RTI Management System from Yusen Logistics and EDITEL

Innovation in the automotive industry: digital management of reusable transport boxes saves money and protects the environment

A digital management system for reusable transport boxes, developed jointly by the international logistics giant Yusen Logistics and EDITEL for the automotive sector, significantly reduces costs while protecting the environment.

Sustainability and responsible management of existing resources have been important issues for the European automotive industry for some time. At Odette 2023, the internationally renowned expert conference for supply chain management in the automotive industry, a system for the digital management of reusable transport boxes (Returnable Transport Item, RTI) was presented for the first time. This system was co-developed by the Japanese logistics giant Yusen Logistics and EDITEL – an international expert in Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).

Efficient management system saves money

The new RTI Management System (RTIM) ensures efficient handling of these transport boxes. Among other technologies, it utilizes RFID technology, which enables contactless data exchange between an RFID transponder (RFID tag/label) and an RFID reader/writer (gate). When a truck with the appropriately “tagged” transport boxes leaves a supplier’s factory or the Yusen Logistics warehouse, this is recorded at the gate and the data is automatically transmitted to the RTI Management System for processing. As soon as the transport box reaches its destination, it is again recorded at a gate. This new solution enables real-time tracking of the boxes’ locations. If a partner has too few transport boxes available for refilling, the system alerts and prevents potential delays in the supply chain.

The RTIM was integrated into the existing, fully automated procurement process based on EDI. This allows the data to be further processed via EDI and used for other documents, such as delivery instructions. “As a long-time EDI partner of Yusen Logistics, we provide much more than just technical connectivity. We assist our clients with consultation, support, and also offer extensive expertise for the implementation of new processes,” says EDITEL CEO Gerd Marlovits.

The RTIM was integrated into the existing, fully automated procurement process based on EDI. This allows the data to be further processed via EDI and used for other documents, such as delivery instructions. “As a long-time EDI partner of Yusen Logistics, we provide much more than just technical connectivity. We assist our clients with consultation, support, and also offer extensive expertise for the implementation of new processes,” says EDITEL CEO Gerd Marlovits.

Cost reduction by 90 percent

Petr Smidlik, Head of IT at Yusen Logistics (Czech), explains the background: “As a result of the collaboration of numerous suppliers in the automotive industry, there have been recurring problems with so-called RTIs. The cause of these problems was the lack of efficient systems for recording, managing, and handling the RTIs. The additional costs incurred due to unnecessary transport, storage, and the packing and repacking of auto parts to ensure just-in-time delivery are significant. In serious cases, the lack of RTIs at the respective producer can even lead to a halt in production.”

An example of an automobile manufacturer with 500,000 RTIs in use illustrates the scale of these costs: the annual costs due to inefficiency in managing reusable transport boxes amounted to more than one million euros. “With our solution, these additional costs were reduced by 90 percent, thereby achieving a return on investment in less than two years,” explains Petr Smidlik.

RTI Management System protects the environment

EDITEL CEO Gerd Marlovits highlights another crucial aspect of the collaboration: “The system makes a valuable contribution to sustainability. Among other things, it helps to avoid unnecessary transport routes and also saves costs thanks to its efficiency. This demonstrates that advancing digitization in logistics chains can significantly contribute to sustainability.”

The RTI Management System is now being used by several automotive companies in the Czech Republic, Thailand, and Japan. Additionally, Yusen Logistics also advises other automobile manufacturers and Tier-1 suppliers. Gerd Marlovits is confident that the partnership with Yusen Logistics will deepen and more automotive companies will adopt the RTIM: “Given that the Czech Republic is now among the top 10 nations in the world in automobile manufacturing, we see great potential for further collaboration.”

The press release „Innovation in the automotive industry: digital management of reusable transport boxes saves money and protects the environment“ and the associated images are also available for download.