Nippon Express announced on October 17 that it had signed an agreement with SMC, a world-leading manufacturer of factory automation equipment, regarding international transportation BCP (Business Continuity Planning) services.
The agreement will ensure stable international transportation routes even during large-scale disasters such as the Nankai Trough earthquake, creating a system that will not halt manufacturing.
<From left to right in the photo: Tsuneo Ando, Executive Officer of Nippon Express; Samuel Neff, Director and Executive Officer of SMC; Kozo Okudaira, Executive Officer of Nippon Express>
The international transportation BCP service, announced in June, leverages Japan's largest network of 1050 warehouses and 2130 distribution facilities nationwide to ensure a stable supply chain by utilizing undamaged locations and routes.
Specifically, after receiving and clearing customs at warehouses throughout Japan, goods are transferred to Busan, South Korea. Using NX Korea's Busan Port Warehouse (NX Korea BGLC Warehouse) as a hub, bonded inventory management and sorting are carried out, and then transportation routes are secured to various countries around the world, including Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Furthermore, it is possible to use air travel from Busan via Incheon Airport, addressing diverse transportation needs in emergencies. It can be used not only for exports but also for imports from overseas to Japan.
<International Transportation BCP Service Image Diagram>
SMC is a leading manufacturer of factory automation (FA) equipment that powers manufacturing facilities in a wide range of fields, from semiconductors and automobiles to medical and food products. Since disruptions to logistics during disasters can have a significant impact on production activities both domestically and internationally, securing stable transportation routes is essential. For this reason, SMC highly values the international transportation BCP (Business Continuity Plan) service system. They also resonated with the philosophy of "not stopping manufacturing during disasters," which led to the signing of the agreement.
The agreement includes provisions to ensure stable international transportation of export goods from SMC's six domestic factories to various countries, regardless of whether it is peacetime or a crisis.
The two companies will conduct disaster prevention drills and operational verifications regularly, and will enhance the effectiveness of the agreement by conducting verifications not only at specific ports but also at multiple regional ports.
