FINANCIAL REPORT
April 2014 March 2015
1. Basic Management Policy
Throughout its history, Amano has adhered to a basic policy of putting the customer
first. This has meant paying heed to what its customers say—based on its corporate
themes of “people and time” and “people and the environment”—and giving pivotal
importance to customer satisfaction throughout its business activities, particularly in
sales, production, and development.
In accordance with this fundamental policy, Amano continues to undertake business
activities with the goal of earning the trust and high regard of all those who support it:
the customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers and other entities with which it does
business, and the local community. It achieves this by providing a variety of products,
systems, services, and solutions that match the needs of its customers in relation to the
themes of “people and time” and “people and the environment.”
Amano and its Group companies direct their efforts toward maximizing corporate val-
ue by fostering innovation in management and by ensuring a strong earnings structure
and sustained growth in business performance.
2. New Medium-Term Business Plan
Amano and all of its Group companies continue to pursue the Group’s tradition of con-
tinuing to evolve in response to the changes of the times, while remaining committed
to the following four immutable strategies of the Amano Group.
(i) Emphasis on the Time & Ecology business fields and enhancement of our core business
(ii) Being a niche leader in the business fields in which we excel
(iii) Ceaseless restructuring
(iv) Management based on cash flow
In accordance with these four fundamental strategies, Amano launched a new medi-
um-term business plan. An outline of the plan is set out below.
[1] Basic Policies
Under its new medium-term business plan, aiming to become a 100-year Company,
the Group will work to address the following four priority challenges with “Challenge
Ourselves to Advance to a New Stage” as its management concept:
(i) Expansion of business: Increase sales and achieve an operating profit ratio of 10%
(ii) Improvement in management efficiency: Increase earnings capacity aiming to
achieve an ROE (return on equity) of 10%
(iii) Strengthening of consolidated management: Increase the consolidated-to-non
consolidated net sales ratio by 10% by growing domestic and overseas Group
companies
(iv) Evolution of corporate governance: Enhance the environment for internal con-
trols for the entire Amano Group
Under these basic policies, the Company will carry out the following measures.
Management Policy
1. North American and European markets
North America: In the Parking Systems business, we will further expand business by
stepping up sales of Amano McGann’s new systems and by improving our ability to
propose solutions through enhancement of peripheral services. In the Information Sys-
tem business, we will continue to scale up operations by launching a new series of
Accu-Time Systems Inc. terminals into the market and developing cloud services. In
the Clean Systems business, we will strengthen the business foundation and scale up
operations of the wooden floor sanding equipment division of Amano Pioneer Eclipse
Corp. In the Environmental Systems business, we will boost sales of standard equip-
ment to Japanese companies operating outside Japan, centering on automobile-related
businesses.
Europe: In the Information Systems business, we will continue to enhance Horoquartz’s
French customer base and will strive to permeate and expand the markets in Belgium
and Germany. In the Parking Systems business, we will strive to expand business by ac-
celerating the deployment of low-cost barcode systems and focusing efforts on the new
commissioned management services business.
2. Asian, Latin American and other emerging markets
Asia: In the Parking Systems business, we will scale up operations by expanding sales
of barcode systems and enhancing the commissioned management services business.
In the Environmental Systems business, we will strengthen our engineering capabilities
as well as sales and service systems for Japanese companies operating in Asia by mak-
ing use of the ties between our Group companies across Asia and our head office in
Japan. We will also expand our local production capabilities in order to enhance cost
competitiveness.
Latin America: In light of future local business expansion, we will explore market frontiers
in the Information Systems, Parking Systems, and Environmental Systems businesses.
3. Japanese market
Japan: We will reinforce ties among Group companies and strengthen our capacity
to provide holistic solutions (which cover hardware, software, and services) across all
business fields both qualitatively and quantitatively. We will also increase our stable of
customers by locking in existing customers as well as our flow of customers by acquir-
ing new customers.
[2] Numerical targets
In FY 2016 (ending March 2017), the final fiscal year of the medium-term business
plan, the Company aims to achieve net sales of at least ¥130,000 million and an oper-
ating profit of at least ¥13,000 million.
Numerical targets
(Millions of yen)FY 2014
(ending March 2015)
Results
FY 2015
(ending March 2016)
Amendment
FY 2016
(ending March 2017)
Amount YoY (%) Amount YoY (%) Amount YoY (%)
Net sales 109,837 7.5% 120,000 9.3% 130,000 8.3%
Operating profit 9,357 6.0% 11,300 20.8% 13,000 15.0%
Operating profit ratio (%) 8.5% – 9.4% – 10.0% –
Ordinary profit 10,189 8.1% 11,700 14.8% 13,600 16.2%
Net profit 6,794 28.2% 7,300 7.4% 8,300 13.7%
Izumi NAKAJIMA
President
Representative Director
3. Basic Policy on Distribution of Profits and Payment of Dividends for
This Fiscal Year and the Next
Amano places great importance on its policy for the payment of dividends to sharehold-
ers. Fundamental to this is its policy for the return of profit to shareholders, based on
maintaining a stable ordinary dividend of ¥26 annually (interim dividend of ¥13 and
year-end dividend of ¥13), together with appropriate results-based distributions of profits
and flexible purchasing of treasury stock. The Company aims to maintain a payout ratio
of at least 40% on a consolidated basis and a ratio of dividend to net assets of at least 2.5%.
In line with this policy, taking into account our current-year operations results, we plan to
pay a year-end dividend of ¥23 per share, an increase of ¥6 per share compared with the
amount paid at the end of the previous year. As a result, the annual per-share dividend
will be ¥38 (including the ¥15 per share paid as the interim dividend). This corresponds
to a dividend payout ratio of 42.8% and a 3.3% ratio of dividends to net assets on a con-
solidated basis.
With regard to the dividend for the next fiscal year, in line with our Basic Policy on Dis-
tribution of Profits and in view of our Outlook for Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 2016, we
aim to pay an annual per-share dividend of ¥40 (with an interim dividend of ¥20 and a
year-end dividend of ¥20).
Retained earnings will be earmarked to fund effective investment aimed at the fundamen-
tal enhancement of the Company’s capacity to conduct its business operations. This will
include the expansion and strengthening of existing business fields, strategic investment
in growth fields, and spending on research and development, as well as the rationaliza-
tion of production plants and equipment for the purpose of reducing costs and further
improving product quality.
Analysis of Business Results
Business Results in the Year Ended March 31, 2015
During the iscal year ended March
31, 2015, the Japanese economy
seemed to be on track to a moder-
ate recovery from the decline that
set in following the consumption
tax hike. This was because overseas
economies enjoyed a rebound, led
mainly by developed economies
such as the United States, and as
lower crude oil prices and the de-
preciation of the yen continued, cap-
ital investment was growing, thanks
to an improvement in corporate
proits, and also thanks to the sup-
por t from government economic
measures and steady personal con-
sumption due to improvements in
the employment and income situa-
tion.
