Seiko Epson Corporation

Initiatives overseas

1. Modal shift

Working with our affiliates around the world, Epson is making the modal shift from air to marine transport. Epson Sales Japan Corp. (Tokyo) has designed a system that forecasts parts demand more than a year in advance. By using this system and accounting for delivery lead time, it has been able to switch from air to marine shipping for after-sale service parts from Singapore Epson Industrial Pte. Ltd. This innovation alone reduces annual emissions of CO₂ by about 3,000 tons.

2. Double-decker trucks

In Europe, Epson ships 99% of its goods over land. Therefore, anything that makes truck transportation more efficient lowers our CO₂ output.
As a way to solve the CO₂ problem, Epson Europe B.V. (Netherlands) introduced double-decker trucks in Europe in place of conventional trucks.
The separate upper and lower decks of these trucks increase loading efficiency, carrying a combined 54 standard pallets of goods, compared to just 33 in a conventional truck.
Having the split deck does mean that full pallets can be no higher than 180 cm, but this has not been a hindrance, since customers were already asking that pallets be no more than 180 cm high, and some products do not allow stacking.
Thanks to the double-decker trucks, Epson has been able to shrink its fleet of trucks in Europe by 40% while carrying the same volume. This is one example of an initiative that benefits the environment while simultaneously cutting costs and enhancing customer satisfaction.

Initiatives in Japan

Our logistics company Epson Logistics (Nagano Prefecture), with the cooperation of our business partners, is cutting CO₂ emissions by adopting hybrid vehicles, using digital tachographs* and promoting "Eco-Drive," or eco-friendly driving habits.

*A digital tachograph is a recording tool that automatically stores a vehicle's operation history (speed, time, engine RPMs, number of sudden accelerations, etc.) on a memory card or other storage device.

Examples of eco-drive measures

• "e-Start" gentle acceleration
• Driving with minimal acceleration/deceleration
• Taking foot off the accelerator pedal early
• Eliminating engine idling
• Closely monitoring tire air pressure
• Driving with no more than the necessary cargov
• In summer, not carrying tire chains (which weigh about 100 kg)
• Only carrying as much fuel as necessary
• Avoiding illegal parking that can cause traffic jams

Etc.