News
December 19, 2023
Toyoda Gosei Invests in KEYes Inc., a Startup Developing Padlocks that Can Be Managed with Smartphones
Kiyosu, Japan, December 19, 2023: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has invested* in KEYes Inc., which manufactures and sells smart padlocks, or digitalized padlock system that enables unlocking operation with a smartphone and management of usage history and other information.
In combination with the KEYes’ dedicated app, the smart padlocks ease lock management in ways such as monitoring the history of use (when, where, and by whom the lock was opened), setting user authorization, and checking whether the padlock is locked or unlocked. Through the development of smart padlocks, KEYes aims to improve the safety and convenience of lock management.
Toyoda Gosei will explore ways to collaborate with KEYes in developing padlock management systems for the manufacturing industry. By digitally transforming safety management operations, the new systems are promising for improving workplace safety in production floor machinery, toxic substance storage areas and elsewhere.
* Investment made in November 2023, through Toyoda Gosei’s Corporate Venture Capital Dept., an internal organization dedicated to these investments.
Outline of KEYes Inc.
| Name | KEYes Inc. |
| Location | Shigematsu Bldg. No. 5, 1-10-26 Akasaka, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| President | Tomohiko Noyori |
| Established | December 2018 |
| Capital | JPY 51 million |
Features of KEYes’ smart padlocks
Management of history (when, where, and by whom lock was opened) and user authorization (who can open which locks), and confirmation of whether a lock is locked or unlocked
⇒Improved safety and convenience of lock
and key management