Two divisions of Honda, Honda Motorcycles and Honda Power Products, have made the strategic decision to work with BuyCo, a container shipping platform. It will also work with FourKites, the leading real-time supply chain visibility provider.
The combination will enable Honda to streamline its global container shipping operations. An additional benefit will be better visibility of what is happening within its supply chain.
The BuyCo transportation management system will enable Honda to access more information about shipping schedules. BuyCo’s data includes CO2 emissions, cost, ETA and allocations. Honda will be able to search and compare carrier rates and schedules. It will also be able to automate the booking process to streamline operations.
Honda is among the first joint customers announced since FourKites and BuyCo partnered to offer end-to-end Freight Management in April. In combination, BuyCo helps Honda to manage bookings and its supply chain better. This makes it more efficient through inventory optimisation. With access to the CO2 footprint for different options, it can also reduce its carbon emissions to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
FourKites can then give Honda visibility on what is happening with its shipments. It can provide instant feedback when a shipment is delayed and even if there are potential delays on a route. It enables Honda to react faster and change or create new bookings to alleviate any issues.
Mathew Elenjickal, founder and CEO of FourKites, commented, “The importance of international shipment visibility continues to increase across our customer base, especially with ongoing disruptions such as port strikes, global conflict and climate-related changes.
“Our partnership with BuyCo helps customers improve the management of ocean shipping and react quickly to drive agility and adapt to such disruptions. We are honoured to have been selected by Honda to achieve its digitization objectives.”
Japanese localisation
FourKites has further enhanced its operations with its relationship with Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co, Ltd (“MKI”). MKI delivers hyper-localised solutions for the Japanese market. It has been the exclusive reseller within Japan for FourKites since 2023. MKI is working with Honda to deliver on the high expectations and unique needs that it has.
Moreover, FourKites is also working closely with its exclusive partner in Japan to deliver hyper-localized solutions for the Japanese market. These will also meet the high expectations and unique needs of Honda and others in the region.
These localisations and modern technology, such as the FourKites platform and BuyCo, will enable Honda to improve its supply chain and maintain its position as a leader in motorcycles and power products.
Carl Lauron, CEO at BuyCo, stated, “We are thrilled to partner with FourKites and extend our unwavering support to Honda, delivering an efficient supply chain solution, all while supporting their carbon reduction goals.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
This is a significant customer announcement for both BuyCo and FourKites, soon after the partnership announcement. It will be interesting to see whether other companies within the Honda Global Group or other firms also embrace the combination to improve their supply chain operations and visibility.
Also, will FourKites persuade Honda to provide the information that will make this a very solid case study for further referenceability in the future? Once the platform is bedded down, it will be interesting to see whether Honda has realised all the hoped-for benefits.
