Honda Express solves more in eight weeks with SynQuest supply chain planning software than It managed in 40 without

One World Logistics of America, the Honda Express subsidiary which provides logistics planning, integration and management services to the automotive sector, has reported success with its SynQuest supply chain optimisation and management software. Following a pilot on the in-bound logistics side earlier this year, the firm has announced considerable savings and improved and more responsive service. As a result it has now licensed SynQuest supply chain planning solutions both for the in-bound logistics side (delivery of materials to assembly operations) and out-bound logistics side (finished vehicle transportation scheduling). “SynQuest has shown us a new way to optimise our customer’s logistics network for the lowest total delivered cost,” says Yoshi Ohara, senior managing director at Honda Express and president at One World Logistics of America. “For the first time, we can quickly and completely model complex in-bound networks, which includes balancing transportation, inventory, plants, suppliers and returnable containers costs, while respecting the constraints we encounter in the real world of global logistics. “The comprehensiveness of the model, combined with SynQuest software’s profit-and-loss driven optimisation technology, has shown us savings that we believed were not achievable. Honda Express and its subsidiaries intend to support its customers world-wide with this.” One World Logistics of America is initially using SynQuest in-bound logistics planning software to evaluate customers’ inbound distribution networks to determine delivery routes and frequency of deliveries. With it, the firm can quickly deliver logistics plans for every part at the lowest delivered cost: the software considers the constraints of the automobile assembly plants and determines how to combine supplier deliveries. “SynQuest’s supply chain planning solutions and automotive domain expertise allow us to provide significant value,” says Albert Wittkopp, vice president at One World Logistics of America. “There is great complexity in a multi-divisional automotive assembly operation. During our pilot study, SynQuest, in just eight weeks, was able to show us better results than we could have accomplished in 40. “We can now quickly react to the automotive assembly environment’s rapidly changing requirements. Similarly, with SynQuest’s finished vehicle scheduling solution, we now have the capability to determine the most rapid, cost-effective plan for movement of finished vehicles from our customers’ assembly plants to dealers.”