Month: 2025-04

TOKYO, Apr 24, 2025 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - JCB Co., Ltd., Japan's only global payment brand, is proud to announce that MyJCB App, its cardmembers-only mobile app, has won the iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 in the Communication UX category of the User Experience (UX) division. The service design and UI/UX design were developed in collaboration with FOURDIGIT Inc.The iF DESIGN AWARD 2025 recognized the app's excellence in enhancing the user experience through its form, function, and idea, leading to its victory in the Communication UX category of the User Experience (UX) division.Award page: https://ifdesign.com/en/winner-ranking/project/myjcb-app/696672Design Approach Focused on User ExperienceJCB and FOURDIGIT have been collaborating since 2021 to enhance the MyJCB App, encompassing service design, UI/UX design, and the establishment of continuous improvement processes.For the renewal project, they developed a strategy to define the app's role in the service experience, based on a detailed analysis of user behavior and challenges. The team conducted surveys of thousands of users and in-depth interviews with over 50 participants to thoroughly analyze credit card usage patterns and customer needs across various service channels, creating a comprehensive vision for the cross-channel user experience.Following the renewal, the team has continued to improve the app through store comments, user interviews, and usage data analysis, aiming to create an app that serves all customers, regardless of their financial literacy. They remain committed to delivering safer and more convenient card services while actively listening to customer feedback.For more information, please visit: https://www.4digit.com/en/projects/myjcbAbout MyJCB App"MyJCB" is a web service exclusively for JCB cardmembers that offers features, such as viewing transaction history, checking point balance and security alert notifications. Launched in 2016, the MyJCB App underwent a significant renewal in November 2023 under the concept of "card and app integration." The renewal introduced improved visibility and accessibility, along with enhanced security features that reflect JCB's core value of customer safety and security, transforming it into a more convenient and secure app.The app allows users to sort transaction details by amount or date, and includes keyword search functionality for ease of use. Security features include "Card Usage Notifications" and "Security Status Recommendations" that suggest optimal security settings for users, supporting safe card usage.The app continues to evolve with regular updates and new features to meet the diverse needs of all cardmembers, including digital concierge services for THE CLASS and Platinum cardmembers, and customizable app themes with four design options.For more information about the MyJCB App: https://www.jcb.co.jp/myjcb/app/index.htmlFor details about the Digital Concierge feature: https://www.jcb.co.jp/promotion/digital_concierge/index.htmlAbout iF DESIGN AWARDThe iF DESIGN AWARD 2025, organized by Germany-based iF International Forum Design, is one of the world's most prestigious and longest-running design awards. This year's competition received 10,651 entries from 66 countries and territories, which were evaluated by 131 design experts from 23 countries and territories based on criteria, including differentiation, form, function, idea, and sustainability. In the User Experience (UX) division, 162 entries received awards, with only five winners from Japanese companies. https://ifdesign.com/en/About the CompaniesAbout JCBJCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 53 million merchants around the world. JCB Cards are now issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 164 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide.For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/Head Office: Aoyama Rise Square 5-1-22 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, TokyoEstablished: January 1961Capital: 10.6 billion yenPresident & CEO: Takayoshi FUTAEURL: https://www.global.jcb/en/About FOURDIGIT Inc.FOURDIGIT is a design and tech company that provides essential 'design' to connect digital technology and people, creating comfortable experiences for everyone involved.Drawing on our expertise cultivated in Japan, we are expanding our services to regions across Asia where the demand for digital design is growing alongside economic development. Our objective is to deliver design and technology solutions that drive business success on a global scale. Our current office locations include Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.Head Office: 2F/3F 8-5-32 Tanaka Koma Building, Akasaka, Minato-ku, TokyoEstablished: July 2001Capital: 45.6 million yenRepresentative Director, CEO: Ryo TAGUCHIURL: https://www.4digit.com/enMEDIA CONTACTS:JCB (Head Office in Japan)Anna TakedaCorporate CommunicationsTel: +81-3-5778-8353Email: jcb-pr@info.jcb.co.jp Copyright 2025 JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com.

