Report on Demonstration Experiment for Social Implementation of Automated Logistics Roads in FY2025 (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)

Nomura Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo / President: Daisaku Matsuo, hereinafter "Nomura Real Estate"), IHI Corporation (Head Office: Koto-ku, Tokyo / President: Hiroshi Ide, hereinafter "IHI"), IHI Logistics System Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Koto-ku, Tokyo / President: Motohiro Kawata, hereinafter "IHI Logistics System"), Nakao Industrial Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Arita-gun, Wakayama / Representative Director: Masahiro Nakao, hereinafter "Nakao Industrial"), Fuji Transport Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Nara City, Nara / Representative Director: Hiroaki Matsuoka, hereinafter "Fuji Transport"), and NX Research Institute Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo / President: Rihito Suzuki, hereinafter "NX Research Institute") conducted a demonstration experiment from January 29th to 30th, 2025, at "Landport Yokohama Sugita" (Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama City), which was jointly developed by Nomura Real Estate and IHI, for the social implementation of the "Automated Logistics Road" concept promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Approximately 70 participants from consortium member companies aiming for the implementation of automated logistics roads, as well as numerous members of the press, attended the site visit on the demonstration day. This demonstration experiment focused on verifying the feasibility of automating transshipment at logistics hubs, primarily through "Use Case 1: Efficiency Improvement of Unmanned Cargo Handling" and "Use Case 6: Coordination with Truck Arrival Information." We will now announce the achievements and challenges obtained from this demonstration experiment, as well as future directions. 1 What is an Automated Logistics Road? This is the general term for the new logistics infrastructure promoted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, "Autoflow Road." It aims to create dedicated spaces within road infrastructure for unmanned, automated transport machines that use clean energy to transport cargo 24 hours a day. Automated logistics roads were conceived to address the structural issues facing Japan's logistics, such as the deepening driver shortage, the increasing fragmentation and frequency of logistics, rising fuel costs, and the need for CO₂ emission reduction. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism aims for the operational start of implementable sections (pilot routes) through minor improvements by the mid-2030s, and is pursuing social implementation through public-private collaborative initiatives such as demonstration experiments. 2 Main Content and Verification Items of This Demonstration Experiment (Use Cases 1 and 6) We simulated the transshipment space between the main automated logistics road and the hub within "Landport Yokohama Sugita," and performed automated unloading by AGF (Automated Guided Forklift) from arriving 10-ton trucks, storage in automated warehouses, and transfer to transport equipment. Through this, we measured the area and time required for automated unloading, and organized the operational conditions for automated logistics hubs (Use Case 1). Concurrently, we coordinated truck arrival information (obtained from ETC2.0, etc.) with the hub system and measured the automated outbound loading and warehousing times, thereby verifying the effect of reducing driver waiting times (Use Case 6). 3 Roles of Each Company in This Demonstration Experiment and Future Directions Through collaboration with various partner companies, we were able to conduct this demonstration experiment utilizing an actual logistics warehouse, which allowed us to extract and examine more concrete issues related to automated logistics road hubs. In particular, we believe that the concept of automated logistics roads requires functions and facilities different from conventional logistics warehouses, such as anticipated cargo volume and number of trucks. Moving forward, as this concept becomes more concrete, we aim to contribute to the realization of automated logistics roads by leveraging the knowledge gained from this demonstration. This demonstration is a highly significant initiative for IHI. The material handling system introduced this time differs from conventional automated systems in logistics centers; it aims to improve the efficiency of the entire logistics process by integrating with AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) that travel on highways, in addition to truck transportation. We believe this new form of logistics is an important step towards the future development of the logistics business and the creation of new value. We are considering automating loading operations using additional equipment such as laser sensors, so that once a driver docks at a berth, loading can be completed within 3 minutes by simply pressing a button inside the cabin, without getting out. Through this demonstration experiment, we confirmed the potential for automation through unmanned cargo handling and coordination of arrival time information, as well as practical challenges in integrating them into actual transport operations. From our perspective, it is important to conduct phased demonstrations and verifications from a medium-to-long-term viewpoint. We will continue to cooperate towards the steady social implementation of automated logistics roads, incorporating the perspective of actual transport operations. This demonstration experiment has provided us with crucial insights towards the social implementation of automated logistics roads. In particular, confirming the importance of processing capacity at the junction points of origin and destination, and clarifying the potential for efficiency improvement through unmanned cargo handling and the coordination of arrival time information, as well as the practical operational challenges, are significant achievements. We recognize these insights are indispensable for solving technical challenges and identifying directions for the stable long-term operation of logistics networks as social infrastructure. Moving forward, based on the analysis results from this experiment, we will contribute to the realization of more effective automated logistics roads. 3 Content Obtained from Demonstration Experiment https://www.mlit.go.jp/road/ir/ir-council/buturyu_douro/pdf11/05.pdf