Yamaha Agriculture, Inc. Acquires Robotics Plus and The Yield to Enable Precision Agriculture for Growers

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. ("Yamaha") today announced the launch of Yamaha Agriculture, Inc., a new company focused on delivering autonomous equipment and AI-powered digital solutions that help growers in the specialty crop market become more sustainable, profitable and resilient in the face of scarcer resources and climate change. Through the strategic acquisitions of Robotics Plus1 and The Yield, Yamaha Agriculture will provide robotics solutions for spraying, weeding and other field operations, while leveraging advanced data analytics and AI to enable precision farming and data-driven decision making for growers of wine grapes, apples and other specialty crops in North America, Australia and New Zealand.

"Establishing Yamaha Agriculture is a pivotal milestone in our Long-Term Vision 2030, ART for Human Possibilities. This initiative embodies the three core pillars we aim to achieve in our 2030 Long-Term Vision: Advancing Robotics, Rethinking Solutions and Transforming Mobility," said Jim Aota, Chief Strategy Officer for Yamaha Motor. "It also aligns with Yamaha's global technology roadmap, focusing on advanced energy management, intelligent systems and software-driven solutions. With the launch of this new company, we aim to leverage Yamaha's technological expertise to contribute to sustainable and profitable farming using a customer-centric approach. Growers will be able to better address challenges around labor shortages, resource scarcity and impacts from climate change."

Autonomous Technology Joins Forces With Data-Driven Decision Making

Robotics Plus provides an autonomous hybrid vehicle capable of multiple activities including spraying and weed control, addressing key labor challenges faced by growers. The Yield brings advanced data analytics and AI-powered models to deliver yield predictions and optimize on and off-farm operations. Leveraging Yamaha's long heritage as a trusted manufacturer of high-performance products, the new agriculture business will scale these two innovative solutions with a focus on quality, reliability and safety. These complementary technologies will be integrated to create a comprehensive platform that enables precision farming for growers. By combining autonomous equipment with intelligent data insights, Yamaha Agriculture helps growers reduce input costs, optimize resource utilization and improve overall farm productivity and sustainability.

"Guided by our mission to ensure growers are sustainable, profitable and resilient, Yamaha Agriculture recognizes that the challenges facing specialty crop growers require thoughtful solutions that will take time to develop," said Nolan Paul, Group CEO of Yamaha Agriculture, Inc. "We believe meaningful innovation in agriculture emerges through close collaboration with growers and industry partners. The capabilities of Robotics Plus in robotics and automation and The Yield in AI-powered analytics represent two important building blocks in addressing these challenges. As we work to bring these technologies together, we are committed to a deliberate approach that prioritizes creating real value for growers while maintaining the high standards of quality and reliability for which Yamaha is known."

A Modern Approach to Agricultural Innovation

Recent research reveals a decisive shift toward automation, robotics and digital adoption across the agricultural sector. As stated in the Robotics-Ready Data Standards for Washington Apples report from The Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission (WTFRC):

Growers believe that automation could support many functions of their operations, including harvesting and sorting (76%), autonomous spraying and fertilizing (52%) and both crop load and yield forecasting (29%).
A large majority - 86% of respondents - say digital technologies like software and robotics have already, or will in the next 5-10 years, drastically change agriculture as we know it.
In addition, specialty crops require a higher reliance on labor than row crops:

According to the USDA, specialty crops have the highest labor costs across farm types at 38 cents of every dollar in cash expenses in contrast to 4 cents of every dollar for corn and soybean operations.
Specialty crop growers are now spending an average of $500,000 USD a year on automation in response to the persistent ag labor shortage, according to the 2022 Western Growers Specialty Crop Automation Report.
Building on Nearly 40 Years of Agricultural Automation Innovation

Yamaha's journey in agricultural automation began nearly 40 years ago with the development of unmanned helicopter technology, making it possible to reach terrain inaccessible to conventional tractors and ground equipment. In Japan's challenging rice paddy fields, for example, more than 2,200 units now cover 800,000 hectares annually. Beyond rice fields, these versatile machines are also used globally for applications such as managing wine grapes, invasive weeds, tree fruit and sugar cane. The establishment of Yamaha Agriculture is a natural evolution of this pioneering work in automating challenging environments.

The agricultural sector is experiencing a remarkable technological inflection point, with industry leaders enthusiastically embracing digital transformation through autonomous systems, robotics and intelligent systems, including AI-powered precision analytics. Yamaha Agriculture is launching at a pivotal moment and is well-positioned to support the industry's strong appetite for innovative AgTech solutions that combine advanced automation with powerful data-driven insights.

For more information: www.yamaha-agriculture.com

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Yamaha has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Robotics Plus. The transaction is scheduled to be completed by April 2025, following satisfaction of customary closing conditions.