Amid this business environment, the
Amano Group worked on global
marketing and product deployment
as well as the enhancement of its
capacity to provide holistic solu-
tions, based on its new medium-
term business plan launched in April
last year. Under this plan, the Group
set forth the management concept
of “Challenge to a New Stage,” a
concept aimed at making the orga-
nization a “100-year company.” The
Amano Group also concentrated
on thoroughly uncovering customer
needs and strove to reduce the
costs of goods sold (COGS) and
selling, general, and administrative
(SG&A) expenses.
As a result of the above, during the
fiscal year under review, the Com-
pany recorded sales of ¥109,837
million, up by 7.5% year-on-year. Op-
erating proit increased by 6.0% to
¥9,357 million, ordinary proit went
up by 8.1% to ¥10,189 million, and
net income increased by 28.2% to
¥6,794 million, resulting in increases
in both income and proit.
The following is a breakdown of
sales by business division.
Sales by business division
(Unit: Millions of yen)Category
FY2013 FY2014
Change
(April 1, 2013–March 31, 2014) (April 1, 2014–March 31, 2015)
Amount Ratio (%) Amount Ratio (%) Amount %
Time Information System business:
Information Systems 22,979 22.5 23,558 21.5 579 2.5
Time Management Products 4,087 4.0 4,100 3.7 12 0.3
Parking Systems 48,808 47.8 51,817 47.2 3,009 6.2
Subtotal 75,876 74.3 79,477 72.4 3,601 4.7
Environment System business:
Environmental Systems 18,157 17.8 20,639 18.8 2,481 13.7
Clean Systems 8,097 7.9 9,720 8.8 1,623 20.1
Subtotal 26,255 25.7 30,360 27.6 4,105 15.6
Total 102,131 100.0 109,837 100.0 7,706 7.5
Time Information System business
• Information Systems:
Time & attendance (T&A), payroll,
human-resource management, access
control, and cafeteria systems
• Time Management Products:
Time recorders and time stamps
• Parking Systems:
Parking and bicycle-parking space
management systems, and com-
missioned parking lot manage-
ment business
Information Systems
The business environment for this
business division has remained solid
because companies’ information-
related investments have continued
to grow in Japan in light of the eco-
nomic recover y. Fur thermore, the
cloud computing business sector has
continued to expand in Japan.
In response to these market condi-
tions, the Company added access
control and mental health solutions
to the “3-in-1” proposal comprising
of time & attendance (T&A), payroll,
and human-resource management,
thus striving to make more propos-
als for comprehensive solutions
associated with the transition from
owning systems to using systems.
Domestic sales for the current term
were as follows: hardware sales in-
creased by ¥305 million (5.1%) year-
on-year, software sales decreased
by ¥236 million (6.7%), and sales
generated by maintenance contracts
and supplies services increased by
¥112 million (3.1%). The increase in
hardware sales was a result of or-
ders for large projects and increased
sales of access control systems, and
software sales decreased due to the
effects of the reduced sales momen-
tum following a period of strong
PC demand for the replacement
of Windows XP-based PCs and a
spike in consumer demand ahead
of the consumption tax hike. By
product category, T&A system sales
decreased by ¥297 million (3.2%)
while access control system sales
were up by ¥481 million (40.4%).
Overall overseas sales increased by
¥305 million (3.5%). The sales of
Accu-Time Systems Inc. in Nor th
America decreased, and the sales of
Horosmart S.A. in Europe increased,
partly due to foreign exchange ef-
fects.
As a result of the above, sales in this
business division totaled ¥23,558
million, representing an increase of
2.5% year-on-year.
Time Management Products
In Japan, this business division con-
tinued to struggle under difficult
conditions because the demand
str ucture has shifted from stan-
dard machines to systems.
In this mar ket environment, the
Company concentrated on uncov-
ering new demand by strength-
ening its Internet and mail order
ser vice-based sales promotions
and launching new products such
as a time recorder equipped with
aggregation software compatible
with PCs.
Regarding domestic sales for the
cur rent ter m, when compared
with a year earlier, standard equip-
ment sales increased by ¥27 mil-
lion (2.3%) and supply goods sales
decreased by ¥53 million (6.2%).
Although sales in Asia remained
sluggish, sales in Nor th America
and Europe increased year-on-year.
As a result, overall overseas sales
increased by ¥48 million (3.9%).
As a result of the above , sales
in this business division totaled
¥4,100 million, representing an in-
crease of 0.3% year-on-year.
Parking Systems
To respond to the increasingly
diverse needs of parking lot man-
agement in Japan the Parking Sys-
tems business division has been
working on increasing the level of
convenience for parking lot users,
improving parking lot management
efficiency by utilizing the Internet
and ensuring safety and security in
parking lots.
In response to these market con-
ditions, the Company strove to
enhance the functionality and us-
ability of its system equipment of-
ferings and to fur ther strengthen
its cooperation with major parking
lot management irms. At the same
time, the Company also concen-
trated on offering various services
to small to medium-sized parking lot
management irms provided by the
Company’s parking lot data centers.
The Company has also made efforts
to expand into new markets such as
security-gate systems, toll road sys-
tems, bicycle parking systems, etc.
Parking equipment sales increased
¥302 million (1.7%) year-on-year.
Revenue from maintenance con-
tracts and supplies ser vices de-
creased by ¥176 million (1.9%). The
commissioned parking lot manage-
ment business of Group subsidiary
Amano Management Service Cor-
poration has been steadily expand-
ing, and the number of parking spac-
es under management increased by
29,400 (10.4%) from the end of the
previous iscal year.
Overall overseas sales increased
by ¥2,203 million (16.8%). Sales
for Amano McGann, Inc. in Nor th
A m e r i c a i n c r e a s e d d u e t o t h e
launch of new systems while sales
for Europe increased due to in-
creased orders in Asian and Ocea-
nian markets. Meanwhile, sales in
the Asian region increased as sales
in Korea grew due partly to foreign
exchange effects.
As a net result of the above, the
Parking Systems business division
provided sales totaling ¥51,817 mil-
lion, up by 6.2% year-on-year.
Environment System business
• Environmental Systems:
Standard dust collectors, large
dust collection systems, pneumatic
powder conveyance systems,
high-temperature hazardous-gas
removal systems, deodorization
systems, and electrolytic water
generators
• Clean Systems:
Cleaning equipment, dr y-care
cleaning systems, and cleaning
management services
Environmental Systems
The operating environment for this
business division continues to im-
prove as capital investment in Japan
is on a rising trend suppor ted by
the recovering economy. In addition,
capital investment by Japanese com-
panies operating abroad has also
remained strong.