Renovation of main equipment provides for long-term stable operation, with improvements in energy efficiency to reduce CO2 emissions by 4% or moreProcessed branches and grass to be used for compost, fertilizer for home gardens, and bedding for livestockTOKYO, Apr 24, 2025 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Environmental & Chemical Engineering Co., Ltd. (MHIEC), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has completed work on a project to renovate and expand the core facilities of Arita Municipal Recycle Plaza, a waste recycling facility in Arita-cho, Saga Prefecture, based on an order from the town received in 2023. In addition to the construction of a new facility for processing pruned branches and grass trimmings, the existing recycling treatment equipment was reconditioned to extend its operational life and improve energy efficiency.Arita Municipal Recycle Plaza was designed and built by MHI, and completed in March 1999. It processes and recycles non-combustible and bulky refuse, as well as recyclable materials (cans, glass, plastic bottles). The overall processing capacity of the facility is 12 tonnes per five hours.The core facility renovation involved upgrading the main equipment of the recycling processing plant, such as conveyors, sorting equipment, and electrical instrumentation, which had become worn and degraded after more than 20 years of operation. The renovation aims for stable operation over the long term, and improvements in energy efficiency will reduce CO2 emissions by 4% or more.The newly constructed processing facility for pruned branches and grass trimmings effectively utilizes the green waste collected from around the town for compost or spreading material (sawdust for animal bedding), with a processing capacity of 1.2 tonnes per five hours. After being stored in the receiving yard, pruned branches and grass trimmings are finely processed on crushing and pulverizing lines, and will be effectively utilized by town residents as compost or fertilizer for home gardens, or by local livestock farmers in the town for animal bedding as an alternative to straw.MHIEC succeeded MHI's environmental protection business in 2008, taking over its accumulated technological development capabilities in environmental protection systems and abundant expertise in the construction, operation, and maintenance of waste management facilities both in Japan and overseas. Based on this robust track record, the company is well positioned to propose comprehensive solutions encompassing all aspects from plant construction to operation and maintenance. Going forward, the Company will continue proactively proposing solutions for extending the service life of existing waste treatment facilities, coping with global warming, and reducing maintenance, management and other lifecycle costs, to contribute to realization of a carbon neutral society.Overview of Arita Municipal Recycle PlazaTreatment Capacity 12 tonnes per five hoursNon-combustible and bulky refuse: 10 tonnes per five hoursCans and glass: 1.8 tonnes per three hoursPlastic bottles: 0.2 tonnes per two hoursTreatment Method Crushing, sorting, and compaction Overview of the Branches and Grass Processing FacilityTreatment Capacity1.2 tonnes per five hoursTreatment MethodCrushing and pulverizing About MHI GroupMitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com Copyright 2025 JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com.

TOKYO, Apr 24, 2025 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) has announced an investment in the "Geodesic Alliance Fund, L.P." (hereafter, "the Fund"), a fund managed by the U.S. venture capital (VC) firm "Geodesic Investments, L.L.C." (hereafter, "Geodesic"), with the aim of strengthening its business in the area of economic security, including space, submarine cables, cyber security and national defense.In the United States, private-sector-led innovation is progressing under a thriving startup ecosystem. In addition to private funds, government agencies in the U.S. are also actively investing and public-private partnerships that incorporate consumer technologies are deepening, leading the world in investment, technology development, and commercialization.Geodesic, whose founding partner John V. Roos is a former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, is a rare venture capital firm that has both an investment team with expertise in the field of startups and a team that supports the promotion of collaboration between Japanese companies and international startups. The Fund is managed by Geodesic and invests in startups, mainly in the United States, specializing in the field of economic security.Through this investment, NEC will gain a better understanding of the latest industry and technological trends in areas such as space, submarine cables, cyber security and national defense, and will apply this to its future business strategies. Moreover, by quickly identifying and collaborating with startups that have excellent technological capabilities, NEC will be strengthening its future business competitiveness.NEC provides a wide range of solutions in the economic security domain and develops advanced technologies to support these solutions. Going forward, NEC will continue to create social value through co-creation with external parties while leveraging its extensive domain knowledge and technological capabilities, thereby contributing to the realization of a society in which all people can share a sense of peace and assurance.About NEC CorporationNEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of “Orchestrating a brighter world.” NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com. Copyright 2025 JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com.

TOKYO, Apr 24, 2025 - (JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Thermal Systems, Ltd. (MHI Thermal Systems), a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has received the Red Dot Design Award 2025, an international design competition in Germany, for its RC-ES1 remote control unit for air-conditioners for overseas markets.(1)The Red Dot Design Award is an international design competition established in Germany in 1955. It is one of the world's three major design awards, along with IDEA in the United States, and the iF DESIGN AWARD in Germany. The Red Dot Design Award is divided into three categories: Product Design, Brands & Communication Design, and Design Concept. The stylish new RC-ES1 has received an award in the Product Design category.The RC-ES1 is a remote control developed for air-conditioners used in stores, offices and hotels. It features a sophisticated exterior designed by Tensa Industrial Design, headquartered in Milan, Italy. The black tone color, and the compact and flat structure (86 mm x 86 mm x 17 mm), beautifully match many different types of interiors. The functions available on remote control itself is simplified by adopting pictogram where diverse users can understand and operate easily regardless of their nationality or ages.In addition, the RC-ES1 supports Bluetooth® wireless technology,(2) allowing for operation and configuration from a smartphone using a dedicated app. The app has three modes (User, Administrator, and Service), providing a wide range of functions according to the application, such as the operation of the remote control, or saving, transferring setting data and checking inspection data for indoor units and remote controls. With all modes the input setting on app can be automatically and continuously transmitted to up to 20 remote control units within the Bluetooth® wireless connection range from a single smartphone.Going forward, through receiving this award, MHI Thermal Systems will continue to develop technologies and products well suited to customers, aiming to provide heating and cooling solutions that meet diverse needs.(1) For more information about the RC-ES1, see the following press release.https://www.mhi.com/news/240703.html(2) The Bluetooth® word mark and figure mark are registered trademarks, and are the property of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. MHI Thermal Systems uses these trademarks under license. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.About MHI GroupMitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is one of the world’s leading industrial groups, spanning energy, smart infrastructure, industrial machinery, aerospace and defense. MHI Group combines cutting-edge technology with deep experience to deliver innovative, integrated solutions that help to realize a carbon neutral world, improve the quality of life and ensure a safer world. For more information, please visit www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com Copyright 2025 JCN Newswire via SeaPRwire.com.