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TOYOKEIKI Surpasses Cumulative Sales of 4 Million Units for “IoT-R”

September 18, 2024

TOYOKEIKI Co., Ltd. has achieved cumulative sales of the IoT communication device “IoT-R,” developed for automatic meter reading of gas and water meters, reaching 4,010,421 units as of September 18 since its launch.

The first unit was delivered to Nittsu Shoji Co., Ltd. (now NX Shoji), on October 26, 2018. The milestone of 1 million units was achieved on May 11, 2021, 2 million units on June 7, 2022, and 3 million units on August 3, 2023. The 4 million unit milestone was achieved in 5 years and 11 months since the start of the sales.

The IoT-R is a communication device that operates on battery for approximately 10 years. When connected to a meter or sensor, it utilizes KDDI’s mobile network and automatically reports meter readings, gas leak notifications, and alerts for forgotten shutdowns to the monitoring center. With simple installation and a flat monthly rate for communication fees, it facilitates the flexible collection of essential information for gas operations, such as hourly and daily meter readings.

It is primary used for automatic meter readings in the LPG, collecting information from mi-con gas meters that help prevent gas accidents, and monitoring the remaining amounts of LPG cylinders for efficient delivery planning. Recently, its applications have expanded to include automatic meter readings and leakage information collection for water meters, monitoring kerosene levels, managing nitrogen and carbon dioxide in food processing plants, and argon gas management in metal processing companies. In particular, in the water supply sector, the demand for smart water meters is expanding in relation to the Vision for a Digital Garden City Nation, including supplies to organizations such as the Bureau of Waterworks Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

TOYOKEIKI's IoT-R excels in easy installation, communication stability, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, it offers an extensive range of services for the advanced utilization of collected meter reading information, which has received positive feedback.

We have implemented a "New Rate Menu" that effectively promotes gas heating demand by categorizing gas consumption based on usage purposes. Additionally, we have developed web-based services, "Gas-Look" and "Mizu-Look," which automatically transfer usage information and emergency alerts to mobile devices, allowing for electronic billing and payment. We also have established an "Elderly Monitoring System," a "Delivery Navi" for streamlined LPG delivery, and a gas "Prepaid Service," all of which are now operational.

Furthermore, our Multi-Center, a centralized monitoring center has been established in-house to receive and transmit information, soon reaching data from 4 million households. To prepare for a capacity of 5 million units, significant expansion of the center was undertaken this spring.