Solutions to Drive the Possibilities of Mobility
Message
At JATCO, we are accelerating our expansion into new business areas beyond automobiles toward realizing our corporate purpose of “Driving the possibilities of mobility with technology and passion.”
With advances in electrification requiring us to deal with revenue structures that are different from conventional CVTs and ATs, we are expanding our business domain from automobiles to “mobility,” working on new businesses, and building a stronger system for promoting these efforts so as to achieve profitability through rapid commercialization and market introduction.
Leveraging precision machining technology and control technology cultivated over many years, JATCO is working on commercialization in diverse fields such as electric-assist bicycles, electric motorcycles, electric wheelchairs for nursing care, and products for wind power generation. In particular, we feel we are really gaining traction in the field of bicycles, where we are developing compact, high-performance drive units, realizing “solid assistance, smooth and sharp shifting, low noise and high efficiency,” and delivering this to customers in collaboration with Hodaka Corporation.
Through new businesses as well, we will contribute to the realization of a sustainable society by solving social issues and providing value to customers.
Head of Business Development Division
Corporate Vice President
Eiji Ogawa
Fostering entrepreneurship to “drive the possibilities of mobility”
JATCO must create new value and businesses and take on risks to continually grow toward our corporate purpose. This posture is that of entrepreneurship. Since FY2022, led mainly by the Corporate Planning Department, we have held business contests and companywide events to foster entrepreneurship. The business contest called for ideas from our global workforce for creating new businesses. In response to over 100 submissions, the management team took part in reviewing the proposals. The aims are to enhance individual flexibility and adaptability to change and to encourage individuals to achieve growth and self-fulfillment by proactively embracing new opportunities and challenges and thinking and acting independently to realize their own ideas.
The outstanding projects from the business contest participate in external innovation programs to refine their ideas and finally present business proposals to the management team. As a result, their work has been transferred to the New Business Promotion Department together with its promoters, and there are some projects which are continuing their activities toward commercialization. Some of the refined ideas have made it through to field trials and are being tested in the market. We are advancing commercialization based onfeedback from the market and customers.
Developing an automatic 2-speed in-wheel drive unit for electric motorcycles
We jointly developed this product with Zhejiang Jiuzhou New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., a prominent Chinese manufacturer of drive units for electric motorcycles. This unit, which integrates an automatic 2-speed transmission with a motor, exceeds a maximum torque of 250 Nm and a top speed of 100 km/h, and can climb steep gradients of 30 degrees.
JATCO aims to launch in the market during fiscal year 2025.
Developing a 2-in-1 drive unit for electric-assist bicycles
This drive unit combines an assist motor and transmission mechanism using our proprietary technology. We have also developed a smartphone app to monitor the remaining battery level and travel range and adjust the assist levels.
In February 2025, we concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding mass production of the drive unit with Hodaka Corporation. We aim to launch in the Japanese market during fiscal year 2025.
Developing a wheelchair with a transfer mechanism
The wheelchair with transfer mechanism that JATCO is developing is a mobility device which integrates transfer and mobility. We are advancing the development of products to achieve smooth transfers and bring smiles to the faces of caregivers on the frontlines by using ergonomic robotic control to overcome challenges in nursing care faced by both caregivers and recipients of care on the frontlines.
