working on methane fermentation technology development using dung from Omi cattle in an effort to create a regional circular and ecological sphere through collaboration between agriculture and industry. Generating energy (biogas) from the dung produced when raising Omi cattle, which is an important local industry, and using for plant operations will support decarbonization. The residue can be returned to farmland as organic fertilizer, thereby creating a regional circular and ecological sphere. In addition, securing power generating functions will contribute to power system resilience for local communities (the ability to withstand disasters). We will continue our efforts to create sustainable local communities through this type of initiatives for the development of regional circular and ecological spheres.
* Collaboration between the cultivation side and the livestock side such as by livestock farmers supplying compost to cultivation farmers that grow rice and vegetables and conversely, cultivation farmers producing feed crops through crop rotation and so on and supplying it to livestock farmers as feed for their livestock
Ryuoh Biogas Plant Concept
CASE-related Initiatives
CASE is becoming increasingly important in the automobile industry as a means of solving problems in transportation including labor shortages and achieving a carbon-neutral society. Daihatsu participates in the “Commercial Japan Partnership (CJP)” as one aspect of its efforts to popularize CASE (see to the right for details).
Daihatsu specializes in mini-vehicles, which account for approximately 31 million of the approximately 78 million vehicles owned in Japan. These vehicles are indispensable in day-to-day life, particularly in rural areas. Also, mini commercial vehicles support the last one mile in logistics. Mini-vehicles are widely used throughout society and are expected to play an important role in the spread of CASE technology, but there are many issues that manufacturers cannot solve on their own during this time of transformation. Based on this understanding, we will take action to solve various social issues by participating in the CJP and collaborating with partner companies.
Participation in the Commercial Japan Partnership
The Commercial Japan Partnership (CJP) is a project launched in April 2021 to accelerate the social adoption and spread of CASE by combining Isuzu Motors’ commercial business foundations with Toyota’s CASE technology. Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation was established with investment from both participating companies as an organization to carry this out. In July 2021, Suzuki and Daihatsu joined the CJP and streamlined their logistics by integrating processes from trucks to mini commercial vehicles. In addition, initiatives for the widespread adoption of low-cost advanced safety technologies and electrification are being implemented by leveraging the strengths of Suzuki and Daihatsu in MONODUKURI* of high-quality, affordable products as well as Toyota’s CASE technologies.
* A concept for auto manufacturing embodying Daihatsu’s unique value
Main Targets of Collaboration through CJP
- 1. Improve logistics efficiency by building a connected-technology infrastructure that links the main arteries of logistics (truck logistics) with the capillaries of logistics (mini commercial vehicles)
- 2. Expand the use of advanced safety technologies that contribute to safety and security from commercial vehicles to mini-vehicles
- 3. Cooperate on the use of technologies for the electrification of high-quality, affordable mini-vehicles that can be sustainably disseminated
Missions of the Automobile Industry
Improving people’s lives
Leaving a better Japan and a better planet for the next generation
To fulfill the missions of the automobile industry, we will continue to deepen areas of collaboration through the CJP and openly consider coordination with other like-minded partners.
Overview of CJPT
| Company name | Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-4-18 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo |
| Capital | 10 million yen (capital structure: Toyota 70%, Isuzu 10%, Suzuki 10%, Daihatsu 10%) |
| Representative | Hiroki Nakajima, President (President of Toyota Motor Corporation’s in-house CV Company) |
| Start of operations | April 1, 2021 |
| Main business | Planning CASE technologies and services for commercial vehicles |
Loaning Vehicles to Disaster Areas Free of Charge
Vehicle loaned for disaster relief
In the aftermath of natural disasters, Daihatsu uses its resources as an automobile company to loan vehicles to disaster areas free of charge, as part of its support for restoration.
Since the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, in the aftermath of natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, we have worked to ensure that the lives of residents in disaster areas can return to normality as soon as possible. To this end, we loan mini-trucks and other vehicles free of charge to local governments so they can remove rubble and carry out proof-of-damage inspections.
These vehicles are owned by Daihatsu, and are registered specifically for loan to third parties in the event of disasters. We have established such systems so that we can provide vehicles as soon as possible after natural disasters have struck.
