Japan faces chronic labor shortages, particularly of truck drivers. Using forklifts to load and unload pallets from trucks instead of transferring loads manually can help alleviate this situation. Smart Pallets offer even more labor savings for Toray, as tag readers constantly track pallets and eliminate the need to physically check inventory. This setup dramatically reduces the risk of shipment losses. That is because it tracks shipments accurately by combining data on pallet numbers at the point of origin, Toray’s goods shipping information, and pallet collection information from customers. Toray generally uses Smart Pallets for shipment orders exceeding one metric ton for products in paper packaging. Another benefit of Smart Pallets is that they are plastic, eliminating goods damage from nails or from contaminants like wood splinters, insect infestations, or mold.
Toray’s adoption of Smart Pallets is also in keeping with the company’s declaration of support in September 2019 for an initiative that three Japanese ministries launched in April that year to help the logistics sector overcome truck driver shortages. The three are the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Key goals of that initiative are to bolster transportation productivity and overall logistics efficiency and enhance working conditions for women and individuals older than 60.
Toray will continue collaborating with customers and logistics firms to improve the work environments and sustainability of logistics operations in keeping with its commitment to corporate social responsibility.
Note: Smart Pallet is a registered trademark of UPR Corporation.
