Synapse Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture, President: Kazuhiko Okamoto, hereinafter "Synapse") and ITOCHU Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President & COO: Keita Ishii, hereinafter "ITOCHU Corporation") are pleased to announce the official introduction of "DeCM-PF (Decm Platform)," a food value chain optimization service jointly developed by Synapse and ITOCHU Corporation, by Co-op Sapporo (Headquarters: Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Director General: Hideaki Omi, hereinafter "Co-op Sapporo"). In relation to this matter, Co-op Sapporo and its affiliated company, Hokkaido Logi Service Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ebetsu City, Hokkaido, President: Masakazu Iwatou), received the Grand Prize at the "1st Japan Logistics Award," organized by the Japan Association for Logistics and Transport, for their initiative "Logistics Structural Reform through 'DX x Master Craftsman Site Power' - Building a Delivery Consolidation and Regional Sharing Model Using AI Demand Forecasting." This initiative utilized "DeCM-PF." [Award Ceremony] From left to right: Mr. Junji Takada, Managing Director, Dounan Ace Co., Ltd.; Mr. Shinya Hasegawa, Managing Director, Sapporo Keiryu Express Co., Ltd.; Mr. Toshiya Kawakami, Managing Director, Hokkaido Logi Service; Mr. Tsugushi Miyazaki, Manager, DeCM Promotion Department, Synapse Co., Ltd.; Mr. Daigoro Iwai, Manager, Food Distribution Department, ITOCHU Corporation. ■ Background The food logistics industry is currently facing a severe labor shortage. In addition to the shortage of truck drivers due to the declining population across the industry, the "Act for Promoting the Integration and Efficiency of Distribution Services (Revised Logistics Efficiency Act)"*1 enacted in April 2026 requires not only transportation companies but also shippers to take concrete measures for delivery efficiency, making the maintenance of a sustainable logistics network a social imperative. For Co-op Sapporo, which operates over 100 stores and