Konica Minolta and Marubeni Collaborate to Support Workstyle Reform in the Nursing Care IndustrySigning of Agreement on Investment in Konica Minolta QOL Solutions 

Background and Purpose of the Agreement

Konica Minolta QOL has been promoting DX for nursing care facilities to enhance the work efficiency of care staff and the quality of care provided to residents of the facilities, while helping the elderly maintain and improve their ADL^*1 level, by tackling various social issues in the Japanese nursing care industry arising from extreme population aging. HitomeQ Care Support is a nursing care solution that Konica Minolta developed by combining the image sensing technologies it has accumulated since its establishment with the knowledge and experience of care staff. Through the HitomeQ service, Konica Minolta QOL has been supporting the entire workflows of nursing care facilities, from analyzing existing issues, introducing DX into daily operations and facilitating a shift to ICT-based services, and further to using data for highly-anticipated science-based and personalized care services.
Under the Agreement, Konica Minolta and Marubeni will jointly work toward the common goal of solving issues facing the super-aged Japanese society by utilizing Marubeni’s networks and assets. The two companies will also launch a package of Japanese-style nursing care solutions in global markets to bring about a significant change in the way care services are provided worldwide.

*1: Activities of Daily Living, which means the ability to manage the most basic physical needs, such as moving, eating, toileting, dressing, and bathing, on one’s own.

How the HitomeQ Care Support Service Works

The HitomeQ Care Support service uses a sensor mounted on the ceiling of a residential unit to monitor the daily behavioral pattern of the resident to grasp his/her rhythm of everyday life, and sends a notification along with footage to the smartphones of care staff to help them monitor the resident’s safety. With the ability to continuously capture and analyze a resident’s movements from directly above, the HitomeQ Care Support service allows care staff to detect even slight changes in the resident’s condition and offer care that is better tailored to the individual’s needs, thus allowing nursing care facilities to provide new data-based care services and manage the problem of the shortage of care staff, which has become increasingly serious.
Konica Minolta QOL also offers consulting services to nursing care facilities to help them improve their operations by analyzing captured data and visualizing the actual workflows of care staff. Since 2021, the company has been offering the HitomeQ Care Support service on a subscription basis as well, which reduces the initial cost of introducing the system and encourages more nursing care facilities to promote DX and improve operational efficiency.

Through Konica Minolta QOL, Konica Minolta and Marubeni will join efforts with all those involved in nursing care services, as well as a wide range of partners across industries, to maximize the quality of life for those in need of care.

Overview of Konica Minolta QOL