Macnica and ARAV Collaborate to Launch "everfleet," Adding a Function for Remotely Operating Construction and Logistics Equipment from Anywhere in the World ~ Supporting the Elimination of Labor Shortages at Construction and Logistics Sites and New Work Style Reforms ~

Macnica (headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Kazumasa Hara; hereinafter Macnica) has collaborated with ARAV Inc. (headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; Board Director: Itsuki Shiraku Reyes; hereinafter ARAV), a startup company from the University of Tokyo that is working on autonomous driving and remote control of mobility, to develop Macnica 's remote monitoring system "everfleet" with added functionality that enables remote operation of construction machinery and logistics equipment. ^*" will be available today. This will enable remote operation of construction machinery and logistics equipment from anywhere in the world, regardless of time or place. In addition to resolving the labor shortage at construction and logistics sites, it will also support unprecedented new work style reforms.

One of the issues surrounding the construction industry is the labor shortage problem, due to a decrease in the number of employees and an aging population with a low birthrate. The background to this is that the work involves a lot of physical labor and dangerous work such as working at heights and operating construction machinery, and the image of it being "hard, dirty, and dangerous" is thought to be leading to a decrease in job applicants. On the other hand, demand for the construction industry is increasing, and it is expected to continue to grow in the future, such as maintenance and repair of infrastructure built during the high economic growth period, restoration of buildings after natural disasters, and improvement work to prevent disasters.
The logistics industry also faces similar labor shortage issues, and many physically demanding tasks such as loading and unloading make it difficult to find warehouse staff, especially those who require specialized skills such as forklifts. However, because logistics and transportation are essential to people's lives and companies' business development, resolving the labor shortage in the logistics industry is considered an urgent task for the entire industry.
To improve this situation, progress is being made in developing and introducing solutions that provide automation and autonomy to the construction and logistics industries. However, the scope of these solutions is currently limited, and many still require human intervention and operation.

Macnica To realize the social implementation of autonomous driving, autonomous driving has been focusing on system construction and implementation for autonomous driving mobility services, including provision of vehicles, technical support for safe and reliable operation, and the "everfleet" remote monitoring system. Now, we have added a function to the "everfleet" remote monitoring system that enables remote operation of construction machinery and logistics equipment. This makes it possible for anyone to easily start operations by simply connecting a dedicated controller to a PC with "everfleet" installed and installing dedicated parts on existing construction and logistics equipment.

[Major features]
●Just retrofit the dedicated parts to your existing construction and logistics equipment and you can start using it. This reduces the cost of installing new machinery and the number of days until it is operational.
●Can be retrofitted to a wide variety of construction and logistics machinery and equipment, regardless of the type or manufacturer. Also suitable for work sites with a wide variety of machinery and equipment.
●You can start operation just by connecting a dedicated controller to a PC with "everfleet" installed. Since a dedicated cockpit is not required, it can be installed on an existing office desk, etc.
●In addition to being located close to the site and on the same premises network, it can also be remotely operated from within Japan or overseas via an Internet line.

By utilizing the recently announced "everfleet," workers can work safely without having to go to harsh work sites, and can operate construction machinery from a comfortable indoor environment that is not affected by weather. In addition, since there is no need to travel to where the construction machinery is located or to return to work during breaks, working hours can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, since work can be carried out regardless of time or place at 24-hour operation sites where it is difficult to secure manpower, remote operation from overseas during the night hours can be performed, which leads to shortening construction periods and securing employment. In this way, dangerous work can be switched to safe work, which contributes to improving turnover rates and resolving labor shortages.
Similarly, in the logistics industry, logistics operations can be carried out from the office without having to go to the site, leading to improved productivity and efficiency. Furthermore, by combining it with automation and autonomy solutions, it is possible to further reduce manpower and improve efficiency by responding to problems during automatic and autonomous operation and allowing one remote operator to operate multiple forklifts.

<System configuration diagram>

<Example of a remote control screen for construction machinery using everfleet>

Macnica will continue to collaborate with ARAV to improve the overall system and consider miniaturization, and to propose and introduce solutions to a wide range of customers in the construction and logistics industries, aiming to contribute to solving their problems. Furthermore, by providing this solution, Macnica hopes to increase the employed population by creating employment opportunities for people who have previously had difficulty working on-site.

*: everfleet (Macnica remote monitoring system)
In order to put autonomous driving into practical use, it is necessary to monitor passengers in the vehicle and the situation around the vehicle from a remote location. everfleet integrates vehicle data such as vehicle speed, steering, and battery level in addition to the location information of the mobility vehicle and camera footage inside and outside the vehicle, and visualizes it in a centralized manner. It is also possible to link with external data in coordination with traffic infrastructure such as traffic lights. This makes it possible to grasp the operating status from a remote location in real time and operate autonomous driving mobility safely and securely. Furthermore, since it is possible to simultaneously manage a wide variety of mobility vehicles in multiple regions and automatically detect and notify abnormalities during operation, a single remote operator can efficiently manage the operation of autonomous driving mobility vehicles, thereby reducing the number of operations and contributing to improving transportation profitability.

[Click here for product details]
URL: https://www.macnica.co.jp/business/maas/services/142732/

[For product inquiries, please contact here]
Macnica Smart City & Mobility Division
MAIL: auto-solution@macnica.co.jp

*Company names and product names mentioned in this text are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macnica and each company.
*The information published in the news release (including product price, specifications, etc.) is current as of the date of announcement. Please note that the information may be subject to change without prior notice.