The Delicate Freshness of the Brewer's Art Delivered to Consumers

— Trial system uses temperature-sensing RFID tags and highly precise real-time temperature control during transport and delivery —


NTT DATA Corporation
TOPPAN FORMS CO., LTD.
NIPPON ACCESS, INC.
Hino Motors, Ltd.


NTT DATA Corporation, Toppan Forms Co., Ltd., Nippon Access, Inc., and Hino Motors, Ltd., in cooperation with Maruetsu Inc. (Tokyo), Yoshinogawa Sake Co. (headquarters: Nagaoka-shi, Niigata; President: Hiroshi Kawakami), and Suehiro Sake Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Aizu-wakamatsu-shi, Fukushima; President: Motoyuki Shinjo), on March 27 will begin a trial service aimed at verifying new technology for distributing namazake (unpasteurized sake). Using RFID tags equipped with temperature sensors, a highly precise temperature control system is employed to ensure delivery of the sake in prime condition. The trial is scheduled to run for 15 days, ending April 10.

Trial Background

Some of pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, and many other products require stringent temperature control in the distribution process. The way distribution normally works, however, has so far made it difficult to devise a transparent temperature control system that would enable visualization and verification of the status during distribution.

Namazake*, the subject of this trial service, requires particularly strict quality and temperature control. In the trial, a delivery system that applies highly precise temperature control will be used along with RFID tags of two kinds, one with temperature sensor and one with a product ID used for providing product information. The RFID tags will make it possible to keep track of the temperature control status, logging information over the course of distribution and handling, so that this data can be checked at any time on an information provision platform, ensuring that the product is still in optimum state when delivered to the end consumer.

Using kiosk terminals in stores, consumers will be able to read information from the RFID tags, including a log of temperatures recorded from the time the namazake left the brewery until reaching the consumer's hands, as well as learning what makes the product special.

The trial will seek to determine the consumer acceptance and feasibility of a distribution service that can contribute to expanding the market opportunities for products like namazake, which require especially stringent temperature control during delivery and handling.


* Namazake is sake that does not undergo any pasteurization after being pressed from the fermenting mash. The fresh-pressed sake is enjoyed for its fresh and fruity taste. It must be subjected continuously to strict temperature control because the heat-sensitive enzymes as well as yeasts and lactobacilli are still active, the quality of sake deteriorates in the course of time and the flavor can be quickly impaired. The lack of established methods for preserving the delicate aroma and flavors in refrigerated conditions during distribution explains why so little of this sake makes its way to the marketplace.

Trial Overview

During the trial, namazake delivered under the strictest temperature control will be available at a newly opened Maruetsu store in Wakabacho, Tachikawa (a Tokyo suburb). Each bottle will have an RFID label, attached at the time it is shipped from the brewer's, and each case will have a temperature-sensing RFID tag. The namazake will be transported by a hybrid truck carrying an E-CRB** system for highly precise temperature control during distribution, making use of these tags.

In the trial, detailed records will be kept of the temperature throughout the distribution process, as the products are transported, delivered, and finally reach the consumer's hands. Aimed at streamlining the work of distributors and shop staff, the trial will evaluate both the operational and technical aspects of the system. It will also try to gauge consumer acceptance of a traceability service in which product information and temperature control information are provided to consumers.

The RFID labels attached to individual bottles will store only a product ID. Information about when the product was produced, the shipping and delivery dates, current location and other such product attribute data will be kept track of in a data center accessible via the Internet. The temperature-sensing RFID tags will collect temperature data in real time. Temperature log data added during distribution will also be managed in the data center. As reference data for designing new distribution services, the data will be shared in a suitable form with each of the players along the value chain, from the brewer to the consumer.


** E-CRB (Electric-Cold Roll Box) refers to a mobile electric cold storage chamber for refrigerated transport and storage of food products.

The Temperature Sensing RFID Tag

A new type of sensing tool was developed, consisting of a battery-powered active RFID tag with built-in temperature sensor.

ID and temperature data in the tags can be read within a radius of approximately 10 meters from an access point, making them useful as product traceability tools where temperature control is important. Development is continuing on these tags with the aim of making them considerably smaller and cheaper than temperature-measuring devices currently available.

The E-CRB System

A new refrigerated distribution system was developed that achieves highly precise temperature control during transport and delivery. A key aspect of the system is the use of a special inverter for realizing a continuous, stable supply of 100V AC electric power from the hybrid system to the E-CRB in the cargo compartment.

Moreover, the entire E-CRB can be loaded, unloaded, and used for temporary storage, without removing the product being transported, so that a seamless cold chain is configured. The highly precise temperature control makes it possible for products to be transported over long distances to the consumer, with the original superb flavor still intact.

