Sustainability Material Issues (Materiality)

Our Nagakusa Plant, a vehicle assembly base in Aichi Prefecture, is working to reduce CO₂ emissions by improving energy efficiency. Compressed air is widely used in factories as a power source for equipment and tools, but generating compressed air consumes electricity, making it less energy-efficient than using electricity directly. Moreover, the higher the compression ratio, the lower the efficiency becomes. In fact, high-pressure air (0.8 MPa^*2) was operating at only about 50% efficiency compared to low-pressure air (0.6 MPa).

To address this issue, the plant aimed to generate only the minimum amount of air necessary using the minimum amount of energy, and the high-pressure air system was targeted for elimination. The team first identified all equipment and tools using high-pressure air and systematically switched those that could be adapted to lower pressure or electrified. Equipment that still required high-pressure air was equipped with more energy-efficient booster valves. As a result of these efforts, the high-pressure air system was successfully eliminated, achieving an annual reduction of 494 tons of CO₂ emissions.

*2: MPa stands for megapascal, a unit of pressure. 0.8 MPa corresponds to approximately 8 atmospheres.

Toyota Industries Engine India Pvt. Ltd. (TIEI), a consolidated subsidiary in India, is promoting production activities that are considerate of local water resource conditions.
Previously, the company used tap water in its manufacturing processes and air conditioning systems. However, during the filtration process using reverse osmosis (RO) membranes^*3, approximately half of the water was discharged as wastewater, resulting in daily tap water usage of up to 60 kL. To reduce tap water usage, the environmental team and the Utility team first considered storing and utilizing rainwater. Rainwater was collected in a pond and tested for quality, which confirmed its suitability for use in air conditioning systems. Additionally, the team explored the use of ultrafiltration (UF) membrane treatment^*4, which has a lower wastewater ratio, and confirmed that it met the required quality standards. Based on these results, the company implemented rainwater utilization and switched filtration methods, reducing daily tap water usage by 20 kL, which amounted to annual water savings of approximately 5,280 kL.

*3: A treatment method that uses a filtration membrane with pores of approximately 0.1 nm to remove impurities, allowing only water molecules to pass through.
*4: A treatment method that uses a filtration membrane with pores of 10-100nm to separate macromolecules such as proteins from smaller molecules like ions.

Development and Launch of New Fuel Cell Lift Truck

In September 2024, we launched a new 2.5-ton fuel cell lift truck (FC lift truck) that doubles^*5 the durability^*6 of the current model and reduces the vehicle price to approximately three-quarters of the original. The FC lift truck features excellent environmental performance, with zero CO₂ emitted during operation, and offers high convenience through hydrogen refueling that can be completed in about three minutes, making it a next-generation eco lift truck.

The fuel cell system equipped in the FC lift truck was newly developed based on the system installed in the 1.8-ton model launched in 2022. It delivers a dramatic improvement in durability and a significant reduction in system cost. Since the first launch in Japan in 2016, approximately 450 units have been introduced to customers nationwide with the support of the Ministry of the Environment^*7.

Similar to the current model, we aim to expand adoption primarily at sites with long operating hours and high usage frequency, such as factories and airports where hydrogen utilization is expected to grow. Through the spread of FC lift trucks, we will contribute to realizing carbon neutrality and a hydrogen-based society in the logistics industry.

*5: Based on the JIS D6202 engine vehicle fuel consumption test pattern 60S. According to TICO research.
*6: Output performance maintenance period of FC systems (a period during which the output can be maintained at 80% or more of the performance at the time of shipment)
*7: Half of the price difference compared to internal-combustion vehicles is subsidized by the Ministry of the Environment program to promote the decarbonization of industrial vehicles.

Full-Scale Operation of Japan’s First 4-Fork Autonomous Lift Truck for Truck Loading and Unloading

Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan and TICO conducted feasibility tests of Japan’s first^*8 4-fork autonomous lift truck developed by TICO and designed to handle truck loading and unloading. After these tests, full-scale operation began in May 2025. In the beverage industry, it is common to insert forks into two pallets simultaneously for handling and transportation. With the full automation of the 4-fork lift truck, operations such as driving and loading trucks, previously performed by operators, have become completely unmanned, enabling solutions to challenges in shipping systems during busy periods and nighttime operations.

*8: According to TICO research (as of May 9, 2025), this is the first domestic 4-fork automated lift truck with 3D LiDAR that enables truck loading and unloading.

Test Operation of Level-4 Autonomous Unmanned Cargo Transportation Conducted Within Airport Restricted Area

All Nippon Airways and TICO conducted a test operation of Level-4^*9 autonomous cargo transportation at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) in July 2024. As part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) Civil Aviation Bureau’s aviation innovation initiatives, the two companies are advancing the practical implementation of autonomous towing tractors to address labor shortages in ground handling operations and ensure the sustainable development of airport services. The goal is to achieve unmanned cargo transportation by 2025.

*9: A level of fully autonomous driving under certain conditions in which a system performs all driving tasks.