Logistics Case Study: Japan–China Intermodal Transport of PC-Related Equipment｜Logistics Case Studies
Shortening Lead Times with Japan–China Intermodal Transport of PC-Related Equipment
Flow Diagram — Japan–China Intermodal Transport of PC-Related Equipment
Ocean freight, air freight, customs clearance and delivery completed by Meito alone
Project Overview
This customer, who imports and exports PC-related equipment between Japan and China, was arranging air and ocean freight through separate vendors. The burden of document management and scheduling coordination was significant, and although there was room to shorten lead times, the customer had been unable to achieve it.
The Customer's Challenges
- Air and ocean freight arranged through separate vendors, fragmenting document management
- A standard lead time of 5–7 days between Japan and China
- Losses occurring at handover points across customs clearance, port pickup and domestic delivery
- Cargo tracking information fragmented across each vendor
Our Proposal & Solution
Meito International Intermodal Transport × Unified Tracking
We built an intermodal transport system in which Meito handles the entire process alone—ocean freight (main), air freight (for urgent cases), customs clearance, port pickup and domestic delivery. By linking the customer's WMS with Meito's tracking system, we made the cargo status of every stage visible in real time, 24 hours a day.
- Ocean freight, air freight, customs clearance and domestic delivery completed by a single company
- 24-hour real-time tracking
- In urgent cases, switching to air freight is also handled through the same point of contact
- Full coverage of major ports and airports in Japan and China
Results
| Item | Before | After | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door-to-Door Lead Time | 5–7 days | → | 3–4 days (-30%) |
| Number of Vendors | 4 companies | → | Meito alone |
| Tracking Gaps | 12/month on average | → | 0/month |
| Emergency Shipment Switch Time | Half a day to 1 day | → | Instant response |
Customer Feedback
In Japan–China logistics, the more handover points there are, the more problems arise. Since consolidating with Meito, we now have a single point of contact when problems occur, and our resolution speed is on a completely different level.