Each year, Murata sets a target for reducing CO2 emissions during distribution and strives vigorously to achieve it. For fiscal 2009, we planned (1) to increase loading efficiency and reduce total driving distance by introducing and utilizing a system enabling the status of loading of trucks to be understood in real time; and (2) to promote the use of an Eco-drive Management System (EMS) to help truck drivers improve fuel efficiency and operate their vehicles more safely. The use of truck loading data has enabled inefficiency to be eliminated on the transport routes linking production plants and warehouses, increasing loading efficiency and reducing total driving distances. With regard to the improvement of fuel efficiency through the use of EMS devices, at present factors in increased fuel efficiency are being analyzed from historical transportation data, and trials and studies are being conducted to achieve a higher standard of eco-driving. In FY2009, our target was to reduce CO2 emissions from our domestic distribution per actual basic unit of production by at least 36% against the FY2000 figure. As a result of the initiatives above, we were able to reduce CO2 emissions by 40%. In FY2010, we will continue to strive to reduce CO2 emissions from distribution by reducing driving distances and increasing fuel efficiency through the use of truck loading data and EMS data.

Truck loaded with freight

Our approach to reducing packaging materials is to use technological innovations to make our products smaller. In fiscal 2009, we sought to reduce our use of packaging materials, in terms of numerical units for the domestic taping of our main products, by 47% or more against fiscal 2000 figures, but only achieved a reduction of 43%. This is the first time that our results have fallen below the reduction achieved in the previous fiscal year.

Since 2006, Murata has been attempting to reduce its use of cardboard boxes by using returnable boxes for external packaging. In order to increase the convenience of these returnable boxes, we have newly designed the “real tray,” which eliminates the need for repackaging between Murata’s shipping process and our customers’ production facilities. We exhibited the real tray at CEATEC JAPAN in fiscal 2009, and will commence full-fledged introduction from this fiscal year.

Not only are the real trays able to be assembled and disassembled with one touch, to be collected in stacks, and to be reused, but they also make use of plastic film discarded from our production plants as a recycled material, making them a form of packaging suited to a recycling-oriented society. We will continue to implement the 3Rs to enable us to further reduce our use of packaging materials.