It seems that logistics reform is underway in all industries. Even rival companies are starting to develop mechanisms for collaboration. Neither Asahi Beer nor Kirin Beer has factories in the Hokuriku region. The two companies have begun to transport their beer together on the same freight train to stations in the Hokuriku region. They adopted a method of transporting both companies’ beer together at JR Freight stations to stations in the Hokuriku region. This is a desperate measure to make up for the driver shortage by switching truck transport from Osaka to Hokuriku to rail transport. The efforts of JR Freight cannot be overlooked in realizing the combined transport of Asahi Beer and Kirin Beer. JR Freight improved the train reservation system, which was unpopular with shippers. This has given them more leeway in production and transportation, and has increased the utility value for the beer companies.
The trend of turning partial optimization into overall optimization is progressing beyond the boundaries of industries. Asahi Soft Drinks and Nissin Foods have decided to jointly deliver. Asahi transports beverages produced at a factory in Ibaraki Prefecture to a distribution center in Saga Prefecture. At this time, the truck is adjusted so that it does not exceed the load weight limit, so there is a gap in the bed of the truck. Nissin’s light instant noodles are loaded into this gap in the bed. This makes effective use of the space in the truck. Sunstar and Kewpie are doing the same thing. Sunstar’s volume is mainly light toothbrushes, so they have used 60% of the limit on a weight basis and 80% of the bed volume. In this case, the loading rate of the commercial truck is about 40%, and the loading capacity is not being fully utilized. By loading Kewpie seasonings together, it has become possible to utilize 90% on a weight basis.
Not only joint delivery, but also joint purchasing is emerging. We may now be in an era that joint purchasing and joint delivery are in sight not only for companies but also for countries. Japan is the world’s largest importer of natural gas. Next is our neighbor, South Korea. Recently, China, which is seeking clean energy due to pollution issues, has also sharply increased its imports of natural gas. These three countries import natural gas at a higher price than Western countries. If these world’s largest importing countries could exert their buying power together, it would be possible to lower the procurement price of natural gas. Although the three countries are at odds with each other, if they could reach a unified agreement and take unified action regarding natural gas, they may be able to return more funds to their citizens than they do now.
