Governance Intellectual Property Management

To enhance our competitive advantages, we formulate and execute strategies for utilizing intellectual property, promote support for formulating research and development strategies in line with management policies, and strengthen and utilize the power of patents and engineering technology (know-how and other intangible assets).

Basic Policy on Intellectual Property

We utilize intellectual property to maintain and enhance our competitive advantages, ensure a degree of flexibility in our business, and expand our business domains.

1. We promote the acquisition of rights to our intellectual property.
2. We promote the confidentiality of engineering know-how, which is our intellectual property.
3. We promote the utilization of our intellectual property in our business.
4. We take strict measures against infringements of our intellectual property by others.
5. We use the intellectual property of others with proper authorization.

Under the Takasago Thermal Engineering Group’s Long-Term Vision for 2040, we have spelled out the need to reform our Group and achieve our goals by pursuing DX-related cooperation in four business domains to respond to the social environment surrounding our Group: (1) construction business, (2) equipment maintenance and management business, (3) environmental equipment manufacturing and selling business, and (4) carbon neutrality business. Our 2026 Medium-Term Management Plan, which is phase 1 of our strategy, includes various measures such as reforming our construction business processes (the T-Base^® project), establishing carbon neutrality business based on water electrolysis equipment, researching and developing environmental technologies, developing digital infrastructure based on BIM, and developing human resources, which are the source of our value creation. The mission of our Intellectual Property Management Office is to support the development of these four business domains set forth in our Long-Term Vision.
We promote strategic intellectual property management based on three key policies: “proactive IP activities” to maximize business opportunities and profits, “protective IP activities” to prevent business risks in advance, and building a sustainable framework to continuously drive these efforts.

The Intellectual Property Management Office is organized within the Research and Development Headquarters with the aim of strengthening commercialization support.
Currently, with the Research and Development Headquarters as its core, we have a system in which IP specialists are stationed at key divisions such as our Technical Engineering Headquarters (T-Base^®) and the Engineering Department. The Intellectual Property Management Office works with divisions on commercialization projects while embedding an intellectual property strategy perspective throughout those divisions.
Commercialization support covers the entire process from the creation to the market launch of new technologies. The Intellectual Property Management Office considers intellectual property and intangible asset utilization plans as well as business model plans, conducts competition analysis from the perspective of our intellectual property strategies, avoids IP risks, comprehensively manages technology information, strengthens our IP capabilities with an eye to competition, concludes contracts with suitable conditions, and otherwise provides support alongside related divisions.
This support system not only enables the rapid protection and utilization of new technologies but also helps raise IP literacy among personnel in each division through collaboration with IP specialists. We are expanding these initiatives to Group companies both in Japan and overseas, driving the sustainable growth of the entire Group.

Differentiation from other companies is essential for an engineering firm to maintain a competitive edge. Using patents to prevent imitation of the company’s proprietary technologies is one of the most important intellectual property measures.
Takasago Thermal Engineering conducts IP landscape analyses for the technology fields in each of the four business domains set forth in our Long-Term Vision. These analyses visualize our technological position relative to competitors and clearly define targets for both the quality and quantity of the necessary patent rights.
To achieve these targets, developers, the Intellectual Property Management Office, and external partners collaborate from their respective perspectives to develop and identify unique proprietary technologies, aiming to secure essential patents. Furthermore, in addition to our core businesses, we are also actively obtaining patents in related business areas to build a high-quality, strong patent portfolio.

Acquisition of patents for our proprietary SWIT^® technology

Our 2026 Medium-Term Management Plan strengthens investment in human resources, who are the source of medium- to long-term value creation, and seeks to transform our business model. To support this transformation, the Intellectual Property Management Office has clearly defined the skills required of IP specialists and is cultivating more advanced professional talent. We are placing particular emphasis on hiring and training young and mid-level professionals to enhance our medium- to long-term organizational sustainability. In addition, for research and management tasks, we are actively investing in DX by introducing AI and management tools, thereby enabling a shift toward higher value-added activities.

Improving productivity at construction sites is a common challenge across the HVAC industry. We actively promote the spread of productivity-enhancing technologies, such as new construction methods and on-site management tools, through equipment and material manufacturers and IT tool vendors to the industry as a whole.
When deploying these technologies, we place importance on mutually-beneficial co-existence with every company in the value chain, including equipment and material manufacturers, IT tool vendors, and sales agencies. The amount we recover for development costs continues to grow each year.
In addition, we have established a mechanism through our intellectual property management system that allows all employees to share useful on-site know-how, thereby promoting its application in on-site operations.