NYK and two of its subsidiaries are setting up a collaborative venture with Weathernews and Kozo Keikaku Engineering to provide value-added logistics services in the ASEAN region that includes risk assessment on environmental issues.

Called Symphony Project, the venture will focus on developing services for the ASEAN countries where demand for automotive logistics is quickly expanding.

Weathernews disseminates countermeasures for businesses affected by climate based on weather information across a range of telecommunications platforms. Kozo Keikaku Engineering is a consultant that provides analysis and simulation of natural phenomena, including such things as earthquake and tsunamis, on man-made structures.

NYK’s subsidiaries Monohakobi Technology Institute, which deals with environmental conservation, and NYK Business Systems, which handles business communications, are also involved.

NYK said that the project would draw on its knowledge, on-site capabilities and global network supporting automotive logistics and fuse it with the weather forecast technology and simulations provided by the other companies.

As well as environmental and risk assessments for automotive transport in the region, the venture will provide visualisation and analysis of complex transport processes, including simulations designed to refine inventory handling. That includes optimisation of vehicle storage yards.