Yamato Transport and Japan Post said Monday they will work together on deliveries made to mailboxes and of small parcels.
The two companies aim to improve delivery efficiency to cope with the "2024 problem," involving serious truck driver shortages expected to be triggered by overtime work restrictions set to come into effect in April of that year.
Under the deal, Yamato Transport's "Kuroneko DM-Bin" direct-mail service will become "Kuroneko Yu-Mail" service, using Japan Post's "Yu-Mail" network, on Jan. 31, 2024. It will also phase out its "Nekopos" small parcel deliveries to mailboxes from October this year for a full shift to a similar service provided by Japan Post by March 31, 2025.
"It's extremely meaningful that we are able to stand at the starting line of our cooperation," Yutaka Nagao, president of Yamato Holdings, told a news conference in Tokyo.
The mail and parcel delivery units of Yamato Holdings and Japan Post Holdings are expected to expand the scope of their cooperation to cover deliveries of refrigerated and frozen goods as well as trunk-route transportation.
Joining the news conference, Japan Post Holdings President Hiroya Masuda said, "We aim to achieve business growth by effectively utilizing each other's management resources."
Through the tie-up, Japan Post hopes to take in part of Yamato Transport's ¥120 billion sales from the Kuroneko DM-Bin and Nekopos operations.