Fujitsu is providing Yamato subsidiary Sustainable Shared Transport (SST) with an open platform for joint transportation and delivery services in Japan.

SST started providing the service this month. The firm was established last year and aims to build a sustainable supply chain through this platform, which uses standard pallet transportation (physical) and information exchange (digital). This service matches shippers and logistics providers on the system, primarily focusing on trunk transport.

Fujitsu views solving logistics problems as a priority. It will use SST’s joint transportation and delivery service as a shipper and has jointly built a data integration platform with the company. Fujitsu is investing ¥50mn in SST.

This initiative comes as the logistics industry in Japan faces various difficulties, including transportation capacity shortages and climate change concerns, and all companies are being urged to undergo significant transformations to improve logistical efficiency and create an attractive work environment. Furthermore, to foster sustainable logistics growth, the Japanese government amended legislation, encouraging shippers and logistics companies to implement logistics optimisation measures from April 2025 onwards.

However, industry-specific systems, standards and business practices hinder widespread options. To address this task, Yamato (www.yamato-hd.co.jp) established SST (www.yamato-hd.co.jp/english/news/2024/pdf/newsrelease_20240521_en01.pdf) in May 2024, fostering open collaboration across industries. Together with Fujitsu, SST has developed a foundational system for data integration across companies.

Leveraging Fujitsu’s unified logistics offering, the system optimises transportation plans based on shipper data (shipping schedules, packaging, volume) and carrier schedules. Shippers can participate in joint transportation and delivery, selecting methods such as time slots and transport modes within standard pallet space units. Logistics providers benefit from increased load factors, reduced empty mileage, and improved driver conditions.

The open platform is compliant with the guidelines established by the cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion (SIP) programme for smart logistics service project implemented by Japan’s government. This facilitates data integration across industries and companies, enables faster decision-making, and fosters collaboration for improved efficiency.

Using Fujitsu’s blockchain technology and cyber-security expertise, the platform prevents unauthorised access and employs data change logging for tamper detection and recovery, ensuring secure data sharing across industries and companies.

SST’s services enable trunk transportation with scheduled operation, relay transportation and consolidated transportation in specific regions of Japan, available in standard pallet space units. Additionally, through partnerships with local distribution companies, deliveries within the area will be provided to meet the needs of shippers using the service.

SST and Fujitsu aim to create a sustainable and cross-industry supply chain by combining Yamato’s partnerships with approximately 1.7 million corporate clients and over 3500 logistics providers, as well as its transportation network and operational expertise, with Fujitsu’s expertise in manufacturing, distribution and system development. Furthermore, the two companies will build a digital infrastructure linking commercial and logistics information, and promote data integration with related organisations and platforms to optimise and strengthen the entire supply chain.

SST will accelerate joint transportation and delivery by expanding its service area, schedules and transportation modes to include rail and sea freight in addition to trucking, aiming to expand to 80 routes by the end of March 2026.

Fujitsu, under its Uvance (activate.fujitsu/en/uvance) business model, will continue to contribute to the realisation of a physical internet, increasing transportation, handling and storage assets through joint transportation and delivery with SST. Furthermore, Fujitsu will collaborate with logistics stakeholders, combining multi-sector open platforms to solve a range of cross-industry problems.

Fujitsu (www.fujitsu.com) has124,000 employees working with customers in more than 100 countries.