Japan
Daikin Collaborates with Startups in the Smart Buildings Space
December 7th, 2022Azbil’s Building Automation Business and 2022 Financials Examined
October 19th, 2022
SoftBank Bets On Robotic Cleaning in Smart Buildings
It was not that long ago that a significant fall in the Yen was met with open arms by major Japanese companies seeking to be more competitive in the global market. However, when this month began with the currency at a 20-year low, the reaction from Japan’s biggest companies has been decidedly mixed. In recent […]
Azbil’s Building Automation Business 2021 Examined
In this research note, we examine the Building Automation (BA) business of Azbil, based on their FY2021 Annual Report, investor presentations, and building technology-related activities throughout 2021. Building Automation, the largest of three business units, accounts for 47.3% of 2021 net sales. The other two businesses are Advanced Automation which supplies process and factory automation products […]
Patent Trends Tell the Story of Future Green Building Innovation
Innovation is critical to technological development and especially impactful in spaces undergoing technological transformation, such as buildings. Innovation is the precursor to the technological breakthroughs that are bringing new value to our increasingly smart indoor spaces through applications that improve efficiency, productivity, and the occupant experience. As green buildings take center stage at the COP26 climate […]
The Future Workplace for an Aging Workforce
The aging workforce is an issue discussed a lot in smart building and future workplace circles. More often than not it is mentioned in the context of a demographic bulge that will quickly disappear from the workforce, leaving a big hole that must be addressed through tech-rich workplaces that will attract younger workers. This idea […]
Seven-Eleven Launches First of Many Indoor Farms in Japan
Indoor farms have been emerging for some years now with a multitude of pioneering projects showing what could be possible with the technology; but for it to become a significant player in our food supply chain it needs big projects that put it on the map. Just such a project will turn its lights on […]
Japan Tests Virtual Power Plants with Potential Capacity on Unprecedented Scales
In the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, the Japanese government embarked upon the largest deregulation of any electricity market worldwide. Through their restructuring they not only want to push away from nuclear energy, but also to promote renewable energy and help modernize the Japanese electric grid by introducing competitive services and flexible […]
$4.4 Bn Softbank Investment Will Change The Way WeWork
Modern office concept WeWork announced a $4.4 billion investment last week to expand their innovative co-working and co-living business to the Asia-Pacific and across the world. The $4.4 billion investment from the SoftBank Group and the SoftBank Vision Fund will not only bring about more WeWork co-working spaces in new markets, it is also the […]
Welcome To Smart Japan
Europe, the US and China dominate smart city developments, Singapore and South Korea are grabbing some headlines, while India floods news feeds with its own smart city ambitions. Quietly a giant sleeps, a tech giant with the capacity for great smartness is slowly but surely developing its cities in a bid to leap frog all […]
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