TOKYO, Feb 22 (News On Japan) –
A ceremony marking the beginning of collaboration between JR Freight, which handles cargo transportation by rail, and Nestle Japan, a meals producer coping with merchandise like espresso, was held on Wednesday afternoon, to mark the beginning of standard mid-distance transportation from Nestle’s manufacturing facility in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture to Osaka City in February, a primary for Japan’s meals and beverage business.
Reporter Maho Yamamoto: “This means that 4,600 bottles of coffee can be transported at once in this single container.”
According to Nestlé Japan, rail transportation will carry 40 containers, or 200 tons of merchandise per day, resulting in a discount of 4,000 vans yearly.
The backdrop to that is the so-called “2024 problem” in logistics. From April this 12 months, lengthy working hours for truck drivers can be regulated, and issues about labor shortages and logistics bottlenecks are rising.
The key to fixing this drawback is the “modal shift,” the place the main focus is on switching from truck to rail transportation.
Kenji Ito from Nestlé Japan: “Recently, we have had some difficulties securing trucks for mid-distance transportation. In that sense, we expect that this shift to rail will give us a bit more leeway in terms of securing transportation.”
In addition to the 2024 drawback, the modal shift is anticipated to contribute to the discount of CO2 emissions. It stays to be seen how it will influence our day by day lives.
Source: YOMIURI