Fujitsu Limited and YE DIGITAL CORPORATION today announced an agreement to work together to provide distribution center-related services to address societal issues in the field of logistics to contribute to the elimination of labor shortages and the strengthening of sustainable supply chains in Japan.
Under the agreement, the two companies will provide Fujitsu’s WMS (1) services, which improve the overall efficiency of distribution center operations, and YE DIGITAL’s WES (2) MMLogiStation, which automates warehouse operations, to customers in the logistics business. Fujitsu will work to reduce barriers to the introduction of automated facilities in distribution center operations by providing planning support for the construction of distribution centers and planning for the transformation of operations within existing centers. The two companies anticipate that integrated management of facilities will promote operational automation and efficiency improvement, improving distribution center performance.
Background
Players in the logistics industry face growing pressure to respond to diversifying market needs and eliminate human resource shortages. Current strategies focus on measures to improve productivity and work quality through the automation of operations within distribution centers, such as personalization, digitalization of operations using paper slips, real-time work orders for visualization of various logistics data, and the introduction of automated equipment such as material handling equipment and robots. However, the problems faced by distribution centers are multilayered, and even when individual measures are considered, fundamental solutions are often not reached. To maximize the effectiveness of these measures, it is necessary to take measures that encompass the entire operations within the distribution center.
Overview of collaboration
By combining the respective strengths of each company, including distribution center-related services, automation technologies such as robots, and business expertise, Fujitsu and YE Digital will design a distribution center that provides a bird’s-eye view of the entire supply chain to solve the multi-layered challenges faced by customers in the logistics business based on Fujitsu’s WMS services and YE Digital’s WES solution.
1. Fujitsu’s WMS services
These services support the business management of distribution centers in various industries, the management of multiple locations, and provide flexible, scalable WMS that enables visualization and analysis of accumulated business data. As a consulting service, we also support customers in implementing changes in their logistics operations, such as planning for the construction of distribution centers, planning for reform and improvement of operations within the centers and delivery operations, and setting KPIs for operational costs.
2. YE DIGITAL’s WES MMLogiStation
It is responsible for the control and management of distribution sites between WMS and WCS, which provides real-time control of automation facilities. By separating the control and management previously performed by WMS into WES, it is possible to respond quickly to changes in business operations, such as the introduction of robots and automation facilities and changes in work procedures.
WMS and WES effectively introduce automation equipment into distribution centers to improve the efficiency of on-site operations, and by integrating the management operations of centers that require various control instructions, such as goods to be delivered and shipped, workers, and equipment, it is possible to eliminate labor shortages by properly allocating workers. In addition, the effective and efficient operation of automation facilities enables us to reduce the waiting time for transportation vehicles, which is one of the measures to eliminate the shortage of drivers. Fujitsu and YE DIGITAL will contribute to addressing the 2024 problem in the logistics industry and strengthening sustainable supply chains by improving the overall performance of customer distribution centers and strengthening the infrastructure in the logistics sector, starting with distribution centers.