In this mar ket environment, the
Company strengthened its standard
equipment proposals in Japan while
seeking to win increased orders
from customers in the pharmaceuti-
cal, foods and cosmetics markets.
Meanwhile , with the aim of at-
tr acting demand from Japanese
companies operating overseas, the
Company reinforced its engineer-
ing abilities along with its sales and
ser vice platfor ms by enhancing
cooperation with overseas Group
companies. Moreover, it endeavored
to achieve greater cost competitive-
ness by means of expanding its local
procurement and assembly.
During the current term, domestic
sales of standard equipment in-
creased by ¥735 million (12.8%),
sales of lar ge-scale systems in-
creased by ¥1,024 million (19.4%)
and sales of maintenance contracts
and supplies services increased by
¥34 million (1.0%) year-on-year.
Overall overseas sales increased
by ¥888 million (27.2%). Spear-
headed by the Asian market, capital
investment by Japanese companies
remained strong resulting in higher
revenues.
As a result of the above, sales of this
business division totaled ¥20,639
million, up by 13.7% year-on-year.
Clean Systems
This business division is seeing in-
creasing needs for aesthetic mainte-
nance services and high-value-add-
ed peripheral clean work in Japan;
however, the prolonged corporate
restraints on cleaning management
costs still continues.
To cope with this market environ-
ment, the Company focused on
strengthening holistic cleanliness
solutions by incorporating periph-
eral cleaning work. In addition, amid
times of aging cleaning wor ker s
and an increasing number of non-
experienced workers, the division
worked on uncovering new demand
by launching robotic cleaners which
realize higher equipment safety lev-
els, improved usability, and higher
work eficiency without compromis-
ing quality.
Domestic sales for cleaning equip-
ment decreased by ¥325 million
(14.7%) year-on-year, revenue from
maintenance contracts and supplies
ser vices decreased by ¥7 million
(0.2%), and revenue from commis-
sioned cleaning services decreased
by ¥7 million (0.5%).
Overall overseas sales increased by
¥2,019 million (94.0%) as sales for
North America grew owing to the
contribution from the wooden loor
sanding equipment business newly
added to the business domain dur-
ing the current term.
As a net result of the above, sales of
this business division totaled ¥9,720
million, up by 20.1% year-on-year.
Analysis of Financial Condition
(i) Assets, liabilities, and net assets
• Assets
Total assets as of March 31, 2015
amounted to ¥131,560 million, up
by ¥8,722 million from the previ-
ous fiscal year-end. Current assets
increased by ¥6,862 million year-on-
year. This was chiely due to a ¥4,277
million increase in notes and accounts
receivable-trade and a ¥1,358 million
increase in raw materials and supplies.
Fixed assets increased by ¥1,860 mil-
lion year-on-year. This was primarily
due to an increase of ¥1,923 million
in intangible fixed assets, despite a
decrease of ¥223 million in tangible
ixed assets.
• Liabilities
Total liabilities as of March 31, 2015
amounted to ¥39,411 million, up by
¥56 million year-on-year. Current li-
abilities increased by ¥2,003 million
year-on-year. This was attributable
primarily to an increase of ¥1,503 mil-
lion in other current liabilities due to
an increase in accrued expenses and
an increase of ¥1,059 million in trade
notes and accounts payable. Fixed li-
abilities decreased by ¥1,947 million
year-on-year. The principal factors be-
hind this were a decrease of ¥1,643
million in net deined beneit liabilities
associated with changes in accounting
policies and other accounting changes.
• Net Assets
Total net assets as of March 31, 2015
amounted to ¥92,148 million, up by
¥8,665 million from the previous iscal
year-end. This was primarily due to an
increase of ¥5,344 million in share-
holders’ equity due to the posting of
net income and changes in account-
ing policies and an increase of ¥3,367
million in total accumulated other
comprehensive income resulting from
an increase in foreign currency trans-
lation adjustments.
(ii) Cash Flows
Consolidated cash and cash equiva-
lents decreased by ¥1,148 million
from the previous iscal year-end to a
total of ¥30,526 million as of March
31, 2015. The status of each type of
cash low at year-end and the under-
lying factors are as follows.
(1) Cash flow from operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activi-
ties totaled ¥7,518 million. This was at-
tributable primarily to income before
income taxes amounting to ¥10,307
million, and depreciation and amor-
tization amounting to ¥4,137 mil-
lion, despite income taxes payments
amounting to ¥4,585 million and an
increase in trade notes and accounts
receivable of ¥3,494 million.
(2) Cash flow from investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities to-
taled −¥6,519 million. This was largely
due to expenditures of ¥7,541 million
for the placement of time deposits,
¥2,238 million for the acquisition of
tangible ixed assets, ¥2,044 million for
the acquisition of business, and ¥2,000
million for the acquisition of securi-
ties. These outlows were more than
offset by proceeds of ¥6,299 million
from the withdrawal of time deposits
and ¥2,300 million from the redemp-
tion of securities.
(3) Cash flow from financing activities
Net cash used in financing activities
amounted to −¥2,969 million. This
was chiefly due to the payment of
dividends amounting to ¥2,450 mil-
lion and repayment of finance lease
obligations of ¥1,668 million, despite
proceeds from sale and leaseback of
¥1,622 million.
Notes : Equity ratio: Equity capital/Total assets
Fair value equity ratio: Gross market capitalization/Total assets
Ratio of cash flow to interest-bearing liabilities: Interest-bearing liabilities/Cash flow from operating activities Interest coverage ratio: Cash flow from operating activities/Interest payments
Assumptions
* All indicators are calculated on the basis of consolidated financial values.
* Gross market capitalization is calculated by multiplying the closing price of the Company’s shares at the year-end by the num- ber of shares of common stock issued and outstanding at the year-end (less treasury stock).
* The term “cash flow from operating activities” refers to cash flow from operating activities posted under the consolidated state- ments of cash flows. The term “interest-bearing liabilities” refers to those liabilities stated in the consolidated balance sheets on which interest is paid. Interest payments equate with the interest paid recorded in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
Reference: Trend of cash low indicators
As of Mar. 31, 2011 As of Mar. 31, 2012 As of Mar. 31, 2013 As of Mar. 31, 2014 As of Mar. 31, 2015
Equity ratio (%) 70.3 69.6 69.8 67.6 69.8
Fair value equity ratio (%) 59.3 56.9 62.3 66.5 83.7
Ratio of cash flow to interest-bearing liabilities (%) 31.4 50.2 34.7 37.3 52.2
Interest coverage ratio 275.2 158.1 207.7 219.7 122.9
Outlook for Fiscal Year
Ending March 31, 2016
During the next fiscal year end-
ing March 31, 2016, although the
outlook for overseas economies
is uncer tain, we forecast that the
Japanese economy will continue to
recover with the improving trend
of corporate profits thanks to the
decline in crude oil prices and yen
depreciation. Capital investment is
expected to remain irm while the
improving trend of employment and
income situations will contribute to
the recovery of individual consump-
tion.
