Aug 9, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

AUCNET INC. Announces Investment in MIRAI-LABO Co., LTD

AUCNET INC. (TOKYO:3964), an information distribution support service provider (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Kiyotaka Fujisaki; hereafter “AUCNET”) will begin a business collaboration with MIRAI-LABO CO., LTD, a leading developer of various products based on renewable energy and lighting technologies (Head office: Hachioji-shi, Tokyo; Representative Director: Toshio Hiratsuka; hereafter “MIRAI-LABO”) in August 2019. AUCNET made an investment in MIRAI-LABO in April this year.

Since 2006, MIRAI-LABO has developed in-house a range of highly efficient natural energy products and solutions centered on its patented LED lighting and the world's first lithium-ion battery pack capable of continuous power supply. Their products are used by government agencies including the Ministry of Defense, police and fire departments, Japan Highway Public Corporation, etc., and are highly valued for their technological capabilities and reliability.

AUCNET will provide MIRAI-LABO with resources and capabilities cultivated in its wide-ranging business development experience over 30 years, including sales resources, strategic planning capabilities and manpower. This will enable MIRAI-LABO to ramp-up its business development by increasing its speed-to-market and expanding its geographic scope. The companies will work together in the below areas.

Main Areas of Collaboration:

1. MBMS (Multiple Battery Management System)*1

MIRAI-LABO's technology produces a lithium-ion battery system that has advantages such as battery replacement without power supply interruption, protection against electric shock, durability for long-term storage, and extended life, and is used in various applications.
As an example, MIRAI-LABO’s technology enables the reuse of electric vehicles’ (EV’s) used lithium-ion batteries as self-powered street lights and as stand-alone power to off-the-grid areas.

2. Use in MaaS Society*2

MIRAI-LABO has patented LED lighting technology that combines lens surface finishing technology with multiple parabolic reflectors to achieve energy saving while solving color and illuminance unevenness typically associated with LED’s. Another patented technology combines power supply noise removal technology and stable power supply technology know-how, which also applies to AC / DC alternating environments. This enables the incorporation of functions such as cameras, sensors, Wi-Fi antennae, and 5G*3 mini base stations in lighting fixtures including LED tubes and road surface lighting.
In addition, MIRAI-LABO has developed Japan's first photovoltaic road surface pavement panel. Supplying the power generated on the road surface to 5G antennae and mobility systems facilitates stable communications transmission, security systems, self-driving systems, etc. In the near future, roads will become independent electricity generators, and installing EV battery rapid charging facilities will enable the electricity generated on roads to be stored.

3. Energy saving solar panel technology

MIRAI-LABO's road surface solar power generation panel, Solar Mobiway features a unique parallel cell design (an impediment to one cell does not affect other cells), circuit control technology know-how that can generate electricity even in cloudy weather, and other patented technologies that can be applied to various products in the future and contribute to SDGs*4.

*1 MBMS (Multiple Battery Management System): A system that monitors and controls multiple batteries to operate effectively
*2 MaaS (Mobility as a Service): The concept of capturing the movement of people and goods as a service
*3 5G: Ultra-high-speed, ultra-low delay, large-capacity, high-volume communication
*4 SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals - 17 goals set by the UN to realize a sustainable world

About MIRAI-LABO INC.
Company Name: MIRAI-LABO Inc.
Address: 3-3-20, Senin-cho, Hachioji-Shi, Tokyo, Japan (Post Code: 193-0835)
Board Member: CEO/President: Toshio Hiratsuka
Established Date: April 6th, 2006
Capital: 270 Million Yen (as of Aug.1st 2019)
Number of Employees: 14 (as of Aug. 1st 2019)
Website URL: http://mirai-lab.com/

About AUCNET INC.
Company Name: AUCNET INC.
Address: 2-5-8 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-Ku, Tokyo, Japan “Aoyama OM Square” (Post Code: 107‐8349)
Representative: President & CEO: Kiyotaka Fujisaki
Established Date: Jun. 29th 1985
Capital: 1,711 Million Yen (as of Dec. 31st 2018)
Consolidated Net Sales: 19,400Million Yen (Year ending Dec. 2018)
Number of employees (in the whole group): 677 (as of Dec. 31st 2018 at present)
Stock: First section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange(stock code: 3964)

Business Description : Started the online real-time auction business from 1985. The online real-time auction does not have the actual products, but instead we provide reliable and accurate information of products for B2B (business to business) customers. We operate our platform based on the three elements, “Operational Know-How”, “Reliability of Information”, and “Original System”. Aucnet has developed business for used cars, used motorcycles, flowers, used digital produces, and used luxury brand items and has amassed a membership of approximately 25,000 companies. We continue to create new distribution systems.