Hitachi to roll out haulage truck-sharing service in Thailand

Illustrative image (Photo: Nikkei Asian Review)

Japanese electronics and infrastructure systems giant Hitachi Ltd will launch a haulage vehicle-sharing service in Thailand next month, taking advantage of its expertise in big data analysis and artificial intelligence technology.

Hitachi said on May 29 that the service is aimed at optimising movements of trucks and containers, allowing local manufacturers and distributors, like retailers, logistics companies and Hitachi group firms, to cut shipping costs and delivery times.

Registered cargo shippers place delivery orders with Lumada Centre Southeast Asia, Hitachi's big data collection center based in Chonburi, while logistics firms update their fleet information to promptly meet their needs, including freight and delivery timing.

Hitachi's Southeast Asian regional headquarters, Hitachi Asia (Thailand) Ltd, and Hitachi Transport System Vantec (Thailand) Ltd, conducted a trial with major Japanese diaper and sanitary products maker Unicharm Corp in the first three months of this year.

Through the trial, the container round-use rate -- the percentage of containers used on their way back from their original delivery destination -- doubled to 30 percent, Hitachi said in a statement.

The Hitachi group aims to facilitate a network of 21,000 trucks by March 2024 to achieve 8 JPY (73 million USD) in annual sales, the company said.

VNA