Automated Nighttime Drone Patrols Begin at Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Site Discussions Underway to Renew the Firefighting Support Agreement with the Hikari District Firefighters Association to Include Drone Support in the Event of a Disaster

- In August, Takeda became an early adopter of automated drone patrols for nighttime security, inspection and disaster prevention at our manufacturing site in Hikari, Japan
- The drones can detect high temperatures inside buildings, which are difficult to detect with the human eye, and can also identify the source of any fires that may occur
- There are discussions underway to renew the firefighting support agreement with the Hikari District Firefighters Association to include drone support in the event of a disaster

We are pleased to announce that in August, Takeda became an early adopter of automated drone patrols for nighttime security, inspection and disaster prevention at the manufacturing site in Hikari City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, as a means to ensure the safety of our medicines, employees and the local community, after conducting safety and effectiveness tests with the drones.

A drone being deployed for an automated patrol

The drones will augment the nighttime patrols conducted by humans. They have lower environmental impact compared to patrols conducted in vehicles. The drones will automatically fly along a pre-programmed route and patrol the skies over facilities that handle hazardous materials. As they receive Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals and location information from base stations around the Hikari Site, the drones can be set to fly in 1-centimeter increments. The drones have two cameras: a high-sensitivity, weather-resistant camera with a 200x zoom lens suitable for nighttime photography, and an infrared camera that can detect high temperatures inside buildings, which are not detectable by the human eye, making it possible to identify and respond to fires as quickly as possible. Thanks to the infrared camera, in the event of a fire, the source of the fire can be determined even when visibility is impaired by smoke. If a suspicious object or situation is detected during the drone’s automated patrol, a trained and qualified security officer will manually operate the drone to assess the situation in more detail and consider the necessary action to be taken. The images sent from the drone can be viewed from anywhere using a PC or tablet that has been granted viewing privileges.

Drone footage from the infrared camera and high-sensitivity camera.

Kenichi Yamaguchi, Director of the Hikari Site EHS Office, who spearheaded the project, said, “We are committed to delivering innovative medicines by unleashing the power of data and digital. We do this for all patients who rely on us, our colleagues who work with us and the planet on which we live. By utilizing automated drones with a low impact on the environment and using the power of data and digital technology to augment human patrols, we will establish an even more robust system to deliver innovative medicines to our patients while protecting our manufacturing facilities, our employees at the Hikari Site and the safety of local communities.”

Moreover, Takeda is planning to renew the agreement with the Hikari District Firefighters Association regarding the use of drones to support firefighting activities in the event of a disaster, updating the existing firefighting support agreement. Specifically, we will lend the drones and dispatch pilot technicians to Hikari District Firefighters Association upon request to search for and assess damage after a disaster.

Greg Timmons, Takeda’s Global Manufacturing & Supply Japan Head, said, “Natural disasters and other types of disasters affect the health of people, not just that of patients, in diverse ways. Through this new agreement, which includes drone support, we are delighted to be able to contribute to the local community where our manufacturing site is located to help prevent the secondary damage that can follow a disaster.”

Fire Chief Koichi Akahoshi of the Hikari District Central Fire Department and Emergency Control Center, stated, “The effectiveness of drones has been highlighted in the case of large-scale floods and landslides, which have become more common in recent years. Drones are also important in obtaining information from an aerial perspective not only in the case of large-scale disasters but also for common disasters (fire, search and rescue, etc.). We’re encouraged by the renewal of the agreement with Takeda, which involves the deployment of drones to help disaster relief activities.”

With a view to utilizing AI to detect abnormal situations and issue warnings in the future, we will be sharing data obtained from drone patrols with our suppliers to support further development of drone technology.

A drone operator with a Takeda employee

Takeda Pharmaceutical
Takeda is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetics and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI), with expertise in immune and inflammatory diseases. We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions.
For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.

＜Press Inquiries＞
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Global Manufacturing & Supply Communications
Kumi Iiyama
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080-5789-7742