NEXCO-Central, one of the largest toll road operators based in Japan, has sought to engage in international expansion strategies. It has provided consultation services and dispatched skilled engineers to many developing countries for decades. In line with its goal to expand to other industrialized countries, NEXCO-Central opened its first U.S. subsidiary, NEXCO Highway Solutions of America Inc. (NHSA), in Texas in 2020.
NHSA looked into opportunities to work with city governments and offered them its Smart Pavement Management System (SPM), which allows engineers to analyze the condition of pavement and produce an assessment of the same. Through NEXCO-Central’s artificial intelligence system, clients are able to see specific areas that need repairs and their overall condition rating.
Following trial programs in Texas, city officials experienced the benefits of NEXCO-Central’s SPM. NHSA expects the results to produce more efficient budgets for road maintenance, more effective maintenance planning, and more transparency in data-driven decision-making. The demand for the SPM is expected to grow because of a renewed commitment to expand raw infrastructure in the state.
And as Japanese investors continue to relocate to Texas, NHSA hopes that there will be an increase in the use of innovative Japanese technology across the state.
“Japan has been developing highways for more than 60 years, but the U.S. has an even longer history of highway development. NHSA is focused on pavement assessment for the present, yet we wish to implement further technologies and services like those offered by NEXCO-Central back in Japan. Through this, I hope that we can act as a bridge between Japan and the U.S.,” said NHSA President Hidemitsu Yumoto.
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