According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Japanese rolling stock makers are tapping the "internet of things" to offer maintenance and management solutions to rail system operators suffering from chronic staffing shortages.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries looks to offer a service that uses cameras and sensors mounted on freight trains to detect problems such as track warping. The monitoring service also analyzes operating data to determine the least disruptive time to make repairs. The system is slated to launch as early as next year.
Companies like Kawasaki Heavy and peer Hitachi are developing services for rail maintenance in order to supplement their train car manufacturing operations, which have become increasingly unprofitable as price competition escalates.
With its monitoring service, which may be offered through a subscription model, Kawasaki Heavy seeks a slice of the estimated $6 billion North American rail maintenance market.
Major rail freight companies operate more than 200,000 km of track in the U.S. alone. In some areas, such as the Rocky Mountains, rough terrain makes it difficult to check track conditions in person. Though shippers run track inspection vehicles once a year or so, derailments in recent years have put pressure on these businesses to improve safety.
Kawasaki Heavy's service will let even regular trains spot problems "with nearly the same level of accuracy as inspection cars," said Hiroshi Nakatani, general manager of the group's corporate technology division.
Hitachi, which enjoys a strong presence in Europe, has partnered with the owner of the Copenhagen Metro in Denmark to test a system that automatically adjusts train service based on ridership. The service, which runs on Hitachi's Lumada platform, uses sensors at each station to track congestion.
The system should ease crowding for riders while reducing costs and improving efficiency for rail operators. Hitachi looks to put it on the market soon, targeting mainly developed countries.
In Australia, Hitachi and miner Rio Tinto have created a fully automated long-haul freight rail network. The driverless system has improved efficiency sharply by eliminating the need for the hourlong shift changes that averaged three per day. Hitachi reports a 6% increase in speed, along with greater operating flexibility.
But as with rolling stock, competition also is intensifying in rail services. Siemens in particular has been a step ahead of Japanese rivals in the internet of things space. The German company has teamed with Sweden's SKF, the world's largest maker of ball bearings, on a maintenance system that monitors train components and provides recommendations on when they should be replaced.
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Transportation/Japan-s-train-car-makers-turn-to-connected-rail-line-services

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/iot9254340 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, an Aussie tech company has won a key deal with a high-end Japanese apple exporter that will give end consumers the ability to trace the origin of fruit.
Brisbane-based Fresh Supply Co has penned a contract to provide its traceability system to Tokyo-based Nihon Agri and two of its apple packing facilities, after what co-founder David Inderias described as a tough process.
"It took a long time to get a yes," Mr Inderias said. "There was no wining and dining – it was me in a shed getting my hands dirty, understanding what they're all about."
The 35-year-old explained that to be able to build the relationship he had to spend time in northern Japan at the apple packing facilities that handle the fruit marketed and sold by Nihon.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/the-brisbane-start-up-making-sure-posh-japanese-apples-are-legit-20191017-p531ji

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/3046840 
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Japanese electronics conglomerate Toshiba will launch an "internet of things" platform next spring that will include companies like SoftBank Group, wireless carrier KDDI and utility Tokyo Gas.
Toshiba will create an association of roughly 100 Japanese companies called ifLink Open Community, the company announced on Tuesday. The group will be established by the end of March.
The global internet of things market totaled US$ 646 billion last year, according to U.S. researcher IDC, and is forecast to surpass US$ 1 trillion in 2022.
It is a significant step for Japanese companies that are struggling to break into the growing technology sector. More than 90% of Japanese businesses say they lack information technology specialists, according to a recent government white paper.
The IoT market is currently dominated by companies like General Electric, Hitachi and Siemens, which offer their own proprietary systems.
Businesses participating in Toshiba's new platform will not have to design their own services from scratch. Prototypes can be developed in one or two days by combining products from other companies, reducing the time needed for commercialization.
The group will follow Amazon.com's model, which offers connection kits to manufacturers developing smart devices that use the company's Alexa artificial intelligence tech. Over 85,000 products have emerged through the program.
Backers of Toshiba's initiative say it could help combine existing technologies in new ways, such as placing weight sensors in front of museum artwork to automatically start offering guidance when visitors are detected, and houses that activate their own lights and air conditioning at the turn of a key.
The diversity of the alliance's prospective members shows how the arrival of faster 5G wireless networks is stimulating innovation across traditional industry lines.
Toshiba will also develop a website for consumers that will display products developed by alliance members. Shoppers will be able to mix and match offerings even if they possess no programming knowledge.
Companies and organizations in the ifLink community will pay annual fees between 30,000 yen and 3.6 million yen (US$277 to US$33,260) depending on their size and other factors.
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Toshiba-to-form-IoT-alliance-with-SoftBank-KDDI-and-others

