Toyota Material Handling Japan and Fujitsu launch Japan's first service for evaluating forklift safety in the cloud using AI

Aichi and Kawasaki, Japan, July 23, 2024 - (JCN Newswire) - Today, Toyota Material Handling Japan (TMHJ), a division of Toyota Industries Corporation and Fujitsu Limited (Fujitsu) announced a joint development of the Japan's first service (1). The AI Forklift Driving Analysis service evaluates the safety of forklift driving in the cloud, combining TMHJ's logistics expertise with the AI service Fujitsu Kozuchi on Fujitsu Data Intelligence PaaS. This service is available through TMHJ's FORKLORE (2), a suite of IoT subscription services for logistics sites.

Image of Driving Video AI Analysis usage

Forklifts are frequently used in places where people and goods are in constant movement, such as factories and logistics warehouses. Therefore, operators are required to drive safely. To evaluate the safety of forklift driving, many customers install dash cameras, however it takes a significant amount of time to review the recorded footage to identify unsafe operation and lacks consistency in evaluations.

The AI Forklift Driving Analysis service uses Fujitsu Kozuchi to streamline safety driving evaluation tasks and support safety training. AI trained on forklift maneuvers and operator’s safety check behavior analyzes dash camera footage to automatically detect unsafe operations. It automatically generates a safety driving scorecard for each operator by extracting potential risk scenarios and unsafe operation scenes, providing objective data that can be used for feedback to them. The detected operations can be reviewed efficiently, greatly reducing the time taken to review video footage and enhancing operator safety awareness.

TMHJ, a leading forklift manufacturer, has been actively working on data utilization in addition to product development and sales. In 2021, the company released FORKLORE, a suite of services that collect, store, and analyze data on operating conditions and usage status, supporting customer site improvement. Currently, FORKLORE offers a Dashcam Connect service that allows users to view forklift operating conditions and recorded footage on the web using dash camera data, and a Battery Connect service that visualizes the usage status of lithium-ion batteries for forklifts. TMHJ will continue to develop services that meet customer needs and evolve FORKLORE to ensure the safety of logistic sites.

Fujitsu provides the AI service Fujitsu Kozuchi on Fujitsu Data Intelligence PaaS, the data and AI-powered operations platform of Fujitsu Uvance, which leverages data and AI. Utilizing the world-class image analysis technology for humans and objects provided by Fujitsu Kozuchi, the AI Forklift Driving Analysis service analyzes operator movements and the surrounding environment of the forklift to evaluate safety driving levels. In the future, Fujitsu aims to continually contribute to a safer and more secure working environment by leveraging the data analysis capabilities of Fujitsu Data Intelligence PaaS and technology under Fujitsu Uvance.

Results Display Screen（Show occurrences of unsafe operations and their types with icons.）

(1) Japan's first service: Based on research by Toyota Industries Corporation
(2) FORKLORE: As of July 23, 2024, the AI Forklift Driving Analysis service and FORKLORE are available only in Japan

About Toyota Industries Corporation

Toyota Industries Corporation was established in Kariya, Aichi Prefecture in 1926 for the manufacture and sale of the Type G Automatic Loom invented by Toyota Industries Corporation founder Sakichi Toyoda. Afterwards, the company’s field of business was expanded to automotive related fields such as vehicles, engines, and car air conditioning compressors, as well as industrial vehicles, such as forklifts, and other materials handling equipment and systems related to transportation, storage, and sorting of goods. We continued to devote ourselves to research and development to create new value as well as to providing products and services that would satisfy our customers. Currently, we have 277 consolidated subsidiary companies, our employee count has risen to 77,824 (as of March 31, 2024), and we are proud to hold the largest world market share* for three products: air-jet looms, car air conditioning compressors, and forklifts. In promoting our diverse businesses, Toyota Industries Corporation contributes to making the earth a better place to live, enrich lifestyles and promote a compassionate society. Find out more:www.toyota-industries.com.

*Based on research by Toyota Industries Corporation

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu’s purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. As the digital transformation partner of choice for customers in over 100 countries, our 124,000 employees work to resolve some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Our range of services and solutions draw on five key technologies: Computing, Networks, AI, Data & Security, and Converging Technologies, which we bring together to deliver sustainability transformation. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 3.7 trillion yen (US$26 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 and remains the top digital services company in Japan by market share. Find out more: www.fujitsu.com.

Press Contacts

Toyota Industries Corporation
Public Affairs Division
Inquiries

Fujitsu Limited
Public and Investor Relations Division
Inquiries