Amid this business environment,
Amano Corporation and its Group
companies continue to emphasize
the following strategies: 1) emphasis
on Time & Ecology business do-
mains, and enhancement of core
business; 2) becoming a niche leader
in the business domain in which we
excel; 3) ceaseless restructuring; and
4) management based on cash low.
In line with these four fundamental
strategies, we will work to address
the impor tant challenges in the
new medium-term business plan
described in “3. Business Policies” on
page 10 with a view to maximizing
the corporate value of Amano Cor-
poration while aiming to become
a 100-year Company having “Chal-
lenge to a New Stage” as its man-
agement concept.
The following business results are
projected for the next fiscal year
ending March 31, 2016: net sales of
¥120,000 million, operating profit
of ¥11,300 million, ordinary profit
of ¥11,700 million, and net income
attr ibutable to parent company
shareholder s of ¥7,300 million.
These projections assume currency
exchange rates of ¥117 to the US
dollar and ¥125 to the euro.
Operating and Other Risk Factors
Matters relating to the qualitative
infor mation contained in these
summar y financial statements and
relating to the consolidated inancial
statements that could be envisaged
as having a possible material impact
on investors are described below.
Ever y effor t are made to identify
factors that may now or in the fu-
ture pose a risk to the undertaking
of business by the Amano Group,
and these risk factors are then elimi-
nated or otherwise managed in the
course of business.
Forward-looking statements are cur-
rent as of the date of the release of
these inancial results (June, 2015).
(i) Impact on earnings due to
changes in the business environ-
ment
The Amano Group uses the unique
technologies and know-how it has
accumulated to provide customers
with high-quality products, services
and solutions, thereby gaining large
market shares in each sphere of
business in Japan, Nor th America,
Europe, and Asia, and developing its
business globally.
In the year ended March 31, 2015,
the Time Information System busi-
ness accounted for 72.4% of total
sales, and the Environment System
business accounted for 27.6%. Be-
fore the deduction of unallocated
expenses, the Time Information Sys-
tem business contributed 72.7% to
operating proit, while the Environ-
ment System business contributed
27.3%. In terms of weighted average
sales over the last five years, the
Time Information System business
accounted for 73.3% of total sales
and 76.9% of operating proit.
One future r isk factor is that if
market expansion is forecast for a
business activity within the Time In-
formation System business segment
(which accounts for a large propor-
tion of the Group’s business) for
such reasons as a signiicant change
in the demand str ucture or the
creation of a new market, entities
in other industries or other power-
ful competitors may be tempted to
enter the market. In such an event,
if a competitor were to enter with
innovative products or solutions
that surpass Amano’s, the Amano
Group’s market advantage would
decline, which may have a material
impact on its business performance.
(ii) Fluctuations in exchange rates
The Group engages in business
activities on a global scale and has
production and sales bases overseas.
In view of this, the Group’s business
results may be impacted by luctua-
tions in exchange rates when the
proceeds for overseas transactions
are converted into yen.
(iii) Information security
In the course of providing system
solutions and developing cloud busi-
ness ser vices (e.g., ASP, SaaS, and
hosting services), the Amano Group
handles confidential information,
such as personal information con-
cerning, or provided by, customers.
In view of this, the Company has
strengthened and thoroughly imple-
mented security control measures
based on the Information Security
Management Rules. Specifically, the
Company has implemented mea-
sures to protect confidential infor-
mation (e.g., encr ypting hard disk
drives and external media) as well
as provided periodic staff training
through e-learning. Furthermore, the
Company obtained the Privacy Mark
cer tification in February 2014 and
has implemented all possible mea-
sures to ensure information security,
including super vision of ser vice
providers and thorough compliance
with internal rules. Nevertheless, the
occurrence of an unforeseen situ-
ation that results in loss or leakage
of conidential or personal informa-
tion as described above could have
an adverse material impact on the
Group’s business performance due
to factors such as loss of conidence.
(iv) Natural disasters
Natural disasters (e.g., large-scale
earthquakes, windstorms, or loods)
may damage human lives or prop-
erty. The Amano Group has imple-
mented necessar y measures such
as having employees always carr y
emer gency contact infor mation
cards even during ordinar y times,
relocating file ser vers to external
data centers, and developing a sys-
tem for setting up an emergency
response headquarters to respond
to emergency situations. However, if
ofices or sites at sales and produc-
tion bases are damaged or if a situ-
ation arises in which it is dificult for
employees to engage in operations,
business activities may be temporar-
ily suspended.
(v) Overseas business development
The Amano Group has been devel-
oping its business globally in Japan,
Nor th America, Europe, and Asia.
Therefore, there is a possibility that
a situation may arise in which busi-
ness operations are disrupted due
to the application of unique laws, or-
dinances, or regulations or social dis-
order due to political disturbances,
war, or terrorism, etc. in countries or
regions where the Group conducts
business, which may adversely im-
pact the Group’s business perfor-
mance.
Issues to Be Addressed
The Company will take the following steps to achieve the goals set out in its new medi- um-term business plan.
1) Time Information System business
•Information Systems
In the Information Systems, the economic environment in Japan has become positive, and labor authorities have continued efforts to more strictly monitor unpaid overtime and long working hours (overworking); po- tential demand among companies for T&A systems, which are used to establish and build labor time management systems, has translated into effective demand in efforts to ensure compliance through appropriate working hours management. In addition, against the backdrop of the need to respond to the My Number System and the preven- tion of overworking as well as the review of labor standards to realize diverse working styles from the viewpoint of improving labor productivity, demand for both company system updates and systems for using cloud computing and smart devices is expected to increase.
Given this market environment, for small- and medium-sized enterprise markets, we will further strengthen proposals by adding the mental healthcare system to the 3-in-1 management system, covering T&A, payroll, and human resource management, and we will also expand the market by offering comprehensive solutions including hardware, software, and cloud services. In the medium- sized enterprise market, we will enter the inancial accounting market by tying up with CREO CO., LTD. and work to expand op-
erations with the aim of becoming a “mini- ERP vendor” by enhancing software for T&A, human resources, payroll, and accounting as well as strengthening our consulting sales activities.
In overseas markets, we will expand and im- prove our cloud services in Europe and the United States. Further, Horoquartz (France) aims to expand its market into other areas of Europe, while Accu-Time Systems Inc. (North America) aims to strengthen its cus- tomer base by introducing a new series of terminals.
