Japanese industrial supplier Misumi Group has announced a strategic partnership with US-based vertical farming company Oishii Farm Corporation, in a move aimed at accelerating the use of robotics and automation in indoor agriculture.
The deal centers on supporting Oishii’s highly automated vertical farms, where crops such as strawberries are grown indoors using AI-controlled environments and robotic harvesting systems.
The partnership reflects growing interest in using automation to address labor shortages and improve food production efficiency.
Oishii operates indoor farms in the United States and Japan, where environmental conditions – including temperature, humidity, lighting, and airflow – are precisely controlled using software, sensors, and robotics.
The company also deploys automated systems to assist with harvesting, reducing reliance on manual labor.
Under the agreement, Misumi will supply mechanical components to Oishii’s farming operations, including its Ametalas facility in the United States. The components are expected to support the reliability and scalability of Oishii’s automation systems.
Misumi said the partnership will also include joint research and development, combining its expertise in standardized industrial components with Oishii’s experience in controlled-environment agriculture.
The collaboration comes as the global agriculture sector faces mounting pressure from labor shortages, climate change, and resource constraints. Indoor farming – particularly vertical farming – is increasingly seen as a way to produce food more consistently, while reducing dependence on weather and large areas of land.
Industry observers note that automation is becoming central to this shift. Technologies such as AI, IoT, and robotics are enabling farms to operate with greater precision and fewer workers, particularly in developed economies where agricultural labor is becoming harder to secure.
Misumi, which supplies more than 30 million mechanical components through its manufacturing and e-commerce platform, has been expanding its presence in high-growth sectors through digital manufacturing.
The company uses AI-driven systems to process 3D CAD data and streamline procurement, allowing customers to source both standard and custom parts more efficiently.
Through its US subsidiary Fictiv, acquired in 2025, Misumi is also strengthening its capabilities in digital supply chains and rapid production.
The investment in Oishii marks a step into the agritech sector, where automation is expected to play an increasingly important role in ensuring food security and supply chain resilience.
According to the companies, combining Misumi’s manufacturing capabilities with Oishii’s automated farming systems could support the development of new components and technologies tailored specifically for agricultural robotics.
Ryusei Ono, president of Misumi, said the agreement reflects the company’s broader strategy of supporting innovation in emerging industries.
Meanwhile, Hiroki Koga, CEO of Oishii, has previously emphasized the role of automation in enabling consistent, high-quality food production in controlled environments.
The partnership highlights a wider trend: as vertical farming scales up, it is increasingly becoming not just an agricultural challenge, but an industrial one – reliant on robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing to operate efficiently at scale.
