Part 1: The "Loading Rate" Hell of a Mid-Sized Logistics Company

Chapter 1: The Call

On a Friday evening, Masaya Goda's smartphone vibrated. The sender was "Issei Transport - Hayashi." A large-faced, middle-aged man appeared in his mind. He was the president of a mid-sized logistics company in Nagoya whom Goda had helped implement a transport planning system a few years ago. He was someone who rarely contacted him.

"Hey, Goda-san. You got a moment? Actually... things aren't working out here anymore."

Hayashi's voice lacked its usual vigor.

Goda moved to a quiet meeting room. "What's the situation?"

"The 2024 problem is hitting us hard. With the overtime caps, our drivers' working hours have decreased, right? But the cargo volume hasn't gone down. Our loading rate is barely 60%, it's all waste. We're short on staff, and we're not making any profit at all. Yet, we still have to make deliveries... Honestly, I don't know what to do anymore."

A long silence followed on the phone. Goda said nothing, choosing to let Hayashi vent.

"...Can you come over? We're seriously on the verge of collapse here."

Goda took a deep breath and replied, "I'll be there next Wednesday."

In the next chapter, Goda visits Issei Transport and interviews the staff about the situation on the ground. From there, the story will delve into where the "true constraint" lies from a TOC perspective.

Chapter 2: The Invisible "Constraint"

The following Wednesday, Goda arrived at Issei Transport's headquarters and office, 30 minutes by car from Nagoya Station.

The building itself was an old-fashioned prefab structure with a truck yard. On a bright, sunny morning, phones and fax machines were ringing constantly in the office, and the whiteboard on the wall was packed with handwritten delivery schedules.

"Thanks for coming, Goda-san."

President Hayashi rushed over, wiping away sweat. His business shirt clung to his stout frame, and his face looked exhausted.

"Our loading rate just won't go up. The cargo volume per truck is low, and we're empty on the return trips. By the weekend, we're short on drivers, and complaints are increasing. It feels like, 'Please, do something about this.'"

Goda silently looked at the dispatcher's desk. Piles of paper instructions were stacked high, and the dispatcher was staring at an Excel screen with a phone receiver in one hand.

"Is this the headquarters dispatch?"

"No, each branch does it themselves. This is just for the Nagoya area. We have others in Osaka, Shizuoka..."

Goda gave a wry smile. "So, everyone is operating with local optimization. That's why overall optimization isn't being achieved."

'...What do you mean by that?'

'In short, it's a structure where someone is forced to make adjustments. Isn't it the drivers? They're the ones bearing the heaviest burden.'

'That's right! Because the dispatch is so tight, they get stuck with impossible schedules, and in the end, it's the drivers who get scolded for working overtime.'

Goda walked up to the whiteboard and wrote 'Bottleneck = ?' in large letters with a thick marker.

'Mr. Hayashi. The problem isn't that the load factor is low. The problem is the structure that causes the load factor to become low. Where do you think the cause lies?'

Hayashi narrowed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

'...Loading?'

'Exactly. Isn't it taking too long for the 'shipper to prepare,' leaving the trucks waiting?'

Hayashi's face twitched.

'That happens all the time. We want to leave in the morning, but the site is dragging its feet, and we don't get loaded until after noon. But that's not under our jurisdiction. That's on the client's side.'

'Constraints aren't always within your own company. In TOC, we treat external constraints as 'internal management targets' and devise countermeasures accordingly.'

'...But there's nothing we can do about a client's site, is there?'

'No, there are things you can do. For example, you could negotiate to 'delay delivery by one day in exchange for shortening the shipping preparation time,' or 'have them pre-pack the goods.' In short, it's all about negotiation.'

Hayashi crossed his arms and groaned deeply.

'I see... So the drivers are exhausted because they're waiting for loading. In other words, the departure timing is the constraint, and everything else is misaligned based on that. And as a result, the load factor suffers, too.'

'That's exactly right.'

'This is really like 'The Goal'... I wonder if we can revive our company using the 'Theory of Constraints' too.'

Goda smiled gently.

'That's exactly why I came here.'

In the next installment (Chapter 3), Goda will quantify the 'invisible constraints' through driver activity data and interviews with shippers. We will naturally weave a TOC-style approach (identifying constraints, subordinating, and fully exploiting them) into the story.