•Parking Systems
As for the Parking Systems, amidst the economic recovery, the parking lot-related market has been expanding against the backdrop of the vitalization of the real estate market and the recover y in automobile sales volume, etc. In addition to the need for parking lot management cost reduction, ensuring of safety and security in parking lots, and consideration of the environment, the need to propose solutions to improve user convenience has been increasing.
Given this market environment, we aim to become a “parking facility service provider” by further strengthening tie-ups with major parking lot management companies while improving the functions and operability of system equipment as well as providing vari- ous services through our parking lot data center for small- and medium-sized parking lot management companies. In addition, we will strengthen and expand our efforts related to facilities such as security gates, toll roads, and bicycle parking lots in order to expand our business.
As for overseas markets, in the United States, Amano McGann, Inc. will step up
sales of new systems and strengthen solu- tion proposals by expanding and improving peripheral services to enlarge the market. In Europe, we will accelerate the development of low-cost barcode systems and expand our business by working on the new com- missioned management service business. In Asia, we will aim to expand our business by strengthening low-end barcode systems and the commissioned management service business.
2) Environment System business
•Environmental Systems
In the Environmental Systems, capital invest- ment has bottomed out in Japan as a result of the recovering economy, and Japanese- afiliated companies operating abroad exhibit a trend of increasing their capital investment, which has been expanding from China and Southeast Asia to the Americas.
Given this market environment, in Japan we will aggressively capture demand mainly for standard equipment and expand sales in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics markets, which are expected to grow steadily. We will also work to strengthen our engineering ca- pabilities and comprehensive sales, including that of peripheral equipment, by tie-ups with industrial equipment manufacturers with the aim of becoming a “global engineering multi- vendor.”
As for overseas markets, in Asia, we will strengthen our engineering capabilities and ability to offer products and render services to Japanese companies operating outside Japan by tie-ups between our Group com- panies across Asia and our head office in Japan. We will also expand our local pro- curement and assembly operations in order to enhance cost competitiveness. In North
and Latin America, we will boost sales of standard equipment to Japanese compa- nies operating outside Japan, centering on automobile-related businesses.
•Clean Systems
In the Clean Systems, while the trend of companies trying to reduce cleaning costs continues, amid the aging of sanitary workers and an increase in the number of inexperi- enced workers, needs to improve safety and operability of cleaning equipment have been increasing. At the same time, the need for maintaining building aesthetics at low cost has also been increasing.
Given this market environment, in Japan we will strengthen our customer base by intro- ducing cleaning robots and new products into the market, advancing into the factory market, and expanding sales of small scrub- bers in response to the opening up of small urban supermarkets and the increase in the number of eat-in areas at convenience stores. With the aim of becoming a “total cleanliness service provider,” we also pro- mote comprehensive proposals, including those for commissioned cleaning services and aesthetic maintenance.
In overseas markets, we will capitalize on the demand of Japanese-affiliated distribution companies opening up stores in the Asian region and further scale up our business by strengthening the operational foundation for the wooden floor sanding equipment division of Amano Pioneer Eclipse Corp. in North America.
Information Systems
System for the Middle-High Market:
“TimePro-VG” sales are growing.
Launched new system for the small
businesses!
Since its launch in July 2013, the
“TimePro-VG” designed for the Middle-
High market, is now being used by many
companies and orders continue to grow
steadily. The “TimePro-VG” is highly eval-
uated for its functions such as alerts for
long working hours, various calculations
and flexible settings to meet the user
company’s requirements that come with
a full range of support & services.
Looking forward we will aim to become
a “Mini ERP vendor” by collaborating
with CREO (an equity affiliate since
March 2013) which developed and
owns the software “ZeeM HR & Payroll”
and “ZeeM Accounting”. Together with
Amano’s T&A systems, it will enable us
to offer a comprehensive solution from
T&A, HR, Payroll and Accounting in full
scale.
In addition, our time recorder equipped
with PC software, the “TimeP@CK” was
remodeled and released in October
2014 for the small businesses using time
cards. Various enhancements have been
made to facilitate diversifying needs
such as multiple management, increased
working shifts, irregular and flexible
working hours etc. which small busi-
nesses now face. We will expand the
marketing of “TimeP@CK” to various
types of industries such as manufactur-
ing, services, and retail.
Parking Systems
Growing demand for bicycle parking
systems! Accelerating global deploy-
ment
Bicycle and motorcycle parking lots
were traditionally installed mainly as a
part of urban development, but in re-
cent years, such installations are expand-
ing initiated by large commercial facilities
and railway companies in the form of
coin parking and mechanized parking.
Amano is in a position to apply its ac-
cumulated knowledge in car parking and
is set to enhance services even further.
For instance, the data center ser vice
“Parking Web” can be applied for bicycle
/ motorcycle parking where parking lot
utilization and equipment monitoring
can be centralized, the parking lot own-
er may opt for Amano’s commissioned
management, and the system can be
conigured to facilitate various methods
of parking fee payment such as prepaid
transportation IC cards.
Global deployment of parking systems
is also progressing. In the US, the new
“OPUS” series is being highly appraised
by its users and orders are growing
steadily. In Europe, orders for their low-
cost bar code system the “Xparc” are
strong especially from Asia and Oceania
regions. In Southeast Asia, Amano is
marketing a Japan-made low-end bar
code system.
As a united force, the Amano group will
continue to strive to expand the busi-
ness by accelerating global deployment.
Environmental Systems
Launched a new mist collector!
Capturing the demand of companies
expanding overseas
Amid the strong sales of standard and
large-scale systems, in November 2014
we launched a new oil mist collector
the “EM-8eII”. Compared to our con-
ventional machines the “EM8eII” is more
compact measuring approximately two
thirds in size and weight. It has improved
suction power while consuming only
half the electricity. In addition we have
achieved greater stability and safety by
adopting stain-resistant electrodes. We
plan to market this product towards
domestic and overseas manufacturers of
automotive parts, large users of metal
molds, and factories involved with metal
works.
The destination of domestic manufac-
turers advancing overseas is expanding
from China & Southeast Asia to North
& Latin America. In order to ensure our
involvement in such overseas projects,
we will increase the number of over-
seas ofices with engineering capabilities
and we will also strive to improve cost
competitiveness by reinforcing local
procurement and assembly. In particular,
as we expect more Japanese companies
to set up operations in Mexico, we are
strengthening the ties between domestic
Sales & Marketing Units, Business Units
and the local subsidiaries and at the
same time investigations are underway
to possibly set up our own presence
there.
Clean Systems
Expanding the business scale!
Cleaning robots and wooden floor
sanding equipment
In Japan, the tendency to reduce clean-
ing costs continues amid aging veteran
workers and a growing percentage of
inexperienced workers. This is elevat-
ing the need for robotic cleaners, which
enables efficiency and quality improve-
ments at the same time. The “SE-500iX”
is a robotic cleaner launched in March
2014 and it is being adopted by custom-
ers such as large commercial facilities
and airports who pursue low cost aes-
thetic maintenance. In November 2014,
the “SE-500iX” was exhibited at an
exposition for facility management and
cleaning service specialists, the “Clean
EXPO 2014” which was held for the
first time in Japan. The robotic cleaner
attracted much attention. We aim to
expand this robotic cleaner market
through functional enhancements and
new product launches.
