Belgian supply chain technology company Zetes and Panasonic celebrate collaboration

The Brussels-based supply chain technology company Zetes and Japanese technology giant Panasonic celebrated their cooperation in Tokyo on Monday. This occurred in the presence of Princess Astrid, who is leading an economic mission to Japan.

A line of honour formed by the employees of the Panasonic Centre in Tokyo welcomed Princess Astrid on Monday morning, accompanied by several ministers, for a visit celebrating the cooperation between the Japanese technology giant and the Brussels company Zetes. This Belgian flagship company, founded in 1984 and active in digital identification methods, joined Panasonic Corporation as an independent subsidiary in 2017 and continues to expand globally.

The technology developed by Zetes is already being used very concretely, especially in Japan. For example, Toyota Mobility Parts, an automotive group subsidiary specialising in spare parts sales, recently decided to turn to Zetes and Panasonic to improve the efficiency of its deliveries. Thanks to a tailor-made solution, the company has real-time visibility of spare parts deliveries. Initially used at one location, the system is being rolled out across the country.

"The Belgian passport is now the passport with the best security guarantees in the world"

Zetes can also boast of producing Belgian identity cards (eID) and the new generation of passports introduced in 2021. "The Belgian passport is now the passport with the best security guarantees in the world," Ronny Depoortere, president of the People ID division at Zetes, told Trends Tendances.

"The European context favours our technology thanks to the European Commission's desire to launch a digital identity system in all member states"

"The European context favours our technology thanks to the European Commission's desire to launch a digital identity system in all member states. Also, in Japan, Zetes wants to believe in its lucky star." According to Ronny Depoortere, Japan is considering renewing its passport, suggesting a significant opportunity for the Belgian company.

Belgium's Princess Astrid is in Japan for an economic mission, the second largest ever. Besides Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kyoto are also on the programme. The aim is to strengthen economic and cultural ties and conclude new contracts and partnerships.

All participants of the Belgian economic mission to Japan arrived in the Japanese capital on Sunday. The first part of the delegation, led by Princess Astrid and several ministers, including Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib, had already landed in Tokyo late Saturday afternoon. More than 600 people - business leaders, officials and academic representatives - are participating in this large-scale event.

^{The logo of Japan's Panasonic is displayed at the company's headquarters in Tokyo on October 31, 2022.}

^{© Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP}