We Find the Way
Unparalleled service helps Nippon Express expand the global logistics field.
Though established in 1937, theNippon Express Group’s roots
date back to 1872, evidence ofa rich history, which, according
to company president Mitsuru
Saito, has been essential to thefirm’s continued success, enabling it to take a flexible, proactive response to change.
Now the Nippon ExpressGroup (hereinafter referred toas Nippon Express) is bringing
its trademark flexibility to a logistics industry that has been severely disrupted in recent times.
Traditionally, Mr. Saito explains,disruptions have been “largely
limited to geopolitical tensions

Group Head Officeand natural disasters”. Thesedays, however, new factors havebeen added to the list.
Among others, Mr. Saito cites
the Ukraine-Russia conflict andthe global pandemic, which has
caused experts to highlight theneed for companies to diversify
Asian trade routes.
Regarding the latter, with customers reviewing their supply
chains as a matter of course, Japan could find itself ideally placed
to step into the breach. Mr. Saito
takes up the thread: “Located halfway along the Pacific route between Southeast Asia and North
America, Japan has the geopolitical advantages to play the role ofa relay hub base.”
Developing a globally competitive logistics hub would meancreating flexible operations byprioritizing certain key locations,for example by reimagining therole of some of Japan’s ports, ofwhich, thanks to the country’s island status, there is no shortage.

“In any situation weseek out the single
best way and makeit reality.”
Mitsuru Saito,President,
NIPPON EXPRESSHOLDINGS, INC.
Perhaps it is within this wider
context that Nippon Express
has chosen to reimagine its ownrole in the industry, with a newcompany holding structure andbranding overhaul to mark thechange.
Mr. Saito
adds: “Conventionallyour perspective has
been fromJapan andfor Japanbut, by converting ourselves into aholding company, we will
be able to plan a global businessstrategy, creating synergies between Nippon Express in Japanand its overseas subsidiaries.”
Another advantage of transitioning to a holding company
is that it brings with it greater
clarity, an overarching structurethat allows for more efficientbusiness restructuring and theacceleration of M&A processes, not to mention the ability
to streamline underperforming
departments.

previous logo, a traditional Kanji mark, might have been popular and well-known but, withthe group aiming to increase
its international sales ratio to50%, a new brand image positioning Nippon Express as a
global player
m a ke s p e rfect sense.
Fo r M r.
Saito, then e w b ra n dimage, alongwith the relocation of thehead office,are emblema t i c of t h ec o m p a n y ’sevolution. The transformations
are “a testimony to the fact thateverything can be changed”. An
attitude that is also reflected in
its willingness to embrace DX
technologies as the group has
recently forged an alliance withNEC Corporation.

New warehouse forsemiconductors in Phoenix, U.S.

Hydrogen engine boat in Venice
The decision to change thecompany branding, meanwhile,is best viewed as an extensionof the company’s desire to focus on the overseas market. The

One of the very few global
logistics companies that canindependently provide air, sea
and land transportation, thegroup has been actively striving to reduce its environmental
footprint for years and the goalof reducing CO2 emissions by
30% compared to 2013 will beachieved in 2023.
Eco-friendly vehicles, hybrid,electric or LPG fueled are being

AGF (Automated Guided Forklift)
introduced, and warehouse lighting is being converted to LED.
Moreover, Nippon Express recently launched an eco-friendly
delivery service in Venice, Italyusing hydrogen-powered boats.
The group has also planted over
10,000 trees as part of its annual tree-planting initiative.
Looking to the future, Nippon
Express has identified several key
industries in its business plan.
Having already established a
global network for logistics inthe pharmaceutical industry, thecompany has chosen to concentrate its immediate focus on thesemiconductor industry, which isundergoing a global production
shift. The shift provides Nippon
Express with an opportunity toestablish a warehouse in Phoenix, where the U.S. is currently increasing its output, with Taiwan
another potential target area.
Though supply chains in thesemiconductor industry remaincomplex, Mr. Saito is optimisticthat new business opportunities
can be created by providing a platform service offering comprehensive solutions for semiconductorrelated logistics. In the meantime,
the group will maintain its focus
on the pharmaceutical, electricaland electronic, automobile and apparel industries.
Pressed on his legacy, Mr.
Saito highlights the importanceof changing the mindset of company employees, emphasizingthat Nippon Express is a “NewCompany”, ready to confront
its future and pursue innovative
ways of thinking.
“Of course, being highly regarded by our customers andincreasing the price of ourshares is important,” Mr. Saito
concludes, “but, more than that,
I want our employees to feel satisfaction and happiness working
for Nippon Express.”