Overseas, in North America, the clean-
ing business domain was expanded with
the addition of the new wooden loor
sanding business. The new business per-
formed well and contributed greatly to
the consolidated results of clean systems
business. We will seek further expansion
by broadening the product line and offer
packaged deals which combine chemical
products.
Business Activities
Time Recorder equipped with PC software “TimeP@CK”
Electric oil mist collector “EM-8eII”
Amano’s booth at the Clean EXPO 2014
Amano USA Holdings, Inc.
Amano Cincinnati, Inc.
The ACI time division is expanding its Time Guardian terminal offering by integrating a new line of (TIS) time information systems terminals with its Time Guardian software suite. These new terminals will incorporate the latest functionality and features when communicating with our software. The ter- minals will be available in a variety of reader conigurations such as MAG, Barcode and Proximity. All units offer communications via direct connect or Ethernet. Packaged together with our Time Guardian software, these new TIS products will be competi- tively priced and a perfect it for small to medium sized business. We plan to offer these new packag- es through several sales channels. The projected release date for this new line of TIS prod- ucts will be 3rd qtr. 2015.
The next generation Amano side printer is now in development. The ACI time division is planning to release the new time clock series in the coming months. In our effort to keep up with the changing market, ACI has developed a new side printer which incorporates several new features as well as the best characteristics from our previ- ous side printer (PIX/TCX) series. The new clock utilizes a new processor which allows for future development. This new time clock was developed and is being built in our Ohio factory. The planned release date for this new time clock series is early 3rd qtr. 2015.
In our continued effort to improve the proitability of the ACI time division we are consolidating and relocating the Time Divi- sion Customer Service Department and the Time Clock Repair Department to the Ohio Factory. We believe that consolidat- ing these two functions in the factory will allow us to take advantage of having both our customer facing team and our product production team in one location. Our goal is to improve customer satisfaction. Going forward all time product related repairs will be done in the Ohio factory. This allows us to report issues and resolve problems quickly.
Accu-Time Systems, Inc.
Accu-Time Systems, Inc. expanded its product line and began shipping its new custom design RDT terminal in 2014 to a major payroll provider. This new terminal boasts a large LCD display coupled with powerful computing power incorporated into a unique modular design. The modular design facilitates a faster and more lexible customization of options for user input and verification. Since November of 2014 to date, the company has shipped well over 1500 terminals.
On the revenue side, the TimeCom ERP
(Enterprise Resource Planning) time clock integration solution continues to experi- ence a healthy sales growth. The product is well received by enterprise size custom- e r s . T i m e C o m
c o m p a t i b i l i t y with major ERP packages such as Workday, SAP or PeopleSoft and other ERP prod-
ucts, continues to drive global demand and expansion. The product is installed in the Americas, EMEA and the APAC regions. TimeCom is also the irst Accu-Time Sys- tems product release that leverages multi- year agreements and a recurring revenue model.
Additionally, Accu-Time Systems continues to diversify its revenue sources beyond a core product offering of time and at- tendance terminals. Professional services were introduced to augment the TimeCom product offering. The professional services include both implementation support and an expanded 24/7 technical support. The newly formed implementation team’s ser- vices were engaged by all of the TimeCom customers.
Examples of the scope of the services de- ployed in the Americas include two large national end-user customers with very complex implementations. The first being an outdoor apparel company based in Ven- tura, California and the second customer is a San Diego, California based company that specializes in delivering lowers, chocolates, gift baskets, and unique personalized gifts. Amano McGann, Inc.
General Overview
In 2014 Amano McGann, Inc. (AMI) ex- ceeded both revenue and profit targets with record sales levels in Q4, driven pri- marily by the branch services, dealer net- work, Latin America sales, and Metric on- street segment, as well as strong revenues in the West Coast region.
Parking Automation Success
AMI began shipping the new OPUSeries parking terminals in Q3 of 2014. Both the AMI distribution channel and the market have embraced the new technology. As evident in our FY 2014 results, OPUSeries addresses todays parking automation needs with win rates of 36% on the back of this new product. In addition, going into FY 2015, OPUSeries represented better than 33% of our total sales pipeline. This is an impressive number with only six months of proposal development.
What contributed to this success and quick- ly validated the product was the unique launch strategy. The OPUSeries Road Show gave each branch ofice and distributor the opportunity to purchase an OPUS demo kit consisting of all core products and software. Demo kits were shipped to each partici- pating ofice and Amano McGann’s OPUS Subject Mater Experts hit 26 major cities providing over 156 live demonstrations of the new products to over 620 customers.
This unique approach accomplished several key objectives: product training for our 100+ member sales team, hands on train- ing for our 300+ member service team and personalized face-to-face customer inter- action and positive feedback on the new products. The results speak for themselves.
AMI Expansion
In November of 2014 3M Corporation announced they had made the decision to close its Parking Access and Revenue Control business formally known as Federal APD. This decision created opportunity for AMI to expand our distribution channel by adding another key channel partner. Amano currently has the largest channel to market in the industry that now includes one of 3M’s largest and most successful dealers, ITR of Georgia.
In December Amano McGann merged the Amano Atlanta Branch with ITR’s opera- tions. The newly integrated organization will continue to provide the highest level of ser- vice and support to its combined customer base in Georgia and the Southeast. The new Amano McGann / ITR organiza- tions successfully installed the Classic Center in December of 2014. The Classic Center, Northeast Georgia’s premier convention and performing arts facility, boasts over 600 spaces in their
parking deck to accommo- date patrons attending over 2 0 0 e v e n t s every year.
The new system includes nine lanes of OPUSeries terminals with barcode FlexS- can Readers, three Credit Card Only Pay- on-Foot Stations, the iParcProfessional Software Suite, eParcVal Online Web Vali- dations, eFlexPrint Validations and Special Event System interfaced to a ticket alterna- tive.
This robust system has made a positive impact for the center which prior to OPU- Series had never used parking automation. The new system is currently providing the Classic Center with the highest level of au- tomation to improve access to the facility as well as company revenue, delivering a 100% cashless solution minimizing overhead costs associated with cash management, and a quick and convenient way for their custom- ers to pre-purchase parking.
Building a Better Team
The Amano McGann Dealer Association was formed this year and includes Amano McGann’s distribution network as well as AMI’s Regional Vice Presidents and execu- tives. The group
m e e t s t w i c e a year to stay con- nected, leverage group resources, share best prac- tices, build closer
working relationships between AMI branch ofices and distributors, and help grow our respective businesses.
