Daifuku India Honored at the 10th Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2019

NEW DELHI,May 27,2019 -- With the theme of 'Promoting Inclusive Economic Development Through Sustainable Entrepreneurship',15 top entrepreneurs and enterprises were recognized at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA) 2019 held at Hotel Andaz Delhi Aerocity,India recently. Organized by Enterprise Asia,the leading non-governmental organization for entrepreneurship in Asia,APEA is a regional awards program which aims to recognize Asia's outstanding entrepreneurs and enterprises for demonstrating sustainable growth,responsible leadership and operational excellence.

Representatives of Daifuku India Pvt. Ltd. receiving the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards 2019 India under Corporate Excellence Category

Leading the list of winners was Daifuku India for Manufacturing Industry,which received the award under the Corporate Excellence Category.

Daifuku India Private Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daifuku Co. Ltd.,headquartered in Japan. It was established in 1937 and has since grown into a global company with a network of offices and subsidiaries across the globe that offer design,engineering,sales,installation and after sales service of automated storage and materials handling systems. Daifuku has a global manufacturing network,and has been ranked as the world's No. 1 materials handling system supplier for the past four years (source: Modern Materials Handling magazine). Daifuku India Private Limited ("DIL") was established in 2005 and currently has offices in Gurugram,Mumbai,Bengaluru and Gujarat. It has close to 100 employees across India and is a key solutions provider covering not only the automobile manufacturing sector,but also factory automation and distribution.

India is one of the most cost competitive markets in the world. This along with an abundance of low-cost human resources makes it increasingly difficult to justify Return on Investment for the capex Daifuku's systems demand. Further,Daifuku's core technology is new to the market place,and requires customers who have a long-term vision to be able to justify such a capex while being comfortable to embrace and trust their factories to something that is nothing short of a paradigm shift.

Whilst Daifuku is a well-known name in advanced global economies such as the U.S.,China and Europe,the first challenge was to spread the Daifuku name and create a brand image. Via participation in trade shows,marketing and highlighting its global portfolio and success,Daifuku was able to create a brand image in India.

In automation,standardization is key,but this itself becomes a major challenge when the ecosystem is anything but standard. India is a large country and the requirements are very different depending on the customer,their location and industry. The second challenge for the Company was to solve the issues customers face while understanding time constraints and budget among other areas. To be able to solve unique challenges using Daifuku's modular products requires a thorough understanding of the customers' operations and going beyond just the problem statement to find the right solution. This required an abundance of patience,due diligence and the commitment to get it right from the team at Daifuku.

The last and most important challenge was to win customers' trust. It is a huge leap of faith to understand and approve something based solely on power point and CAD files. By truly understanding the issue at hand,going beyond just the problem statement and showcasing its competence either by logical reasoning or visits to Daifuku Japan and some of its reference sites,Daifuku was able to build trust. By executing the project flawlessly and keeping the commitments of time,budget and expectations,Daifuku was able to win long term trust.

The corporate values and principles held across Daifuku is to provide the best solutions to benefit the global markets and the development of society; and to focus on a healthy,growth-driven global management under a diverse and positive corporate culture.

Daifuku's brand message Is 'Always an Edge Ahead' and it conveys its desire to create and provide best solutions to give customers a competitive edge. It also symbolizes its flexible and outstanding workforce,possessing both expertise and a commitment to taking on new challenges and making changes for the better.

Daifuku India started its first office in 2005 and this was primarily for the Automotive Factory Automation division. In 2016,it established a new office in Mumbai specially for the India Factory and Distribution Automation division.In less than five years,the Company claims to be India's #1 Automated Storage and Retrieval System company. The Company's revenue has consistently grown and its references are found in wide range of sectors. Apart from just storage systems,Daifuku has introduced to the Indian market various picking andsorting solutions as well. Most of its customers are repeat customers,which is a testament to its commitment of customer first. Further,Daifuku India has won several accolades year after year from the TATA Strategic Management Group & CNBC TV18 or CII logistics,which further ratifies its leadership position in the market.

To continue to provide the latest cutting-edge technology to the industry,and to be an enabler for society and mankind - all of Daifuku's business operations and divisions are expanding in line with current social changes,be it automotive (electric vehicles),logistics (e-Commerce),Cleanroom (cloud storage and smart phones) or airport (baggage handling and smart airport technologies). To have a sustainable model,along with enhancing global leadership and establishing new local manufacturing bases as and when needed,Daifuku aims to embrace and lead the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence revolution.

About Enterprise Asia

Enterprise Asia is a non-governmental organization in pursuit of creating an Asia that is rich in entrepreneurship as an engine towards sustainable and progressive economic and social development within a world of economic equality. Its two pillars of existence are investment in people and responsible entrepreneurship. Enterprise Asia works with governments,NGOs and other organizations to promote competitiveness and entrepreneurial development,in uplifting the economic status of people across Asia and in ensuring a legacy of hope,innovation and courage for the future generation. For further information,visit www.enterpriseasia.org.

About Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards

Launched in 2007,the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards is the region's most prestigious awards for outstanding entrepreneurship,continuous innovation and sustainable leadership. The Awards provide a platform for companies and governments to recognize entrepreneurial excellence,hence spurring greater innovation,fair business practices and growth in entrepreneurship. As a regional award,it groups together leading entrepreneurs as a powerful voice for entrepreneurship and serves as a by-invitation only networking powerhouse. The program has grown to encompass 14 countries and markets all over Asia. For further information,visit www.apea.asia.

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20190524/2477278-1