Carbon-free is the mainstream trend in the world. Carbon-free aims to completely eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by companies and countries. Above all else, reducing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is a priority. Just like the carbon-free issue, the driver shortage issue is also inevitable. These problems must be resolved at any cost. Of course, unless a company makes a profit, it cannot protect its operations or the livelihoods of its employees. If possible, I would be happy if we could create a system that allows companies to grow appropriately while solving the problem of carbon-free and driver shortages, and that satisfies employees and their families. This time, I tried to aim for happiness.
Sony and Hitachi have decided to work together to build a joint delivery system. Sony and Hitachi have announced that they will begin joint delivery of home appliances. The two companies decided to cooperate in delivery operations in order to first respond to the 2024 problem. This cooperation covers all products sold by both companies at home electronics retailers. Initially, Sony and Hitachi will work together to transport home appliances to a mass retailer’s distribution center in Hokkaido. From April 2024, the management of warehouses owned by both companies in Hokkaido will be integrated, and home appliances will be jointly transported to the distribution centers of mass retailers in Hokkaido. The aim seems to be to reduce transportation vehicle and fuel costs and build efficient delivery routes in the large prefecture of Hokkaido, and to spread this system throughout the country. This cooperation is partly to address the driver shortage, but it also appears to be a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy aimed at reducing costs and carbon emissions by reducing the number of vehicles and making deliveries more efficient.
For online shopping, it is necessary to have home delivery services performed so that there is no disruption to the service. In Japan, the labor force for logistics truck drivers will increase by 130,000 from the current level in 2027, and 960,000 will be needed. However, it is estimated that the supply is only expected to be sufficient for 720,000 people, leaving a labor shortage of 240,000 people. Just like home delivery, newspapers and mail are guaranteed to arrive on rainy or snowy days. There are 270,000 people who deliver newspapers and 190,000 people who deliver mail. Newspaper and postal workers deliver desired goods at fixed times every day. We have come up with the idea of having these people participate in home delivery as a side job. If this number of people can be matched well at the distribution center, delivery will be possible smoothly.