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/iot100 
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, for businesspeople and others on the go looking to get an important task out of the way or make a private call to a client, enter the booth--literally.
Railway operators and other businesses have been introducing soundproof booths at train stations for company workers seeking to do work outside the office, buoyed by the promotion of teleworking to ease traffic congestion during next year's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
Two such booths were set up on Oct. 1 behind a ticket gate at Kyodo Station on the Odakyu Line in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward.
Measuring 1.2 meters long, 1.2 meters wide and 2.3 meters tall, the booths are equipped with a desk, sofa, socket and USB charger. As the top is covered and the walls are soundproof, users can speak with clients and others by phone without worrying about being overheard by people nearby.
Those who wish to use the service register on a dedicated website, book an available booth and read a QR code displayed on the door to unlock it with a smartphone.
Prices start from 250 yen (US$ 2.30) for 15 minutes.
A similar service started at Machida Station in the capital on Oct. 28 as well. The program benefits Odakyu Electric Railway Co., operator of the Odakyu Line, as it can receive rent from Tokyo-based Telecube Services Co., which offers mobile offices.
Starting from September, Seibu Railway Co. also set up work booths at Tokorozawa Station in Saitama Prefecture, outside Tokyo, and Takadanobaba Station in the capital’s Shinjuku Ward.
V-Cube Inc., the Tokyo-based parent company of Telecube Services, has provided a remote online meeting system for corporate customers.
As President Naoaki Mashita felt there were few personal spaces where one can hold confidential talks by phone or via the Internet without privacy concerns, V-Cube spent one year jointly developing the special booth with office furniture maker Okamura Corp. in Yokohama.
A bigger response than expected came when V-Cube and East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) started free trial service of its brainchild at Tokyo, Shinjuku and Shinagawa stations in November last year.
The rate of occupied time was more than 50 percent of all operating hours over the eight-month test period, while the personal spaces were also used in unexpected ways, such as a high school student studying, a woman fixing her make-up and a user taking an English conversation lesson by smartphone.
The popularity of the booths remains high after the service started collecting usage fees in August, according to relevant officials.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Estate Co. started a joint program with V-Cube on a full-scale basis this past summer, after it conducted a trial using the booth on the first floor of an office building in the capital’s Marunouchi district last autumn and confirmed that there is a need for such a service.
A total of 47 V-Cube working booths have been introduced at 16 locations in stations, office buildings and elsewhere in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
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http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201911040003.html

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:

https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/4142292

According to The Australian Financial Review, Rio Tinto is entering a phase of elevated spending on new and existing mines in Australia's iron ore heartland, warning investors its mines are becoming deeper, wetter and generally more expensive to run after half a century in operation.
China's demand for iron ore has been stronger than expected in 2019, and Rio warned that depletion of mines would occur swiftly, meaning new greenfield mines would need to be built and perhaps even new greenfield iron ore provinces with expensive infrastructure, such as railways.
Rio approved a $US2.6 billion spend on the first phase of the Koodaideri iron ore mine in Western Australia last year, but it said on Thursday that "sustaining" spending to maintain its existing mines would also be $US1.5 billion higher than expected over the next three years.
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https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/rio-tinto-warns-of-rising-iron-ore-spend-on-generational-renewal-20191101-p536ez

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/6165156
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According to The Australian Financial Review, infrastructure funds are brushing up on LNG plants, pipes and jetties, in expectation of a potential asset selldown in Queensland by global major Royal Dutch Shell.
As the big domestic infrastructure teams start thinking about assets up for grabs in the new year, it is understood their focus has turned to so-called "common facilities" at Shell's QCLNG venture, which is one of the big LNG exporters in Queensland.
Investment bank Rothschild is understood to be working with Shell to help consider its options at the project, including thinking about ways to release capital via the sale and leaseback of its infrastructure assets.
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https://www.afr.com/street-talk/big-infra-funds-set-sights-on-queensland-gas-assets-20191030-p535l1

