Pioneer is working toward energy conservation in distribution. We are making various efforts throughout the entire distribution system, from transportation of production materials to sales-related transportation.
Logistical Initiatives
Modal shift
Amount handled by modal shift
Modal shift refers to shifting transportation methods from trucks to railways or marine transport. Pioneer has been promoting such a shift for many years. In FY2011, the volume of freight handled by railways and marine transport amounted to 1.44 million tonne-kilometers*, a decline of about 50% from the previous fiscal year. This decrease was attributable to new distribution bases established to receive products from overseas, in order to increase transportation efficiency within Japan. Thus, the modal shift in Japan is being replaced by means of marine transportation from overseas.
* Tonne-kilometer (tonne-km) is the unit used to indicate volume of freight transport.
For example, if 1 tonne of freight is transported 1 kilometer, this is expressed as 1 tonne-kilometer.
Transport reform using milk runs
Milk run concept
To ensure the efficient transportation of materials from multiple component suppliers, Pioneer employs the "milk run" system of one truck visiting several suppliers to pick up the required components. In FY2011, 20 component suppliers were incorporated in the milk runs, resulting in a reduction of 79,300 km in the cumulative traveling distance for 2-tonne and 4-tonne trucks. This corresponds to a fuel saving of 13.7 kiloliters and a reduction in CO2 of 36.0 tonnes.
