This time, our company (Nikko Co., Ltd.) held a tour and regional competition for the Robot Idea Koshien 2025 "Northern Hokkaido Tournament in Kushiro." This is a robot idea contest for students organized by the Japan Robot System Integrators Association, where students propose and present new ways to utilize industrial robots and communication robots with their free ideas. During the regional competition, presentations were made by seven participating students, and through questions and comments from the judges, there was an in-depth discussion about the creativity, feasibility, and social relevance of the ideas. The achievements of the award winners, as well as the challenges faced by each participating student, provided an opportunity to feel the potential of future talent in the fields of manufacturing and robotics.

We will be exhibiting at the "Hokuyo Bank Manufacturing Sustainability Fair 2025" to be held at Access Sapporo on July 23, 2025. This year, the theme is "A Land Full of Challenges: Hokkaido." We will be demonstrating our "High-Performance Dewatering Device Suitor" and "Collaborative Robot." You will be able to see a demonstration where the "Collaborative Robot" automatically supplies products that require surface dewatering to the "Suitor." For users handling products that require dewatering in the Sapporo area: - Concerned about the loud noise from machines during dewatering - Finding that dewatering is insufficient and having to wipe twice - Struggling with high electricity costs, etc. We can propose the optimal dewatering device for such users. We sincerely look forward to your visit.

Fill sashimi-style ham into the film pocket of the packaging machine with a special hand. Please check the case details from [related products].

This is a box packing robot characterized by stable packing with a special hand that minimizes handling errors as much as possible. Please check the case details from [related products].

We will be exhibiting at "FOOMA JAPAN 2025," which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight from June 10 (Tuesday) to June 13 (Friday), 2025. This time, we will demonstrate our cardboard case unpacking and retrieval device, Suitool, and the sharpening robot. In particular, the "cardboard unpacking device" will be demonstrated in conjunction with a collaborative robot, automating the depalletizing of cases and their loading into the device. We have improved this product compared to last year's exhibit, making it easier to open cases and offering a smoother unpacking process. The "Suitool" will also be linked with a collaborative robot for automatic loading of workpieces. We have detailed information available on our special website, so please take a look. Additionally, we have opened a visitor registration site to ensure we can assist you promptly at the venue. (Visitors who register in advance will receive a novelty gift.) [Nikko Booth] East Hall 7, 7J-23 [Venue] Tokyo Big Sight [Date] June 10 (Tuesday) to June 13 (Friday), 2025 All of our staff sincerely look forward to your visit.

We will participate in the experiential exhibition "Future Voyage - The Journey of Small and Medium Enterprises Challenging Towards 20xx" at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo. This exhibition will showcase the theme of "Utilizing the strengths of small and medium enterprises to tackle social issues and advance towards a future society," featuring future-oriented products, services, and technologies from small and medium enterprises across Japan in an experiential format. A total of 84 companies have been selected from across the country to participate. We invite you to stop by when you visit the expo. Date: October 3 (Friday) - October 7 (Tuesday), 2025 Venue: Osaka-Kansai Expo Exhibition Facility EXPO Messe "WASSE" South Organizer: Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan / Small and Medium Enterprise Agency

We pack bagged frozen foods into boxes while inserting cushioning sheets, following the specified quantity and method. We use a two-item handling tool, but we also accommodate single-item and two-item handling while placing cushioning sheets in between, achieving the user-specified packing method. We have also released a video, so please take a look. If you are considering introducing robots, feel free to consult with our company, which specializes in robot system integration for the food industry.

As a case study, we have unveiled a packing robot for products in bags and retort pouches into cardboard cases. We have uploaded a description and a video. If you are considering introducing a robot, please consult with our company, which specializes in food-related robotics.

In the packaging process of the production site for Wiener sausages, much relies on manual labor. The process involves (1) aligning the bending direction of each sausage and arranging a specified number in a row, and (2) using a dedicated jig to place the sausages into bags, or, in the case of a deep-draw vacuum packaging machine, feeding the sausages into pockets in accordance with the machine's operating speed, which is a labor-intensive task. This system has fully automated that process. It has proven effective in reducing labor and improving the working environment. For more details, please refer to the related products.

