Check out Part 2 for more information on the risks looming in the logistics industry!

Logistics supports our daily lives as a behind-the-scenes force.
Every day, many goods are loaded onto trucks and transported to all parts of Japan.

Some of the vehicles used in logistics are of the type where the driver's compartment (tractor) and the cargo compartment (trailer) can be detached.

These vehicles are called "semi-trailers". It is an advantage for logistics operators to detach them.

The Nichirei Logistics Group believed that by utilizing these "semi-trailers," it would be possible to reduce the load on drivers and solve the problem of long working hours.

Until then, a single truck has driven through the distance between Tokyo and Osaka to transport goods. In this idea, a "semi-trailer" is used, and the tractor and trailer are separated at a relay point. The tractor and trailer are then exchanged for another trailer that has already been loaded. The drivers return the way they came.

Goods are delivered to their destinations reliably, and this also reduces the long working hours of drivers. Furthermore, by loading and unloading the trailers at the relay point ahead of time, the driver's loading and unloading work can be eliminated. This would greatly reduce the amount of time the driver had to work other than driving, as he or she only had to switch trailers.

In 2017, the Nichirei Logistics Group decided to verify the operation method of detaching the "semi-trailers," and in the verification conducted in 2006, it experienced a failure in which trucks from Osaka that arrived at the relay point had to wait for five hours until a truck from Tokyo arrived.
(For the 2006 verification and the progress of improvements, please refer to "Part 2: Logistics Crisis Looming Around You" .)

The Nichirei Logistics Group has made thorough improvements, starting with a change in awareness, such as palletization and "on-time departure and on-time operation. The verification was a resounding success, meeting the high expectations of those both inside and outside the Group, and the Group was able to drastically reduce standby times compared to 2006.

Mr. Nagata of the Transportation Planning Department of the Logistics Network, who has been in charge of truck dispatching, could not hide his delight at this result.

It took 10 years for "on-time departure and on-time operation" to become the norm within the Nichirei Logistics Group, and because it finally spread, we achieved this.

Based on these results, the Nichirei Logistics Group moved toward practical application. To this end, we made the major decision to have our own trailers.

For example, if a trailer towed by Company A is to be replaced by a tractor from Company B, there are many issues that must be cleared, such as the standardization of connection parts and the issue of liability for the goods to be transported in the event of a problem. Therefore, the Nichirei Logistics Group has its own trailers, and by having the companies in the "Loginet Cooperative Association" use them, it is possible to manage these issues and ensure smooth operations.

The trailers we have prepared are some of the largest in Japan. A truck that generally operates long distances can carry 16 pallets of goods, but this trailer can transport 24 pallets, which is 1.5 times the payload capacity.

We are serious about improving the long working hours in the logistics industry. This was also the determination of the Nichirei Logistics Group.

In addition to improving the hardware, the relay center, which is the key to this operation, worked on reforms to enable trailer changeovers in the shortest possible time. We thought that by having employees at the relay sites take care of unloading and loading, which had previously been done by the drivers, the drivers could concentrate solely on driving, and the operation could be carried out with no lost time.

However, "there was some opposition at first," recalls Yoshida, who is in charge of operations management at the Nagoya Minato Distribution Center.

"If we have to do the loading and unloading work that our drivers used to do in addition to normal duties of people at the relay center, we will not be able to use the same amount of time and personnel as we have in the past. In addition, we have to acquire the know-how to use specialized equipment for loading. Many people asked, 'Why do we have to do the driver's job as well?

Over the course of about a year, Yoshida spent time talking with the employees. He then appealed to them to "take a step forward now to protect the logistics industry as a whole.

He then set up a system to alleviate the concerns of the employees by finding personnel and subcontractors who specialize in separating tractors and trailers, and establishing a dedicated area at the base for this purpose.

In addition, drivers from the Loginet Cooperative Association, a cooperative company of the Nichirei Logistics Group that has expertise in loading, visited the Nagoya Minato Center as instructors and held a training session. All participants learned how to use specialized equipment used for loading.

Around the same time, Nagata and other members of the Transportation Planning Department sought cooperation from shippers in order to maximize the use of large trailers.

With the united enthusiasm of everyone on site and the customers, the service started in 2022 between Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka.

This initiative, which makes full use of "trailers," has been named "SULS.
The name "SULS" reflects our desire to create the "3 S's" by combining the strengths of the Nichirei Logistics Group and to provide the "3 U's" to society and our customers.

How has "SULS" changed the site?
Let's take a peek at what is happening at the site.

In the introduction test, it took five hours to complete the replacement, but now it takes as little as 15 minutes to be ready for departure. Yoshida, who brought the site together for the introduction of "SULS," felt a sense of accomplishment.

In addition to the drivers, shippers have also commented that they are glad to have reduced the risk of not being able to deliver products to customers and that this is a wonderful initiative that also contributes to carbon neutrality.

In addition, Nagata, who works in the Transportation Planning Department dispatching trucks from Kansai to Kanto and Kyushu, has seen an improvement in operational efficiency within the company.

SULS is a next-generation transportation and delivery system made possible by the overwhelming volume of goods handled, our own logistics bases located throughout Japan, and our strong partnership with our partners nationwide for more than 30 years. Although the number of shippers and areas where SULS is used are still limited, the system is scheduled to be introduced to all regions of Japan in the future, and will be used for trunk line transportation to Tohoku in April 2024.

The Nichirei Logistics Group is taking on a variety of initiatives, including SULS, and each initiative will have a synergistic effect and make a significant contribution to sustainable logistics. The Nichirei Logistics Group will continue to take on the challenge of logistics reform.

Progress in the logistics industry as a whole is presented in Part 1.