The most recent meeting was held in
visited and toured the APEC plant in June of 2014. By the time of the June meeting in Sparta, NC, the APEC sales team had visited almost all of the customer’s store locations and presented an analysis on ind- ings which the customer took action on, re- sulting in increased revenue and improved customer satisfaction. Since then, APEC has continued to make product improvements on machines sold to this customer and APEC was recently a w a r d e d a t e s t launch of two loor care chemicals and the 200BU Electric B u r n i s h e r i n 3 0 of the customer’s stores for 2015. Other notable events, which drove sales over the past year, included several suc- cessful trade shows, including the NWFA show, ISSA/INTERCLEAN show, World of Concrete and rental shows for Ace, TruServ, Do It Best and The Home Depot. In September of 2014 APEC hosted its irst open house in Sparta, NC. Customers and prospects from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida came and attended workshops and training ses- sions.
Amano Europe Holdings, N.V.
Amano Europe, N.V.
IIn 2014 Amano Europe continued to grow both revenue and proit in the main busi- ness segments; parking solutions and time and attendance.
The X-Parc parking solu- t i o n , o u r g l o b a l p a r k i n g solution, has been installed successfully in 30 different countries, including Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong, India, M i d d l e E a s t a n d s e v e r a l African countries. With X- Parc Amano Europe is able to offer a robust, flexible and network centric solution based on barcode tickets
that suits global market needs. Ease of inte- gration, low cost of ownership and fast time to market are three of the several great and innovative benefits this system offers. With X-Parc Amano Europe is positioning itself as a solution and service provider in the global mobility market. We work on a further expansion into other major markets.
Astrow Cloud, the next generation of the proven T&A software solution for small and medium sized businesses with an installed base of more than 5.000 customers in Eu- rope is getting widely accepted in several European countries. Today, more than 100 companies are using the cloud services. iTR-100 is now sold all over Europe Florida in November of 2014. The group
focused on topics such as risk management, maintenance agreements, competitor analy- sis/market activity, an OPUS update and a product/system roadmap for the future. The next planned meeting is set to take place in conjunction with the International Parking Institute Conference and Trade Show this coming summer.
Amano Pioneer Eclipse Corporation In 2014 Amano Pioneer Eclipse Corpora- tion (APEC) grew 57%, continuing a multi- year growth trend that started in 2010. The majority of APEC’s growth in 2014 was driven by the acquisition of American Sand- ers® which contributed $15M in revenue, which was 18% above budgeted expecta- tions. Organic growth within APEC’s clean- ing business was 8%, highlighted by 18% growth in the United States, a result driven by continued improvements in personnel, increased focus in direct sales, and new product introductions. APEC’s environmen- tal business, Amano Environmental Ameri- cas (AEA), continues to develop a strong customer base throughout North America. Through improved distribution and manu- facturing efficiencies, AEA realized 36% growth in machine sales and 157% growth in machine gross margins in 2014.
New product development continued to be a driving force in 2014. APEC launched several new chemical products into the cleaning market, including CLS Hard Floor Cleaner & Maintainer, a daily cleaner that s e a l s a n d p r o t e c t s
hard floors such as concrete, terrazzo, m a r b l e a n d q u a r r y tile; EZ-Strip, an extra s t r e n g t h , l o w o d o r stripper ideal for envi- ronments where slow
drying stripping procedures are required; TritonXLC, a no-rinse disinfectant cleaner with a neutral pH; and Nova, a high-fra- grance disinfectant available in three scents. Several new models of cleaning machines were introduced in 2014. Both the 250ST Orbital Stripper and 225FP line of Floor Polishers were developed by cost ef- fectively modifying products that were acquired as part of the American Sanders purchase. Also, APEC was awarded a multi- year contract to develop and manufacture
private label propane burnishers for one of the world’s largest cleaning equipment manufacturers. This private label contract will result in annual incremental sales of approximately 1,500 propane burnishers, beginning in 2015. Since the acquisition of American Sanders, APEC has focused on solidifying and build- ing the relationship with our largest custom- er, a US based chain of home improvement stores. Buyers from this important customer
through different channels. iTR-100 s t r e t c h e s o n t h e t y p i c a l t i m e r e - corder functionality by offering new and c o m p e l l i n g c l o u d services, like online support, payroll and re- porting. Ultimately, iTr-100 is also the entry point for a further and seamless upgrade towards Astrow Cloud.
Amano Time & Parking Spain, S.A. To satisfy our customers, we should be a good partner and adviser for them. We believe that our attitude based on that idea must bring BENEFIT not only to our cus- tomers but also to us.
One project acquired in 2014 convinced us again of the importance of that idea. It was a new parking machines installation project for a middle-sized store belonging to a regional supermarket chain. Our sales and technical staff visited the customer several times to avoid any kind of misunderstanding on their requirements as well as to propose the most appropriate functions and lay-out of machines with the purpose of increas- ing eficiency and reducing cost. Even after the installation of our X-Parc machines, our technicians, talking with their software com- pany, arranged the functions in order that the both systems could work together. The X - P a r c m a c h i n e s
and their functions are appreciated by the customer, who trusts very much the quality of AMANO products and em- ployees.
This project really represents our style of business here in Spain. Being convinced of it, we will continue seeking for BENEFIT to the customers.
Horoquatz
During 2014 Horoquartz observed steady growth of its activities in the major business lines. More speciically an increasing demand has been noticed for solutions that render optimization, like advanced scheduling soft- ware. With HQ Activity, major successes have been achieved in the retail and ser- vices ield. This trend conirms that custom- ers are now focusing more on operational eficiency improvement than on HR admin- istration performance. Similar success has been booked with HQ Resources, a new scheduling solution that deals specifically with continuity constraints for municipalities and local authorities. All Horoquartz solu- tions have been deployed on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform as well in order to improve lexibility and reduce the cost for end-users. The P2S security solution has experienced steady
growth in 2014 and as it represents now 25% of the turnover, it can be seen as a new core business
for Horoquartz. Horoquartz also entered in new partnership with Business & Decision, a leading company in the ield business intel- ligence in order to provide our customers with comprehensive solutions in this ield. Horoquartz was a major sponsor of the event “The Victories of Human Capital”, held in Paris on 8 December 2014 where the award the ‘HR Director of the year’ was given. This event brought together 400 HR Directors from all the major French compa- nies. Horoquartz remains number one for workforce management solutions in France with a market share of more than 20%.
Amano Time & Air Singa-
pore Pte. Ltd.
We “Amano Time & Air Singapore Pte Ltd –Philippine Branch” stared to operate new branch ofice on March 1, 2015. Our of- ice is located south part of Metro Manila in Muntinlupa City.
