Funai Soken Supply Chain Consulting Releases Guide on 'Co-creation 4PL' to Address Logistics Costs and Compliance for SMEs

Funai Soken Supply Chain Consulting Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Naoyuki Hashimoto; hereinafter 'Funai Soken SC') has released a free downloadable document titled 'Profit Through Breaking Multi-layered Subcontracting: The Full Picture of Cost Inflation and Compliance Risk Countermeasures Achieved with Co-creation 4PL.' This document is aimed at management and logistics executives in SMEs in the manufacturing, retail, and wholesale industries who are seeking to improve their profit structures. ■ Background of Document Publication Many shipper companies are currently facing not just rising freight rates, but a crisis in logistics governance. The multi-layered subcontracting structure prevalent in the Japanese logistics industry causes information fragmentation, leads to opaque logistics costs, and poses significant risks to the continuity of supply. This document systematically explains the introduction strategy for 'Co-creation 4PL' (Fourth-Party Logistics: logistics consulting that acts from the perspective of the shipper company), which transcends the limitations of traditional 3PL (Third-Party Logistics: outsourcing logistics operations) and achieves overall supply chain optimization through data-driven approaches. ■ Main Contents of the Document This document presents specific methods to resolve management issues such as operations dependent on on-site experience and excess inventory. It condenses expertise that unleashes a company's profit-creation power, including digitization of operations using AI (artificial intelligence) demand forecasting, resource concentration through the reduction of SKUs (Stock Keeping Units), and 'What-if scenario management' (decision-making based on hypothetical scenarios) to adapt to fluctuations. ・The challenge of 'multi-layered subcontracting' that impacts profits (the reality of black-boxed logistics costs) ・'Logistics Health Check Checklist' to discover potential risks in your logistics early ・Strategies to transform from traditional subcontracting structures to 'Co-creation 4PL' and turn cost inflation and compliance risks into opportunities for growth Additionally, the document includes a special 'Logistics Health Check Checklist' at the end for reviewing your logistics system, which can be used as a strategic guide to move away from treating logistics solely as a cost center. ■ How to Download the Document You can download it for free via the link below: https://logiiiii.sc.funaisoken.co.jp/documents/know-how/break-logistics-structure/