Feb 26th - World’s largest wind farm to be built off the coast of Fukushima

Officials announced that Construction will begin on the world‟s largest wind farm this summer. The project is part of a plan to make Fukushima prefecture completely energy self–sufficient by 2040, using only renewable energy sources. When completed the farm will produce around 1 gigawatt of energy and will provide electricity to the powerful grid which Fukushima's two nuclear power plants were connected to. When completed, the farm will surpass the world‟s current largest wind farm Greater Gabbard farm (off the coast of Suffolk in the UK). While planning the project Japanese officials consulted heavily with UK based experts and officials.  This project serves to highlight Japans changing attitude towards energy production, favouring renewable energy sources and moving away from traditionally favored nuclear power.

(Source: 16 January 2013, New Scientist)

Feb 15th - DHL wins long-term contract with Panasonic worth over £100m

DHL Supply Chain has been awarded a long-term contract worth over £100m (EUR120m) with Panasonic, to manage its warehousing and transport operation.

The contract, which was won as part of a competitive tender, will see DHL assume end-to-end responsibility for Panasonic's UK supply chain, resulting in increased efficiency, improved services, reduced costs and greater visibility. DHL will carry out order fulfillment of high end consumer electronic goods, manage a shared warehouse operation, and enhance the leading electronics supplier's domestic transport operation.

In turn, the project is set to generate a greater return on Panasonic's investment in its supply chain infrastructure through the conversion of its existing facility into a state-of-the-art technology campus featuring an enhanced plug and play IT solution plus a dedicated Transport Control Tower, providing full visibility of the secure transport network.

Panasonic strives to find new ways to deliver customer value

In taking on the contract, DHL will also utilize its global reach and scale to create a platform for transformational change, replicable across Panasonic's European supply chain business. The operation will provide further benefits through the ability to aggregate data across the operation, providing greater insight into operational efficiencies, total product costs and customer satisfaction.

Nigel Cowmeadow, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Panasonic Europe commented: "As our business evolves, it was necessary to bring in an innovative logistics specialist who understands the emerging needs of the technology sector. Our business needs the flexibility to adapt to the demands of current and new markets, addressing rapid product lifecycles while consistently improving on our customers' experience. Panasonic strives to find new ways to deliver customer value and DHL has demonstrated that it is a suitable partner to join us on our journey."

Paul Richardson, Managing Director of Specialist Services at DHL Supply Chain, UK & Ireland commented: "This is a significant solution that has been constructed in a very short timescale. Throughout, we have taken a truly collaborative approach to the project, working in partnership with Panasonic and adding value by exploiting our flexibility, global reach and focus on commercial innovation."

Feb 6th - EV charging standard competition casts a shadow over Japanese manufacturers

Japanese automotive manufacturers face slower growth of global EV sales. Nissan, one of the Japanese automakers conducting EV mass-production, has a global sales target of 1.5 million EVs by 2016, but has only achieved in 2012, total sales of 38,000 units (the same as in 2010). Fast charging systems are one of the key elements in disseminating EVs: they enable EVs to charge in tens of minutes compared to eight hours for normal charging at home. A TEPCO subsidiary has created a fast charging technology called the “CHAdeMO” system, launched in 2010 with major partners Nissan and Toyota. The system has been commercialised, with more than 1,600 CHAdeMO fast-charging stations already installed worldwide. Japanese companies have made a great effort to advocate the CHAdeMO as the global standard system. But in October 2012, SAE International, the US automotive industry’s standardisation body, decided to adopt the “Combo” as the US fast-charging standard system. Prior to SAE’s announcement, several major US and European automakers, including GM and Volkswagen who plan to introduce their EVs in 2013, announced they would use the Combo system. The perception is that the Combo system has been chosen to avoid Japanese domination of the EV market.

The Combo has one connector responding to both fast and normal charging, while the CHAdeMo supports only fast charging. With the US (the world’s second biggest EV market after Japan) adopting the Combo, Japanese players will need to shift their strategy. China, another big market for EVs, is developing its own EV charging system. Multiple standards create burdens for customers and manufacturers and there is no compatibility among system standards so far. 

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