KARIYA, Japan, Jan. 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DENSO, one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, announced a significant investment in startup company ActiveScaler, a developer of Managed MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) systems powered by artificial intelligence. DENSO's investment will help expand ActiveScaler's platform and technologies, which simplify and better customize shared mobility experiences. The agreement also will help accelerate deployment of Managed MaaS systems for leading mobility operators and fleet service providers.
With the increase in global demand for more scalable and efficient services for moving people and goods, ActiveScaler's technology will help enhance growth and simplify implementation with a modular set of components that enable mobility service providers and fleet managers to tailor MaaS solutions to their specific business needs.
"DENSO's focus is to develop technologies that advance the future of mobility, and enable connected and automated driving," said Yoshifumi Kato, Senior Executive Director at DENSO Corporation. "These technologies directly influence the development of MaaS systems, which will disrupt the future of urban mobility for people and goods by making transportation solutions more seamless and accessible. ActiveScaler will help fleet operators accelerate new business opportunities by integrating the emerging MaaS ecosystem with higher performance and faster time to market."
Tony Cannestra, Director of Corporate Ventures for DENSO, emphasized the importance of collaboration for innovative technology development. "Technologies that simplify and better customize shared mobility experiences are a key focus area for DENSO, and we will strongly support those technologies with strategic investments and boundary-pushing collaborations," said Cannestra. "ActiveScaler's robust platform has the potential to impact how commercial fleets navigate city streets around the world, and we look forward to seeing how our technologies can help."
"We want to be the engine behind the future of MaaS – hence the term "Managed MaaS," which will transform current fleet businesses to provide next generation mobility services," said Abhay Jain, CEO of ActiveScaler. "Traditional fleet management services and systems are quickly becoming obsolete because of issues like high upfront software and hardware costs, poor ecosystem integration, and lack of flexibility, which are limiting the type and quality of services that can be offered.
"Our new AI-powered technology and fresh approach provides the ability to build end-to-end MaaS businesses featuring advanced analytics and automation, high security, and regulatory compliance while reducing environmental impact. This is essential for current as well as future businesses built around multi-mode transportation and autonomous vehicles," added Jain.
DENSO continues to evaluate technology investment opportunities, including both core automotive solutions and innovative technologies with potentially significant implications for the future of transportation.
Opportunity for Startups at CES 2018
DENSO plans to expand its venture capital investments in a broad range of new technologies to make a world of self-driving, truly connected cars a reality. Startups attending CES can sign-up for a 20-minute pitch meeting by visiting www.densomedia-na.com/cesstartups. Meetings will take place on Wednesday, January 10 and Thursday, January 11 from 1-4pm PST at DENSO's CES exhibit in LVCC, North Hall #7917.
About DENSO in North America
DENSO is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. With its North American headquarters located in Southfield, Michigan, DENSO employs more than 23,000 people at 30 consolidated companies and affiliates across the North American region. Of these, 28 are manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs more than 17,000 people in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. DENSO's North American consolidated sales totaled US$9.6 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. For more information, go to www.denso.com/us-ca/en. Connect with DENSO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DENSOinNorthAmerica.
About DENSO Corporation
DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs more than 150,000 people. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, totaled US$40.4 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 9.0 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com, or visit our media website at www.denso.com/global/en/news/media-center/
About ActiveScaler Inc.
ActiveScaler exponentially improves the flow of people and goods for transportation providers. The company's Managed Mobility-as-a-Service (Managed MaaS) product suite includes FleetFactor™, In-Motion™ global platform and API, and IMBOT™ that revolutionize mobility by automating operations management with contextual analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Transportation providers can readily improve and expand service offerings while making sense of a growing stream of real-time data. ActiveScaler focuses on serving a range of transportation providers from individual mobility operators to multi-mode integrators and large scale commercial fleets. For more information, please visit www.activescaler.com.
SOURCE DENSO