Track Record of Vehicle Loan to the Present
Daihatsu has loaned a cumulative total of 57 vehicles in the aftermath of the following natural disasters.
| 2016 | Kumamoto earthquakes |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Floods caused by Typhoon Lionrock |
| 2018 | Northern Osaka Prefecture Earthquake |
| 2018 | Western Japan Heavy Rains |
| 2020 | Seasonal heavy rain |
| 2021 | Fukuoka Prefecture torrential rain |
| 2022 | N/A |
Providing Disaster Shelter
Tents for evacuees to ensure privacy
The Daihatsu Group Kyushu Development Center provides a facility that can be used as a shelter in the event of a disaster. Public aid, self-aid, and mutual aid are considered important in times of disaster, and Daihatsu aims to fulfill its duty of mutual aid in regional disaster prevention.
Most recently, Typhoon Nanmadol caused extensive damage to Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture in September 2022.* During this time, the center provided a facility to be used as a shelter for the local school district, and it was used by 76 neighborhood residents. The facility environment ensured space and privacy for each person as well as air conditioning, and also provided support to those who were anxious in an unfamiliar place.
* Number of times the facility was provided: Five in total
Group Blood Drives
Daihatsu has continuously participated in blood donation activities conducted by the Japanese Red Cross Society at each of its business sites over the past 40 years. A total of 23,376 donations were collected from 1980 to September 2022 in the Ikeda area. The area received a letter of appreciation from the Japanese Red Cross Society in 2022 in recognition of contributions from the group blood donation.
Facility Tours
Daihatsu introduces its car creating approach and initiatives to many customers through facility tours. Humobility World is a museum for Daihatsu’s historical materials that is located within the Head (Ikeda) Plant. It is a facility where you can enjoy learning, experience, and discover, and features hands-on exhibitions with the theme of “Thinking about Life, Thinking about Mini-vehicles.” The facility is open to fifth-grade elementary school students on social studies field trips as part of their classes, and also opens to the public on Saturdays. We also conduct social studies tours at our main plants, allowing visitors to observe automobile assembly and inspection line operations. Through these efforts, the public is gaining a broad understanding of the social significance of the automobile industry as well as a deeper understanding of Daihatsu.
Humobility World
Humobility World1 is a museum of Daihatsu’s historical materials. Since it opened, it has been introducing the nostalgic vehicles of Daihatsu, a company that has continued creating cars that stay close to people’s daily lives, together with scenes of daily life from each decade. It also features hands-on exhibits where visitors can learn about matters such as the basic principles of automobiles, technologies for safety and security, and environmentally friendly technologies in a manner that is easy to understand (tours for the public are held every Saturday.)
1. A combination of human and mobility
Plant Tours
Fifth grade elementary school students are invited to take social studies field trips as part of their classes at the COPEN Factory within the Head (Ikeda) Plant and the Shiga (Ryuoh) Plant. The renovated Kyoto (Oyamazaki) Plant is also scheduled to begin offering plant tours in the spring of 2023. In addition, Daihatsu Motor Kyushu Co., Ltd., a Group company, also offers social studies plant tours at its Oita (Nakatsu) Plant and Kurume Plant.2
2. Plant tours are being held online to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (as of December 2022)
3. Plant tours were suspended from March 2023 to prevent the spread of COVID-19
Promoting Sports
Daihatsu Track and Field Team
The Daihatsu Track and Field Team was founded in 1988. It aims to inspire and encourage people through the accessible sport of track and field and to contribute to the spread and promotion of sports. The team has produced a number of prominent athletes, including marathon runners selected as representatives at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships. It has achieved excellent results at major competitions in Japan and overseas. In addition, based on the desire to make the joy of sports accessible to everyone, team members serve as instructors at track and field classes at schools such as elementary schools, as well as give lectures based on their own experiences. The team conveys both the joy of running and Daihatsu’s corporate stance of staying close to customers to children and many other people.
Implementing track and field classes to communicate the joy and importance of sports
Daihatsu Track and Field Team’s advisor Ryoko Kizaki gives a lecture based on his own experience
Supporting and Nurturing Children
Daihatsu’s MONODUKURI Experience Classes
Daihatsu employees have visited elementary schools near business sites to hold classes for fifth-grade students on the importance and joy of MONODUKURI since 2015. The classes are hands-on experiences where students can see, touch, and use actual parts and tools in order to experience the principles of the manufacturing process that are difficult to convey using textbooks. We have held classes at 210 elementary schools each year, with the participation of a cumulative total of 15,000 students.
Experiencing painting using a spray gun with water instead of paint
Experiencing tightening nuts on a tire using power tools