Daitetsu Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President: Tsuyoshi Ashihara, hereinafter "Daitetsu") announces that it has commenced a strategic collaboration with Ainet Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture; President: Tomomichi Saeki, hereinafter "Ainet") in the business fields for service stations (hereinafter, SS) and propane gas providers. 1. Background of Collaboration The oil industry has undergone restructuring of oil wholesalers over the past 20 years, and the business environment surrounding the SS industry is facing a major turning point with expectations of population decline and shrinking fuel demand in the future. In this situation, system providers whose main customers are in the SS industry are required to break away from conventional sales and development structures and transition to more efficient and high-value-added business models. Meanwhile, the propane gas industry is experiencing declining demand due to population decrease and the spread of all-electric homes, while the acceleration of business closures and M&A among small and medium-sized businesses is occurring due to the aging of management and labor shortages. In this environment, it is urgent to improve the efficiency of meter reading and delivery and to popularize sales management systems by utilizing IT technology. Both companies have agreed to this collaboration, judging that by concentrating resources through collaboration rather than dispersing limited management resources (personnel, technology, funds), they can provide higher quality systems and services stably. 2. Strengths and Roles of Both Companies Daitetsu, as an ENEOS designated calculation center, has its POS systems used at approximately 4,500 SS nationwide and ENEOS simple credit terminals at approximately 1,000 SS nationwide, and is well-versed in back-office operations at the site level. Ainet, on the other hand, has provided commissioned calculation services for SS for approximately 50 years