1. Trial period　　　March 27 to April 10

2. Trial elements
(1) Determining consumer receptivity
• The trial will study and evaluate how receptive consumers are to a system that provides value-added information on a display terminal (kiosk), that includes product safety-related data based on temperature log-keeping, descriptions of special production techniques used, and tips on how best to enjoy the product. Depending on consumer acceptance of this service, a study and evaluation will also be made regarding tie-ins with traceability systems and the like.

(2) Determining effectiveness for improving distribution efficiency and quality control
• The trial will investigate the possibilities for raising the efficiency of logistics work, where up to now shipping and receiving inspections relied on measures such as visual checks, barcode reading or weighing, and for improving quality control in areas such as managing expiration (freshness) dates and temperature control logs.

(3) Determining effectiveness of data utilization
• In addition to verifying the effectiveness of the centralized management of logistics and quality data during the distribution process, the trial will evaluate the ability to monitor the status of quality maintenance during distribution based on temperature log data acquired and provided in real time, and will study ways of using the data in devising countermeasures for quality deterioration or other problems that arise.

(4) Verifying temperature-sensing RFID tag technology
• The trial will evaluate the radio wave propagation properties of the temperature-sensing RFID tags, their technical specifications, and the effectiveness and feasibility of these tags.

(5) Verifying E-CRB system technology
• The trial will examine and evaluate the technical feasibility of using temperature-sensing RFID tags in conjunction with an E-CRB system on a hybrid truck, as well as the effectiveness and feasibility of the E-CRB system technology itself.

3. Roles of Participating Firms
• NTT DATA: Building of information provision platform and RFID system.
• Toppan Forms: Provision of temperature-sensing RFID tags, thin-label RFID tags, and kiosk terminal.
• Nippon Access: Overall coordination, logistics cooperation at distribution center, and field provision.
• Hino Motors: Provision of a hybrid truck with E-CRB system.

Beyond the Trial

The participating firms will share the various knowledge gained from this trial service, and will continue to work together toward resolving outstanding issues, with the aim of creating a distribution system that is both practical and acceptable to all parties.

The focus of each company in their on-going studies and efforts will be as follows.

• NTT DATA will work on an information-provision platform that will contribute to distributing a variety of products with safety and assurance, and will study ways of incorporating the platform into services.
• Toppan Forms will aim for early commercialization of temperature-sensing RFID tags, which promise to improve efficiency in the food products distribution and manufacturing industries and help assure quality.
• Nippon Access will verify and study ways of using temperature-sensing RFID tags and E-CRB systems in refrigerated distribution services.
• Hino Motors will develop logistics technology applying the combination of E-CRB systems and temperature-sensing RFID tags to precise temperature control of specialized products from producing district. The aim is that products which up to now, for reasons of freshness, have been limited in their distribution will be able to reach consumers more distant from the producing region.

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Emiko Ryu
Public Relations Office
NTT DATA Corporation
Phone: +81-3-5546-8051

Mr. Okamoto
Public Relations Office
Toppan Forms Co., Ltd.
Phone: +81-3-6253-5730

Mr. Paris
Public Relations Department
NIPPON ACCESS, INC.
Phone: +81-3-3410-1141

Mr. Yoshida
Corporate Communications Department
Hino Motors, Ltd.
Phone: +81-3-5419-9320




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Annex: About the Participating Companies
NTT DATA
(1) Corporate name NTT DATA Corporation
(2) Representative Tomokazu Hamaguchi (President and CEO)
(3) Headquarters Toyosu Center Building, 3-3, Toyosu 3-chome, Koto-ku, Tokyo
(4) Established May 1988
(5) Main operations System integration services, etc.

Toppan Forms
(1) Corporate name Toppan Forms Co., Ltd.
(2) Representative Masanori Akiyama (President and CEO)
(3) Headquarters 7-3, Higashi-Shimbashi 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo
(4) Established May 1955
(5) Main operations Production and sale of business forms, data printing services, manufacture and sale of smartcards, RFID tags and related equipment

Nippon Access
(1) Corporate name NIPPON ACCESS, INC.
(2) Representative Yoshio Yoshino (President and CEO)
(3) Headquarters 1-1, Nozawa 3-chome, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo
(4) Established October 1, 1993
(5) Main operations Food product wholesale operations

Hino Motors
(1) Corporate name Hino Motors, Ltd.
(2) Representative Shoji Kondo (President)
(3) Headquarters 1-1, Hinodai 3-chome, Hino-shi, Tokyo
(4) Established May 1942
(5) Main operations Manufacture and sale of trucks, buses, engines and others