In the May issue of Forbes Japan, in the "BRAND VOICE" section, an article titled "The Future of the Food Processing Industry that Nikko and Mizuho Bank are Challenging Together" featuring our company president Sato and Mizuho Bank has been published. Forbes JAPAN is the Japanese version of the economic magazine Forbes, which is loved by 8 million readers in 38 countries worldwide. The article can also be read on the official Forbes JAPAN website, so please take a look. (You can view it from the related link URL.)

We will be exhibiting at FOOMA JAPAN 2024, held at Tokyo Big Sight from June 4 (Tuesday) to June 7 (Friday). This time, we will demonstrate our upgraded "Cardboard Case Unpacking and Retrieval Device," which can handle large cardboard unpacking tasks! [Nikko Booth] East Hall 7, 7D-02 [Nikko Booth Reservation Page] [No waiting time! Free novelty gifts!] https://www.k-nikko.com/nikko-fooma2024/ The demonstration will be linked with the "Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR)," "Collaborative Robot," and "Cardboard Crushing Machine." Raw cardboard will be transported by the 'AMR,' unpacked and fed into the device by the 'Collaborative Robot,' automatically opened without damaging the contents inside, and the empty boxes will be discharged. The 'Cardboard Crushing Machine' will automatically crush the empty boxes. Additionally, we will also demonstrate the high-performance dewatering device "Suitor" and the multi-type knife sharpening robot "Togi Robo." Please come and see the actual machines at the venue. *Important* Registration is required for entry to FOOMA JAPAN 2024 on the "FOOMA JAPAN Official Website."

We are pleased to announce that the scallop automatic shucking machine (Patent No. 6808270, Product Name: Auto Shucker) developed by Nikko Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kushiro City, Representative Director: Kazuo Sato) has received the Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises Agency Award at the Hokkaido Regional Invention Awards for the fiscal year 2023 (organized by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation). This marks the third time we have received an award at the Hokkaido Regional Invention Awards, following 2000 and 2017. The award ceremony will be held on October 26, 2023 (Thursday) at Grand Park Otaru (Otaru City). * Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation HP: http://koueki.jiii.or.jp/hyosho/chihatsu/R5/jusho_hokkaido/index.html The Auto Shucker has gained attention as a piece of machinery related to the emergency support project for the fishing industry announced by the government concerning ALPS-treated water, and we are currently seeing an increase in inquiries from scallop-producing regions. * Auto Shucker HP: https://www.k-nikko.com/product/%e3%82%aa%e3%83%bc%e3%83%88%e3%82%b7%e3%82%a7%e3%83%a9%e3%83%bc/

We will be exhibiting at the "Hokuyo Bank Monozukuri Sustainability Fair 2023" held in Sapporo. This exhibition is the leading trade show in Hokkaido aimed at creating a sustainable future for the manufacturing industry, and our company participates every year. This time, we will demonstrate the "High-Performance Dewatering Device Suitol," which enables a comfortable environment without noise during the dewatering process of packaged products. We will also showcase robots that are currently gaining attention in the industry. These include a "Collaborative Robot" that can work alongside humans and an "Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR)" that is active in the logistics industry. As an experienced robot system integrator, we will propose optimal solutions for your company's labor-saving and automation needs. Although it is a one-day event, we encourage you to visit the venue. We look forward to seeing you there. [Hokuyo Bank Monozukuri Sustainability Fair 2023] Date: July 20, 2023, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Location: Access Sapporo (4 Chome, Ryutsu Center, Shiroishi Ward, Sapporo City) Admission: Free (No pre-registration required. Please bring two business cards for entry.)

On July 6th (Thursday), we successfully held the webinar "Three Points for Solving Labor Shortages - Part 2: Automation." Thank you very much for the participation of many attendees. We hope it provided valuable information for all participants. Those who could not attend this time will have the opportunity to join next time. We look forward to your participation. [Register here] → https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kRUI03p6S9CMd9d_HbPfLA#/registration [More details here] → https://www.k-nikko.com/webinar/