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/1205245
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, a Japanese company has developed a treatment that makes wood nonflammable and water-resistant without leaching chemicals into the environment.
Kagamoku, based in the city of Kanazawa, hopes to bring an updated version of its Moengen lumber to market as early as spring. The product's name means "it won't burn" in the local dialect.
Previously, there was a risk of fire retardant seeping out when the wood became wet, generally limiting its use to indoor trimmings. The new treatment allows the product to be used in outside walls and roofs.
"Outdoor uses will roughly double our market," Kagamoku President Seiichi Masue said.
The company, which seeks to start advertising the updated Moengen within the year, will hire new salespeople based in Kanazawa, Osaka and Tokyo. It also hopes to use the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to find overseas customers. The goal is to lift sales of nonflammable wood by around 100% to 500 million yen (US$ 4.59 million) by the fiscal year ending September 2022.
Japan's self-sufficiency rate for lumber increased to 37% in 2018 from 19% in 2002, government data shows. The country hopes to hit 50% as forests planted during the postwar economic boom reach maturity.
But forestry managers are aging, and many lumber producers face financial setbacks. "Developing high-value-added products is important for our company's stability," Masue said.
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Wood-that-won-t-burn-primed-for-the-great-outdoors

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5069859 
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, new bullet train cars entering into service next July will feature seats that recline better, power outlets for each passenger and free Wi-Fi, the operator of Japan's busiest high-speed rail line says.
Central Japan Railway gave the media a tour of the N700S cars on Wednesday. They will debut on the Tokaido Shinkansen connecting Tokyo and Osaka in time for next year's Summer Olympics in the country.
Other improvements include a 50% larger monitor in each car to display station information, a luggage area between cars and more security cameras, according to JR Central.
For the company's export prospects, the N700S cars carry a standard design, which lets rail operators customize the length of their trains. JR Central will use them in 16-car train sets in Japan but envisions eight-car sets for the U.S. and 12-car sets for Taiwan.
The cars are equipped with a battery drive system for use in an earthquake or blackout, a feature the company describes as a first worldwide in high-speed rail. The system is designed to propel the train to a safe location should its main power supply fail.
Refinements can be found throughout the N700S, from luggage hooks to new reading lights in the premium-seat Green Cars.
"We've put in place the best performance in every aspect," said Masayuki Ueno, deputy head of the company's shinkansen division.
The Tokaido Shinkansen, Japan's most-traveled bullet train line, carried around 466,000 people a day in fiscal 2017, according to JR Central data.
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Transportation/Revealed-Tokyo-Osaka-bullet-train-upgrades-for-2020

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/n700s6969679 
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According to The Asahi Shimbun, after creating a buzz in Kyushu, Japan with its first alcoholic drink, the Coca-Cola group is hoping to keep the good times flowing across Japan, starting on Oct. 28 to offer canned Lemondo "chuhai" nationwide.
A Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan public relations official says that until recently, the company did not offer a beverage that consumers could drink at night.
That changed when Coca-Cola attempted to tap into the popularity of shochu-based beverages and released Lemondo in Kyushu in May last year.
However, it remains to be seen whether the lemon-flavored chuhai can become popular like Georgia, Sokenbicha and other drinks that the company initially offered only in Kyushu.
Lemondo has a high content of lemon juice, between 7 and 17 percent. There are four varieties, including “regular lemon” and “honey lemon,” with each having a different alcohol content.
The 350-milliliter can will be sold at the manufacturer’s recommended price of 150 yen (US$ 1.37), excluding taxes.
Coca-Cola group chose Kyushu as the test market because while residents there drink a lot of shochu, they do not typically imbibe shochu-based chuhai beverages.
Coca-Cola planned to introduce Lemondo nationwide if the product was well-received where shochu is popular. Sales of the beverage were roughly double the company’s target, attracting attention on social media as a unique souvenir to bring back from Kyushu.
Businesses in other industries also use this method of expanding sales of a product to the rest of the country after test-marketing it in a selected area.
Coca-Cola previously launched exclusive initial sales of its coffee brand Georgia, blended tea brand Sokenbicha and fruit juice brand Qoo in Kyushu.
“People in Kyushu welcome new things,” said the public relations official.
Now, the company has high hopes for Lemondo to sell well in areas other than Kyushu.
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http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201910290044.html

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/3574700 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, property prices rising at an annualised rate of 20 per cent in Sydney and Melbourne have spurred developers to start bidding for housing project sites again but also have raised serious concerns about housing affordability.
Melbourne home prices grew 2.3 per cent in just 31 days – the fastest rate in 10 years – while Sydney was up 1.7 per cent for the month, a clear indicator that the Reserve Bank's three interest rate cuts have motivated buyers and jacked up auction clearance rates.
Developers are starting to read the tea leaves on the future of housing supply by bidding on sites for new apartment and housing projects.
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https://www.afr.com/property/residential/house-price-surge-sparks-rush-to-build-20191101-p536mu

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/2683284 
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