Philippine consists of 7,107 islands. With a population of about 100 million people, the Philippines is the sev- enth-most populated country in Asia and the 12th most populated country in the world.
Also, Philippine is one of most raising country in South East Asia and has biggest market share of Business Process Outsourc- ing (BPO) in the world. New, we are chal- lenging to open the new market with new Filipino Amano family. We believe that we are catching up the market demand and are able to grow up with Philippines.
Amano Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
AM had recently been appointed as the preferred parking manager for the presti- gious neighborhood shopping mall; Citta Mall of 1,200 bays spread over both ground and lower ground loor. It was a competi- tive tendering exercise involving all major established parking operators in Malaysia. While most major shopping malls car park are managed in-house, AM is proud to be appointed to manage the Citta Mall car park under such market conditions in Malaysia. Besides providing parking management services to Citta Mall, AM will provide maintenance services and supply of tickets/ consumables to the current Amano GT Se- ries.
Being the third car parks for AM in Kuala Lumpur, we believe we will gain the market conidence and recognition of AM’s parking services, and will continue to expand the business to major cities like Johor Bahru and Penang.
For AM, we are currently still the only company that provides one-stop-service solutions on Management, Equipment Sup- ply, Maintenance, Customer Service and Consumables Supply. In the highly com-
petitive Malaysia market, Amano brand has been continuously remained the Top Brand Choice favored by most owners due to its reliability, durability and servicing. AM is also currently the only company represent- ing Amano principal in the market whereas other competing brands are all represented by local dealers or third party providers. By virtue of this presence, the Amano brand had gained further market conidence and support.
One of current major developments in Malaysia known as MyTown Project had recently awarded AM for the supply of the Amano GT Series. Being a retail-led mixed use development consisting of office, ser- viced apartments, retails and shopping mall (IKEA Store) with a total of 6,500 car park bays (1,810 ready in 2015), Amano brand had definitely made major quantum leap over other equipment brands. With the possibility of the client engaging AM for the car park management services, this will po- tentially provide the car park management business a major thrust into the market. The Xparc system had created few notable major success stories. We have been able to sell this system to the top developer in Malaysia and importantly, this group has been a major supporter of the other management system for many years. We see this as a major breakthrough, well strat- egized and supported by both the sales and service team.
Another key account would be the MRCB Group, a top GLC (government-linked company) in town having its parking subsid- iary; Semasa Parking utilizing the Xparc sys- tem. They have been a major contributor to the system with most of the car parks installing Xparc and being the major GLC, we foresee more new sites purchasing the system.
The LPRS which was installed and tested in the internationally recognized KLIA2 Air- port car park had gained positive feedback through improving overall car park security and client had require further customiza- tions.
The upcoming Touch N Go integration w h i c h i s n o w
nearing comple- t i o n s t a g e w i l l provide another push for Amano brand by reinforc- ing further its Top Brand Choice in the market.
Amano Korea Corporation
“Intelligent LED Lighting & Parking Con-
trol System utilizing Omni directional
cameras” Delivered!
The Intelligent LED Lighting Control Sys- tem automatically controls the lighting by detecting real-time movement of vehicles, people and the surrounding luminous in- tensity through Omni directional cameras.
The system will activate the LED lighting at optimum levels based on the information it receives, for instance, it will illuminate 20 to 30 meters ahead of the vehicle at an opti- mum intensity depending on its speed. It is the most advanced lighting control system available. By combining this system AKC has developed a parking lot management system that can also be used for parking lot security. As a parking lot management system, one omni directional camera can monitor up to 6 bays along with the license plate numbers of the vehicles parked in the 6 bays. This information can be used to provide vehicle parking and location guid- ance. In terms of parking lot security, unlike the conventional unidirectional cameras, the omni directional cameras has a wider scanning range (360 degrees) thereby mini- mizing the required number of cameras to c o v e r t h e s a m e
s p a c e , w h i c h i n turn will minimize the total cost of the system. The development of this system was c o m p l e t e d l a s t year and we are
proud to announce that we have received an order for the system early this year.
• Ordering Party: NS Home Shopping Center
• System Configuration: 1 Exit and 1 Entrance
• Parking bays: 476
The parking system is linked with the LED lighting control system and the main com- ponents delivered are as follows:
Operational sequence of the system: 1. When a vehicle enters the facility, the
LPR device reads the license plate and sends the information to the server.
LPR (Single & Dual) Auto Pay Station LPR (Ceiling type)
Omni directional camera (when vacant)
Omni directional camera (when full)
Credit card pay station Product Model DeliveredUnits Remarks
1 LPR Device
(Single) GT8500K 1
For exit (lighting plate integrated
type)
2 LPR Device
(Dual) GT8500KD 1
For entry (lighting plate integrated
type) 3 Ticket Dispenser GT2800S 1 Emergency backup
only
4 LPR (Sub) GT8400K 2 Ceiling type
5 Omni directional
camera AKC-OC-CB 83 12 Million Pixels
6 Auto Pay Station
(Advance) GT7100K 1
7 (Parking lot)Lighting LED-05 640 40W (with dimmer)
8 Parking Control
Server ATS2000S 1
9 Parking Control
Computer ATS2000 1
10 Credit Card Pay
Station GT6700DCT 1
11 Gate TFK-1630 3
NS Home Shopping Center
Images of the devices delivered
2. When the sensor (omni directional camera) detects a vehicle, the LED lights within a radius of 20m are activated at maximum illumination (adjustable by set- ting). The omni directional cameras light up in green or red to indicate vacant or full thereby guiding the driver where to park.
3. This particular system controls 476 park- ing bays with 83 omni directional cameras which are systematically linked with the LED lighting control system providing maximum hospitality “omotenashi” for the driver.
4. The omni directional cameras are con- stantly active and the images are recorded on the Network Video Recorder (NVR). The recorded video can be replayed anytime on demand. Thus the system also functions as a security system. The constant video recording deters crime and the video images could aid in solving crimes.
In developing and delivering this system, AKC adopted the concept of linking two state-of-the-art systems in parking and LED lighting control. Although the system instal- lation is scheduled for late June 2015, this comprehensive solution is attracting market attention.
In Korea, the competition in parking systems is getting ierce. There are already 10 major competitors in parking systems alone and AKC is currently facing eroding margins and increased dificulties in winning bids. Under such circumstances, in order to generate revenues and profit, AKC has recognized the importance of developing products which differentiates them from others such as linking different systems that have differ- ent functions.
AKC has already developed an on-street flapless system and 3-bay camera system etc which are unique and backed by a
growing delivery track record. AKC will strive to enhance their ability to develop unique products that will not only differenti- ate them from others but will enable AKC to meet the needs of society and/or even create new standards.
Video images from Omni directional cameras
4 Split analytical video images
Parking lot (Omni directional camera, LED lighting)
