Logisitics companies

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Anyone got any knowledge on these? Basically, I'm about to take our company to the next level and am on the lookout for a logisitics company that will receive containers, rent out warehouse space, and act as distributor to dealers in Japan. We're going to set up a K.K in the next year (anyone want to be our daikyo? haha!), but I am wanting to get started on the logisitics process now.

[GomiGirl]

Talk to relocation companies.. plenty of them around.

[Coligny]

From what I heard... they are quite good for this planet...

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Certainly have office in Japan...

[matsuki]

I deal with these mofos all the time...whatever you pay going from Japan to you, it'll end up being double that to get it to Japan.

Where are you looking to set this up?

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Ta GG and Chok (Crazy french bastard, you get honourable mention)

It'll likely be Tokyo since that's where our showroom is. It'l the next step in our company's development. We've been relying on one our distributors, but it's just not worked out very well, so I need to start keeping stock of our own in Japan. (woah, just had one of those 'christ, when did i become such a corporate whore??)

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

(woah, just had one of those 'christ, when did i become such a corporate whore??)

Sellout...

[Coligny]

GIS for "Russian Corporate Whore"

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Am pretty sure Veronica Zemanova is Czech...

[GomiGirl]

Honey - I would love to do this but am totally busy right now.

I can help with the warehouse renting etc but you might be best going with somebody who already has a trading company set up.

I am racking my brains about who to ask to help out - I know some people but they are super busy right now.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Anyone got any knowledge on these? Basically, I'm about to take our company to the next level and am on the lookout for a logisitics company that will receive containers, rent out warehouse space, and act as distributor to dealers in Japan. We're going to set up a K.K in the next year (anyone want to be our daikyo? haha!), but I am wanting to get started on the logisitics process now.

Have you got an issue with the big international 3PL's? It seems like it'd be good to start there and see if they can offer an affordable service.

I deal with these mofos all the time...whatever you pay going from Japan to you, it'll end up being double that to get it to Japan.

I thought the big increase in cost wasn't getting it to Japan it was getting from the port in Japan to the final destination. I have a friend who imported a 30 ft cruiser from Florida to Tokyo. The shipping cost him about 20K USD. Moving it 2km in Japan from the port to customs for inspection and back cost him another 2M yen. Then another 800,000 yen for a "professional" to pilot it out to an officially safe spot in Tokyo Bay from which it was deemed acceptable for him pilot it himself to a marina in Kanagawa. And that was just the beginning of the fleecing.

They also made him pay sales tax on the material the shipping company used to wrap his boat and keep it safe while it was in transit and forced him to replace a ton of equipment with officially approved Japanese equipment. His American fire extinguishers had to be replaced with Japanese ones that were too small for putting out a fire on a boat with engines the size of his. The standard adult-sized Japanese life vest were like hand puppets that any gaijin male over 65 kg would be uncomfortable in and over 80 kg would have trouble fastening in the front.

[BigInJapan]

I thought the big increase in cost wasn't getting it to Japan it was getting from the port in Japan to the final destination. I have a friend who imported a 30 ft cruiser from Florida to Tokyo. The shipping cost him about 20K USD. Moving it 2km in Japan from the port to customs for inspection and back cost him another 2M yen. Then another 800,000 yen for a "professional" to pilot it out to an officially safe spot in Tokyo Bay from which it was deemed acceptable for him pilot it himself to a marina in Kanagawa. And that was just the beginning of the fleecing.

Ha, this reminds of my introduction to how closed distribution and various regulations are, back in the 90's.
I designed a few Canadian-built mobile homes (for use as cottages etc. in Japan), and the cost of shipping them to Yokohama was probably less than it cost to have them hauled out to Nagano (in the middle of the night due to traffic).
Maybe things have changed in the last 15 years, but I doubt it...

[GomiGirl]

Nup - a friend of mine bought a houseful of furniture from Bali and shipped it in. It cost just as much in shipping to get it from the port to their house in Shimoda.

A stark contrast to how cheap and efficient the Takkyubin service is.

[yanpa]

Anyone got any knowledge on these? Basically, I'm about to take our company to the next level and am on the lookout for a logisitics company that will receive containers, rent out warehouse space, and act as distributor to dealers in Japan. We're going to set up a K.K in the next year (anyone want to be our daikyo? haha!), but I am wanting to get started on the logisitics process now.

No real knowledge, but the people I work for have had dealings with an outfit called Terrada who seem to have a diverse array of services related to getting things from A to B via possible storage in C. It was all before my time so I can't really say much.

[GomiGirl]

Cyka - I guess it all really depends on the needs. The stuff you are shipping in is going directly to distributors or to Jo public customers? It also depends on the volumes as well.

For small volumes, I do know that Kuroneko can handle the receiving and storage. My friend set up a small importing business (food and wine) and he was able to negotiate super amazing prices for receiving palettes, storage and then shipping to customers when the orders came in.

But furniture is kinda a different ball game than boxes of stinky french cheese. Need more space right? You might need to talk to trading companies but then you are getting into zaibatsu territory... (read ¥¥¥¥¥¥)

[matsuki]

I deal with these mofos all the time...whatever you pay going from Japan to you, it'll end up being double that to get it to Japan.

I thought the big increase in cost wasn't getting it to Japan it was getting from the port in Japan to the final destination.

Exactly what I was talking about...free trade in Japan This is why I donkey over as much as I can in luggage. Like GG said, using Kuroneko, FedEX, etc. can be quite reasonable depending on how much volume you're shipping/storing at each time. Honestly I reccomend doing what her friend did and negotiating with Kuroneko if possible. If not, I might be down to help out as I could use the extra storage space/parking myself

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

There seems to be a few people in business here, why not try and get something working together?

(Or am I just fucking naive????)

[Coligny]

If you need a pimp...

[Coligny]

There seems to be a few people in business here, why not try and get something working together?

(Or am I just fucking naive????)

I can also pass my semi driver license...

I'm getting really gud at Scania Truck Driver Simulator...

[Cyka UchuuJin]

Cyka - I guess it all really depends on the needs. The stuff you are shipping in is going directly to distributors or to Jo public customers? It also depends on the volumes as well.

For small volumes, I do know that Kuroneko can handle the receiving and storage. My friend set up a small importing business (food and wine) and he was able to negotiate super amazing prices for receiving palettes, storage and then shipping to customers when the orders came in.

But furniture is kinda a different ball game than boxes of stinky french cheese. Need more space right? You might need to talk to trading companies but then you are getting into zaibatsu territory... (read ¥¥¥¥¥¥)

thanks GG, (and everyone else)
i've contacted my colleagues in DCCJ, and i'll be meeting with a couple of them. i wanted to try to avoid using my colleagues in the Chamber though (the whole danish mentality of danish companies should always use other danish companies is ESPECIALLY strong among the legolanders in japlandia...), as the usual suspects, ie. Maersk and DSV usually come in at very high rates. BUT...i do have to start somewhere and i'm going to let them battle it out between themselves for my business. this is unfortunately not something for takubin, we'll be bringing over 20 and 40 foot containers every 6-8 weeks, and then it needs to all be warehouse and distributed. and GG is right, furniture is a whole different kettle of fish.

SJ, you are correct, the largest expense lies in clearing to port and then inland transport. often the inland transport charges from port kobe to tokyo can be nearly as much as it was from denmark to kobe. on the surface it looks reasonable that japan only has the 5% tax, but the list of charges for everything from unloading to paperwork processing (there's even a charge for a guy to count the number of boxes and another guy to say that counting guy's total is correct) is 10 pages long. it's insane. in that very japanese logical definition of insane...