04 Working on unprecedented projects is challenging and thought-provoking. Sales Department No.2

General Manager of Sales Department No. 2

Mr. Shigeaki Terada
A member of Project Freight Transportation Promotion Team, Sales Section No. 3, Sales Department No. 2

Ms. Jin Kim
Technical Advisor in Project Freight Transportation Promotion Team, Sales Section No. 3, Sales Department No. 2

Mr. Yasunori Shimizu

Transport one of the largest belt conveyors in Japan

The project cargo transportation promotion team has been longing to take on the project for the transportation of transportation equipment, the Belt Conveyor System: hereinafter Belt Conveyor, which is known as one of the longest biomass transportations in Japan. We built trust with the client, a Japanese manufacturer, through various projects, starting with general air cargo. In the past, we took on a project for the transportation of belt conveyors and successfully completed the mission after earning the trust of our client. We were eager to take on the third project since we failed to take on the second one.

"We heard that our client experienced delivery delays and budget overruns on the second project with another company. Our client offered us the third project based on our successful experience on the first project and the trust we gained from the client. But I was unsure whether we could satisfy our client when we were notified to take on the third project, even though our client was satisfied with the result of our first project. Mr. Terada said.
This was because the belt conveyors were still being manufactured when we accepted the project. In addition, we were not fully informed of the exact dimensions of the large number of parts that would be shipped separately from overseas, or the exact delivery schedule.

A year-long big project

Mr. Shimizu, who has special experience in logistics, said, "Everyone on the team felt strongly that 'we have to do this. This biomass power generation conveyor belt is one of the longest in Japan. Our team members were very motivated. However, we only knew the outline of the project at the beginning. We were only told that it would be shipped from an overseas manufacturer's factory. We did not even know the port of shipment or the route.

The project began in the spring of 2023, when there were still concerns about COVID-19. At the time, there were still transportation disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, port congestion, and a shortage of manpower and shipping vessels.
"The biggest challenge of this project is to maintain and follow the defined schedule. Because we had to divide a large number of packages and transport them according to the defined schedule." Mr. Shimizu continued.

The belt conveyor components were shipped from an overseas factory in order of assembly to a port in the Tohoku region where a biomass power plant is located. Due to space limitations at the destination port, each package had to be shipped exactly according to the assembly schedule. We decided to use the Break Bulk Vessel, which is suitable for transporting large cargoes and ship the cargoes 10 times over a period of one year, as one component was up to 10 meters long.

Unexpected trouble occurred

Ms. Kim is a member of the previous project. She participated in the initial loading of parts and loading onto the ship. Although this was not a contractual requirement. It did not include a requirement for a person in charge to be present on site in overseas cases. But fortunately, her presence worked out for us.

"Due to the congestion in the port, the docking of the break bulk vessel was likely to be delayed. Delays can lead directly to customer losses such as demurrage and late delivery penalties," said Ms. Kim. She worked hard to contact port officials and was able to minimize the number of days it took to dock and load.

Even a small problem can turn into a big one if not handled properly.

"Dirt" put us in the next difficult situation.
There is a large pile of coal ash at the port of departure, and we found that dirt was likely to adhere to our cargoes when stored at the port of departure while waiting to be loaded onto the break bulk vessel. Transportation from the factory to the wharf was handled by another company. Ms. Kim asked all parties involved to take measures to prevent contamination and instructed workers not to step on components with their shoes on during shipping and loading at the port. In addition, she focused on promptly sharing detailed information with the customer via the chat system. To share detailed information to explain the situation of departure overseas port, earning the customer's trust and understanding. She made requests for the replacement of sling belts with dirt and used a chat system to quickly share information among the parties concerned.

The real pleasure of customized transport

Ms. Kim participated in loading all the components. She said, "I just wanted to make this big project a success. Looking back now, my knowledge was expanded by seeing the loading work on several ships with different volumes and shapes of holds. It helped all of us to gain new knowledge.
“K” Line Logistics' global network as one team. Each member in Japan and overseas showed tenacity when various difficulties arose, such as delays caused by bad weather. Finally, the project was completed. After the final handover of the cargo, the client invited all the members involved to an after-party.

In this project, we paid special attention to the reduction of CO² emissions.
"In recent years, we have used transportation and packaging methods that do not emit CO². We were required to take more detailed measures, such as calculating and submitting the CO² emissions of the fuel used during ocean transportation for each shipment. Because we were transporting equipment for biomass power plants. Every shipment has risks, and we face new challenges with each project. It is when we overcome these difficulties that I feel the most excited about my job," said Mr. Terada.

"We never repeat the same operation. Everything has to be customized. Like this project, we always take on unprecedented tasks. Since we are logistics professionals, it is not surprising that we get it done. We are proud of the great teamwork, the trust and appreciation of our customers, and the future contributions of the conveyors we transport. All of these results, which cannot be expressed in numbers, will bring us success. Mr. Shimizu concluded with his word.