We will be demonstrating a cardboard case unpacking and extraction device at FOOMA JAPAN. In our booth, in addition to the unpacking device, we will showcase the transportation of cardboard cases using AMR and the depalletization and loading into equipment with collaborative robots. By automating the labor-intensive tasks of unpacking, transporting, and loading, we contribute to improving the working environment. We invite you to visit the venue and see the actual equipment. [NIKKO Booth] East Hall 7, 7R-12 [Product introduction can be found here] https://www.k-nikko.com/nikko-fooma2023/ By pre-registering on our booth's "Exhibition Visitor Registration Site," you won't have to wait for explanations or consultations about the equipment. Those who register and visit will receive a novelty gift from us. Please register on the site and come visit us! [NIKKO Exhibition Visitor Registration Site] https://www.k-nikko.com/nikko-fooma2023/entry/index.html *Important* Registration is required for entry to FOOMA JAPAN 2023 on the "FOOMA JAPAN Official Site."

HBC Television (Hokkaido Broadcasting Co., Ltd.) featured our company in the program "Overcoming Corona! The Challenges of Dosanko Companies" on the forefront of northern business. This program states, "The full-scale development of Hokkaido began in the Meiji era, and its history is still short at just over 120 years. Thanks to the blood, sweat, and tears of the pioneers, Hokkaido has rapidly developed and produced many entrepreneurs who inherit the pioneering spirit, with several companies growing to represent Japan. This program introduces companies that are passionately active in the northern land of Hokkaido, as well as companies from Honshu that are focusing on Hokkaido." (From the program's website) In the program, our "Hokkaido Robot Laboratory" and our initiatives were introduced. The broadcast was limited to Hokkaido, but it can also be viewed on YouTube and Monsuke TV (HBC's video distribution service). Please take a look. [YouTube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JoWvFkuwF8 [Monsuke TV] https://www.hbc.co.jp/monsuketv/article.html?id=5521

To handle industrial robots, it is necessary to receive special education based on a prescribed curriculum and obtain certification (as stipulated by the Labor Safety and Health Act and Labor Safety and Health Regulations). The "Hokkaido Robot Laboratory" was established in April 2022 to provide "special education for industrial robots" as defined by the Labor Safety and Health Act and Labor Safety and Health Regulations, targeting companies currently using or planning to use industrial robots, as well as students, to enhance DX technology and robot literacy. Our company employs staff with qualifications as industrial robot special education instructors who conduct training based on the curriculum defined by the Labor Safety and Health Act, utilizing knowledge and know-how gained from years of experience as a robot system integrator. Additionally, the facility conducts demonstration tests for companies using actual robots and classes for students. In the future, the introduction of robots will be essential as a means to address labor shortages. This can serve as a training ground for developing personnel capable of handling "robots," which will likely become essential skills across various industries, including those in the service sector, tourism, agriculture, dairy farming, and construction, that have previously had no connection to robots. (For more details on special education for industrial robots, please contact the person in charge via email or other means.)

The program "Wings of Growth - The Struggles of 3.5 Million Companies," which airs every Sunday at 10 PM on BS Teleto, will feature our company in the November 14 broadcast titled "Automation Needs in Niches." This program picks one small or medium-sized enterprise from across the country each week to showcase their efforts and initiatives. For those who cannot watch BS broadcasts, the episodes will be uploaded to YouTube the day after they air, so you can watch them there.

A device called "Auto Bagger" (patent pending) has been developed to automatically perform vacuum packaging film filling operations at meat processing plants (beef and pork), and sales targeting mainly meat packers will begin this autumn. The Auto Bagger uses a laser scanner to measure the size of beef and pork cuts in three dimensions, instantly calculates the volume of the meat, and then continuously selects the appropriate size of vacuum packaging film and bags it using a robot. The processing capacity is 16 to 17 shots per minute, and when processing the same cut continuously, it is 12 to 13 shots per minute. It can accommodate three different bag sizes. For bagging, a finger conveyor that can individually control the main conveyor and two sub-conveyors according to the size of the meat is employed. This makes it easier for the robot to cover the meat with the bag, achieving a neat bagging process. According to the company, the introduction of this device will increase labor productivity per person by about three times when processing at a rate of 17 bags per minute. Additionally, while traditional manual operations required six personnel, the operation can now be performed with just two people for loading and transferring to the next vacuum packaging machine. Furthermore, the automation reduces the time hands are in contact with the meat, providing significant benefits from a food safety perspective.