Tokyo/Osaka, Japan - Marubeni Corporation and PDC Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation, formed a capital alliance on November 13, 2015.
1. Outline of capital alliance
Marubeni acquired a 30% stake of PDC from Panasonic.
2. Purpose of capital alliance
PDC is a leader in the Japanese digital signage*1 market and has developed more than 10,000 installation bases including large-scale commercial complexes such as Roppongi Hills*2 and Tokyo Skytree®*3. The company distributes digital images, videos and advertisements onto signage and monitors their operation. PDC has now teamed up with Marubeni in launching its brand new "Ad Platform"*4, which provides spot-ads not only for domestic signage but for universal signage, and driving the company's further growth.
Marubeni has supported PDC through sales and marketing activities provided by Marubeni Techno-Systems, a 100% subsidiary of Marubeni, and has developed a close-knit relationship since its foundation. Upon this capital alliance, Marubeni will spearhead new business opportunities such as multi-language signage toward 2020 and a new platform connecting signage and various digital devices.
Panasonic incubates PDC under its in-house venture capital and decides transferring part of its stocks to Marubeni in order to realize further growth.
Notes:
*1 Digital signage is digital media that provides information through display panels and can be found in public spaces, retail stores and transportation systems, etc. Different from other media broadcasting for unspecified large numbers of people such as TV, newspaper and the internet, digital signage delivers targeted messages and advertisements to specific locations and/or consumers at specific times. Toward 2020, digital signage can be used as "Omotenashi tools", or "welcoming tools", for international guests.
*2 Roppongi Hills is a trademark of Mori Building Co., Ltd.
*3 Tokyo Skytree® is a trademark of Tobu Railway Co., Ltd. and Tobu Tower Skytree Co.,Ltd.
*4 Ad Platform is the cornerstone distributing advertising content over the internet. It indicates the platform selling and ordering slots and submitting content through web browsers.
About Marubeni
Marubeni is involved in the handling of products and provision of services in a broad range of sectors. These areas encompass importing and exporting, as well as transactions in the Japanese market, related to food materials, food products, textiles, materials, pulp and paper, chemicals, energy, metals and mineral resources, transportation machinery, and include offshore trading.The Company's activities also extend to power projects and infrastructure, plants and industrial machinery, finance, logistics and information industry, and real estate development and construction. Additionally, Marubeni conducts business investment, development and management on a global level. For more information about Marubeni, please visit http://www.marubeni.com/
About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, enterprise solutions and device industries. Since its founding in 1918, the company has expanded globally and now operates 468 subsidiaries and 94 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.715 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2015. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. To learn more about Panasonic: http://www.panasonic.com/global
About PDC
PDC was launched as a digital signage dedicated company under Panasonic's "Panasonic Spin-up Fund", an in-house venture capital, in October 2001. The company distributes digital images, videos and advertisements onto digital image media such as large-scale LCDs located in train stations, shopping malls, showrooms, etc., and also provides a one-stop service including content development, operation and maintenance.
