Tokyo — May 6, 2022 — Asteria Corporation (Japan listed, Security Code: 3853) announced today the launch of a new service, “Platio One”, which allows system development companies and consulting firms to create apps tailored to specific jobs and industries with mobile app building tool Platio using their unique expertise, and distribute them to their corporate clients.
The move comes as many companies in Japan are still struggling to advance digital transformation (DX) internally. Until now system development companies, which provide services that meet the needs of individual customers, and consulting firms have supported businesses in their “DX efforts for workers on the frontline” mainly with the use of Excel and general-purpose cloud services. Platio One can help facilitate DX based on smartphones and tablets which can be used in different work environments.
The reason behind the launch of Platio One
The image shows a Platio app being used
Platio is a mobile app building tool which has been adopted in various business scenes; sales grew more than 60% in the past year*. It lets users create and deploy apps befitting specific tasks without coding in just three days. Another advantage lies in low cost — the monthly fee of 20,000 yen with no initial fee required. On the back of these strengths, Platio has supported DX at many worksites.
The number of companies in Japan which became Platio sales partners has increased to 36, with a number of versatile apps being produced by these companies.
Asteria hence started offering Platio One on May 6 as a new service whereby Platio partners can commercialize apps they built. The companies which signed a contract for Platio One can also provide their clients with apps they created based on their own technology and expertise as “Platio app providers”.
The launch of Platio One allows users to introduce pre-made apps designed for specific tasks. By the end of May, Asteria plans to open a website intended to connects app providers and Platio users. The aim is to expand the number of apps created and offered by providers with Platio One to over 100 by the end of FY2022, thereby contributing to accelerate DX at various worksites.
* Monthly sales between December 2021 and December 2022, according to Asteria’s presentation materials for FY 2021 second quarter financial results
[Overview of Platio One]
Launch date
May 6, 2022
Targets of the contract
System development companies, consulting firms, and other businesses wishing to sell Platio apps they created
Contract price (monthly fees paid by contractors)
Open price (No initial fees required)
*The price is determined by the number of apps sold by providers
Sales method
-Direct sales by providers or via Platio sales partners
-Asteria-managed website dedicated to Platio apps scheduled to be open in May will also feature the service
Estimated selling price of Platio apps
Monthly subscription plans ranging from 2,000 yen to 10,000 yen per month, tax-excluded
Record daily inspection checklists required by HACCP general hygiene management system
User
Internet cafe chain Space Create Jiqoo
Managers check real-time hygiene management status at cafes with their smartphone to further improve HACCP compliance.
Provider
Runsystem Co.
Scheduled provision date
May 6, 2022
Name
Daily farming log app for tea farmers
Overview
Keep track of processes of growing tea leaves, including fertilization, pest control, and pruning
User
Yamecha tea production group
To refine and increase efficiency of tea plant management for farmers, the group adopted the app to record farming processes with technical support from Yame promotion center in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Provider
SystemForest Inc.
Scheduled provision date
May 6, 2022/td>
Name
An app for the construction industry, “SiteEye mini”
Overview
Functions include the management of equipment used at construction sites, inspection, and workers’ attendance records.
Other features such as daily work reports would also be added. These functions can be linked with cloud service SiteEye series.
Provider
ADK Fuji System Co., Ltd.
Scheduled provision date
By the end of May, 2022
Messages from Platio app providers (arranged in the order of the Japanese syllabary)
We sincerely welcome the release of new product Platio One by Asteria. Using Platio One service, we can build apps based on our expertise accumulated through support for digitalization at worksites and offer them to our customers as a new service. We believe this will help improve work efficiency for more workers working on the frontline. We will strive to make high-value added proposals to our customers through partnership with Asteria.
ADK Fuji System Co., Ltd. Managing Director Zenei Sakurada
We sincerely welcome the release of new product Platio One by Asteria. This will allow us to build apps based on our expertise accumulated through support for digitalization at worksites and offer them to our customers as a new service. We believe this will help improve work efficiency for more workers working on the frontline. We will strive to make high-value added proposals to our customers through partnership with Asteria.
else if President Keiji Takamori
We welcome the launch of Platio One by Asteria and are grateful that we have been certified as a Platio app provider. We think that the distribution of apps that we built using our expertise in providing cloud services to our customers will further lower the hurdle for introducing Platio by customers and accelerate DX. Through collaboration with Asteria, we intend to “deliver success and inspiration to our customers” from the Kyushu region.
SystemForest Inc. President Koji Tomiyama
We sincerely welcome the release of new product Platio One by Asteria. Using Platio One service, we can build apps based on our expertise accumulated through support for digitalization at worksites and offer them to our customers as a new service. We believe this will help improve work efficiency for more workers working on the frontline. We will strive to make high-value added proposals to our customers through partnership with Asteria.
Runsystem Co. President Daisuke Hidaka
Platio Business Plan
Platio has been highly evaluated for its ability to create and deploy business apps unique to individual companies without coding in just three days, and adopted by companies and organizations in diverse industries. The product has also helped expedite DX at worksites through the digitalization of on-site operations and streamlined work processes. As a result, sales almost tripled in FY2020, compared with the previous year, and this trend continues into the current fiscal year. The aim is to achieve 500 downloads by the end of FY2022.
About Asteria Corporation
Asteria, formerly Infoteria Corporation, develops and sells software and services which connect a variety of in-house computers and devices. Its key product, ASTERIA Warp, is middleware which integrates data in different computer systems without coding. As of end-December 2021, 9,594 companies, mainly large and medium ones, had introduced the product. Another product, Handbook, allows users to carry around materials used for sales activities and meetings as well as product catalogues in electronic files on smartphones and tablets. A total of 1,641 companies and public institutions had adopted the product through end-December 2021.
For more information about Asteria, visit www.asteria.com/jp/en/
About Platio
Platio is a cloud service which allows users to easily create and use mobile apps that fit specific tasks without coding. By capitalizing on apps which are optimized for each task, Platio promotes digitalization at worksites and improves efficiency of manual processes. Apps created with Platio can be distributed immediately for use at worksites. Data that users entered into an app is stored in the cloud and will be shared real time the up-to-date status of worksites with managers. Apps also can automatically detect changes in entered data and send an alert to managers so that they can quickly respond to anomalies. Apps for businesses tend to be complex and expensive. As an easy app building solution, Platio won Good Design Award for fiscal 2018.
For more information about Platio, visit plat.io/en/home
For the press enquiries, please contact Masumi Koizumi of Asteria’s PR and IR department.
TEL: +81-3-5718-1297 / Mobile: +81-80-7716-9841 (Koizumi) / E-mail: press@asteria.com
For product enquiries, please contact the Marketing division.
E-mail: platio-pm@asteria.com
Asteria, Handbook and Platio are registered trademarks of Asteria Corporation.
