Konica Minolta : Accelerates Its Global Video Solution Service Business by Using AI

Tokyo (January 6, 2023) - Konica Minolta, Inc. (Konica Minolta) announces that the Company will strengthen its business in the monitoring and video solution services field, by deploying solutions that use AI and by harnessing its global sales capabilities in order to maximize sales opportunity and accelerate growth in a growing market.

Ensuring Social Safety and Security by Imaging IoT

Emerging social issues include the growing risk of disasters due to climate change and the shrinking workforce due to aging society. To ensure safety and security of the people and improve productivity of the industy, it is necessary to solve social issues through digital transformation (DX). While addressing five material issues including "ensuring social safety and security," through its business, Konica Minolta aims to help solve these issues at our customers' place through advanced on-site (on the edge side) real-time recognition and judgment based on AI processing using the FORXAI imaging IoT platform.

Some FORXAI edge devices were developed using edge computing IP cameras, image data compression technology, and image data analysis technology of MOBOTIX AG (MOBOTIX), in which Konica Minolta acquired 65% stakes in 2016. Solutions that ensure highly reliable monitoring based on technology collaboration with MOBOTIX have helped improve safety and security for customers.

Closer Collaboration with MOBOTIX

In the monitoring and video solution service markets, growth areas have been shifting from simple security cameras to AI-based detection, analysis, prediction and forecasting, as well as data services using such capabilities. In these growth markets, Konica Minolta will strengthen collaboration with its global sales channels and MOBOTIX by focusing on the safety and security of manufacturing processes, plants, logistics, traffic infrastructure, and important security management facilities, by leveraging the strengths of Konica Minolta's imaging technology and MOBOTIX's highly durable and reliable edge devices, thermal solutions, and edge AI. Konica Minolta will thereby increase profitability and achieve growth.

1. Strengthening the video solution service system at sales companies in the global network

Konica Minolta's global sales companies have been offering video solution services based on MOBOTIX's products and services to digitize the workflow at customers. Konica Minolta started to expand sales by offering a body surface temperature measurement solution during the Covid-19 pandemic in FY2020. The sales companies posted 50% higher revenues year-on-year in the first half of FY2022.

Konica Minolta will continue to strengthen the structure of video solution service business at its global sales companies. In North America, the Company has started to integrate product distribution with those of MOBOTIX in April 2022. In Europe, Konica Minolta has started operating a showroom in Prague from June 2022, launched new services called FORXAI Video Analytic Solution and FORXAI Visual Quality Inspection. Furthermore, the Company started to establish a video solution service business unit in October. The Company will also recruit additional sales engineers who can propose solutions to customers.

Toshiya Eguchi, Konica Minolta's Executive Vice President and Executive Officer Responsible for Technologies and Imaging-IoT Solution Business, commented as follows:
"MOBOTIX's products and services have greatly helped boost safety and security at customers, which is our aim. We will continue to help solve social issues with MOBOTIX by taking advantage of Konica Minolta's imaging IoT technology and its global sales network."

2. Expanding new fields through acquisition of Vaxtor Ltd.

In May 2022, MOBOTIX acquired Vaxtor Ltd. (Vaxtor), which offers automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) and optical character recognition (OCR) solutions. Vaxtor excels in the traffic infrastructure field through its ALPR technology. For example, to manage, monitor, and check trucks and containers at ports, Vaxtor's ALPR engine can scan plates in more than 150 countries, guide drivers on site, and check access permission.

Konica Minolta believes that, in collaboration with MOBOTIX, the Company can expand into new fields by offering greater value to customers in the traffic and logistics infrastructure field utilizing license plate and container scanning AI technology.

MOBOTIX CEO Thomas Lausten commented as follows:
"We are very exitited of the increased investments and focus on MOBOTIX technologies being offered to Konica Minolta's many global customers. We are confident that our products and solution services can solve many more social issues by taking full advantage of Konica Minolta's global sales network and support service system. I expect that new video solution services will be jointly created with Konica Minolta."

AI Solution through Collaboration with MOBOTIX

Konica Minolta has developed workflow solutions for ensuring safety and security based on monitoring by combining imaging technology, whose core is image input and output and image processing, with MOBOTIX's decentralized processing IP cameras and video management systems (VMSs). For example, Konica Minolta offers a gas monitoring solution to identify leaks, which are difficult to detect, and support complex data recording and management by visualizing hydrocarbon gases; a fire prevention solution to quickly detect and notify invisible, unusual heat; and a safe behavior support system to visualize the behavior of on-site operators at plants and quantitatively assess unsafe behavior.

Konica Minolta will continue to quickly develop solutions by connecting FORXAI with MOBOTIX's unique edge device products and combining with AI and other sensor devices to solve customers' issues, and to deploy such solutions globally, thereby achieving growth in this field and solving social issues.

About MOBOTIX

MOBOTIX is a manufacturer of IP video surveillance cameras and video management software. With image processors and storage embedded within the camera, MOBOTIX video solutions enable its customers to reduce server load and storage volume, which saves customers' total cost of ownership. The camera main units are highly durable and ensure uninterrupted capturing in severe environments. Thus, the cameras are ideal in outdoor applications such as monitoring river levels. The products are sold globally mainly through a strong sales network in Europe, including Germany.