Nagoya Railway and Prodrone enter into capital and business alliance

Nagoya Railway Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Representative Director: Hiroki Takasaki, hereinafter referred to as "Nagoya Railway") and Prodrone Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Representative Director: Shunsuke Toya, hereinafter referred to as "Prodrone"), one of Japan's leading industrial drone manufacturers, have entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with the aim of contributing to society by building safe and secure "air infrastructure." Details are as below.1. Background of the capital and business allianceNagoya Railway and Prodrone have been working together on drone demonstration experiments aimed at solving regional and social issues, triggered by the 2019 Aichi Prefecture project "Unmanned Flying Robot Social Implementation Promotion Project." In July 2022, we entered into a business partnership (*1) and are deepening our collaboration from multiple angles.From this fiscal year, we are also participating in the "Aichi Mobility Innovation Project 'Aichi Model 2030 Connecting Sky and Roads'" (*2), leading public-private collaboration efforts in the field of drones and air mobility.
By entering into this new capital and business alliance, we will build a stronger collaborative system, make the most of our mutual know-how, and further contribute to the region through drones.2. Details of capital and business alliance(1) Nagoya Railway will underwrite Prodrone's third-party allotment of capital. (Investment date: July 25, 2023)

(2) The Meitetsu Drone Academy will be in charge of training on industrial drones developed by ProDrone, such as the "Flying Light Truck (*3)," including the operation. Furthermore, by utilizing the resources of the Meitetsu Group, we will consider collaborating in areas such as aircraft maintenance, log analysis, and business support application development, in order to enhance support for professional drone users and accelerate the development of new services.

3. Contact information regarding this matterNagoya Railway Co., Ltd. Public Relations Department TEL: 052-588-0813
Prodrone Co., Ltd. Business Management Department Takeshima TEL: 052-890-8802*1 Business allianceThe agreement was signed in July 2022 and announced at the "Drone Expo 2022 in Aichi" venue hosted by ProDrone. Nagoya Railway Announcement: Nagoya Railway and Prodrone conclude business partnership in drone utilization https://www.prodrone.com/jp/release/8341/*2 Aichi Mobility Innovation Project “Aichi Model 2030 Connecting the Sky and the Road”ProDrone's proposal was selected as the first of Aichi Prefecture's ``Innovative Business Creation Proposal Platform (A-idea),'' and it is a public-private partnership (private-led initiative) that aims to build a new mobility society from Aichi where there are no boundaries for the movement of people and goods, such as by speeding up the social implementation of ``aerial'' mobility such as drones and flying cars, and by operating under simultaneous control with self-driving vehicles. It will start in May 2023, with Nagoya Railway also participating as a core member.
https://www.prodrone.com/jp/release/8939/
https://www.prodrone.com/jp/release/8963/*3 Flying light truckA "flying light truck" is an engine-driven drone that can carry 50 kg of cargo and fly up to 50 km. During normal times, the aircraft contributes to regional issues in mountainous areas and remote islands by delivering pharmaceuticals, and during disasters, it is being developed as an aircraft that contributes to disaster mitigation by transporting relief supplies to isolated villages.

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■Comment from Takeshi Suzuki, Managing Executive Officer, Nagoya Railway Co., Ltd.

We are already collaborating in a wide range of fields, including demonstration experiments, but we feel that by taking this partnership one step further with Prodrone, a company from Aichi Prefecture that has one of the best technological capabilities in the industry, we will greatly expand the possibilities for service development in the drone and air mobility field. We will continue to deepen our collaboration and advance initiatives that contribute to solving regional and social issues.
This project will be the first investment of the Meitetsu Open Innovation Lab (*4), which was established in April of this year. We will continue to create new businesses through co-creation with startups.

*4 Meitetsu Open Innovation Lab

■Comments from Shunsuke Totani, President and Representative Director of Prodrone Co., Ltd.

Participating in the Meitetsu Group Drone Commercialization Committee in 2017 led to the 2019 FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) sanctioned DTRC 2019 Drone World Cup (drone racing) and the Tokyo Motor Show hosting a symposium aimed at air mobility revolution, which led to me joining ProDrone in 2021.
ProDrone has also been collaborating with us for some time, including promoting demonstration experiments and pilot training projects together since 2019, but with this investment, we will further deepen our collaboration in the future.

■About Prodrone Co., Ltd.
With the vision of "becoming the most trusted drone company in the region," we aim to build a drone ecosystem in the Chubu region. We develop and manufacture industrial drones such as the multicopter PD6B-Type3, which has started mass production with a recommended payload of 20 kg, and the helicopter type PDH-GS120, which can fly for 2 hours and has excellent weather resistance.

■Prodrone Co., Ltd. Company Profile
Company name: PRODRONE Co., Ltd.
Representative: Shunsuke Toya, Representative Director and President
Head office location: 1-115 Nakahira, Tenpaku-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 468-0014