Ge (Yamato), which adhere to the Japanese logistics company 27 is not the price finally "surrender", announced the increase of freight from October this year.

The logistics company, founded in 1919, started from freight and started the small package delivery service in 1976, and now it has become the largest logistics company in Japan. Known as' is the company created a small parcel delivery service brand, a black cat picked up the kitten's logo has been popular. It has created the Japanese express industry, coined the term "delivery", a ski, golf, delivery and other services delivery on the next day.

Yamato logo

But recently, Ge is in shortage of labor, service can not keep up the crisis. The solution is the rise in freight, which is the first time the company has raised its price for the first time in 27 years.

According to the size of the package, each up is up to 140-180 yen (about 7-11 yuan). In this way, the minimum freight rate from Tokyo to Osaka has risen from 800 yen to 940 yen, up to 17.5%.

The increase in freight rates this time is too much pressure. Raised freight before the first regional express delivery business can not stand, and Yamato refused to cooperate.

Tokyo Edo Sichuan area a distributor to stop distribution of goods at the end of last year, ge. Yokota Hirotaka, the head of the company, said their distribution staff worked on average 14 or 5 hours per day (even in Japan, which was working overtime, which seemed somewhat "inhumanity"). The biggest problem in distribution is "two distribution", and once the distribution is not successful, it should be delivered again. "The media says about 20% of the express delivery needs two delivery, and about half of it is in fact!"

The reason behind this is that, on the one hand, the economic development of Japan and the increase in the number of online shopping. Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo came to power to stimulate economic policy, and the unemployment rate was controlled at 2.8%, the lowest level in 1994 and more personal consumption.

On the one hand, the main reason for this result is that the working state of the logistics driver is a little "miserably". According to Japanese Government Statistics Department of Ministry of health, 2015 small and medium-sized truck driver's income is 3 million 880 thousand yen, the logistics industry as a whole is 4 million 980 thousand yen, while the working time is 1/5 more than the whole industry.

No young man wants to be a truck driver. Now, about 45% of the truck drivers are over 45 years old, less than 10% under 29 years of age, and the freight accounts for 93% of the total logistics total in Japan, which directly affects the whole logistics industry. It is difficult to solve the problem of the labor problem.

The young man who wants to be a truck driver is not much

In addition, let more to expand the service and it has now become unbearable pain. After 2000, Yamato created a system of the world's rare express delivery time, will be divided into 6 sections, 8 points to 12 points, 12 in the morning to 14 points, 14 points to 16 points, 16 points to 18 points, 18 points to 20 points, 20 points to 21 points, when commissioned by the express delivery business can choose the delivery time. If it is not delivered within the specified time, it will be re delivered.

So in March this year, the company decided to change some policies to allow employees to rest a little more and earn a little more. This includes stopping the delivery from 12 o'clock to 14 o'clock and 20 o'clock to 21 o'clock, reducing the quantity of express delivery and increasing the salary increase, and began recruiting 3 full-time employees in Tokyo and Yamanashi Prefecture for 3 days a week.

In April, more than 30 were in the Yamato in Tokyo set up 711 from mentioning cabinet, saving manpower distribution at the same time, can also bring tourists to 711.

The more fundamental way to solve the problem of shortage of distribution staff is to develop automatic driving and develop unmanned aerial vehicles. Yamato in DeNA science and technology company jointly test truck automatic delivery system. When the user sets the time after the order is set, the van goes to the nearby selling point to pick up the goods and delivers it at the specified time. The whole program is fully automatic, and the vehicle is also autopilot.

On this plan, Yamato research department director Araki Stomuji said in a speech in May, the team as long as the first car to drive, followed by the use of automatic driving car, this is not difficult, as long as there is a fixed route can. He said Ge and other courier companies also consider cooperation in the development of this system, to develop a unified national standard.

Automatic pick up car Yamato started testing in Kanagawa County, arrived at the designated place to take delivery.

Why did the Japanese government not want to do this? In June of this year, Reuters reported that the Japanese government plans to open UAV delivery and automatic driving truck services in 2020 and 2022 respectively, so as to cope with the labor shortage problem caused by the aging population.

In addition to UAVs and wagons, Mitsui shipbuilding and merchant Mitsui and other companies have begun to jointly develop the automatic driving technology of ships, so that only a small number of crew members can be provided on board. Academics and government institutions, such as Tokyo Ocean University and Japan Maritime Association, have joined the study of this subject.

The Japanese government changed the Yamato logistics company on autopilot "heart". In a few years, it might be possible to see a fleet of black cats on the road, filled with various packages, including the cab.