Chapter 3: The Drivers Know

The next day, Goda appeared again at Issei Transport's Nagoya office. This time, it wasn't the president's office, but the break room on the floor. Goda's goal was to get 'primary information from the field'.

Three drivers were drinking coffee after finishing their morning routes. Goda had asked Hayashi to arrange some time for him.

Excuse me, could I ask you a few questions? I've been asked by the president to gather some 'voices from the field'.

One of them replied with a bitter smile. 'Ah... is this another "improvement project"?'

Yes, but this time I'm here because I want to know things that 'can't be seen in the numbers.' For example... what time did you depart yesterday?

I left at 11:00. I was supposed to leave in the morning, but the cargo was late arriving, so I didn't finish loading until 10:50.

Goda immediately took notes. 'There's a gap between the scheduled departure and the actual departure time.'

That's always the case. The shipper says, 'The truck is here now, so hurry up,' but the forklift never shows up.

Another driver continued. 'Especially with Company A and Company C. The cargo is slow to be ready, so we're kept waiting forever. But the delivery time doesn't change, so everything behind it gets pushed back and it becomes a nightmare.'

In the end, it's the drivers who get yelled at for arriving late.

Goda nodded while spreading out the schedule.

This is this week's operation schedule. Looking at it, each truck is averaging four deliveries. But in reality, most are only making three or fewer. In other words, if you stumble on the first delivery, the entire subsequent process collapses.

One of them muttered, 'That's exactly right... on days when the first stop is late, everything falls apart.'

The 'preparation for the first shipment' is the constraint. We have to optimize everything else to match that.

Goda thanked the drivers and returned to the president's office with the data.

Hayashi greeted him and asked immediately.

How did it go?

It's clearer than I imagined. 'Delays in shipment preparation' are killing the drivers' time and loading rates. The average driver is waiting 1.7 hours per day. That's a loss of over 30 hours a month.

Well, that explains why we can't get the rounds done... but that's not our fault, is it? That's on the shipper.

“You’re right. But in TOC thinking, even if the constraint is outside, you look for the ‘parts you can control.’ For example—”

・Proactively sharing the ‘loading time calculated back from the delivery deadline’ with the shipper
・Negotiating with the delivery destination for ‘relaxed delivery time windows’
・Reviewing standard routes and redesigning them in an ‘order that allows for earlier shipping’
・Proposing advance picking or loading the day before (for trucks departing the next morning)

“There’s quite a lot we can do.”

Hayashi crossed his arms and thought for a moment.

“...Let’s try it. I’ll talk to Company A and Company C first, and if possible, I’ll make arrangements so we can do the picking the day before.”

“Thank you. Also, to track future improvement progress, please record the ‘driver departure time, loading wait time, and actual driving distance’ every day. Constraints can change, after all.”

“Alright, I’ll have them create a dedicated input form for that.”

Goda nodded deeply.

“With this, the entire company will finally be in a position to ‘subordinate to the constraint.’ I’ll come back next week to see the initial improvement results.”

The next installment (Chapter 4) will depict the changes Issei Transport experiences on the ground after actually running an ‘operation plan that subordinates to the constraint,’ where things don’t go well, and what becomes the breakthrough.

Chapter 4: The First Changes, and Resistance

One week later, on Wednesday. Goda was back at the Nagoya office. As usual, the office was busy, with the sounds of phones and faxes flying about—but there was a certain tension in the air on the floor that hadn't been there before.

“Good morning, Mr. Goda.”

Hayashi greeted him and immediately led him to the whiteboard. “Take a look at this.”

There, the ‘loading start time,’ ‘departure time,’ ‘wait time,’ ‘number of deliveries,’ and ‘loading rate’ for each driver were handwritten by day. The numbers circled in red seemed to be data that required special attention.

“I asked Company A and Company C. Once we secured two days a week where we could move the shipping time up by an hour, we managed to get 3 out of 5 trucks to depart in the morning. The loading rate also went up to 72%.”

“That’s wonderful. However...”

“...However?”

Goda pointed to the bottom of the whiteboard, to a corner where gray sticky notes were attached.

“It says here, ‘Complaints from B-route drivers.’”

“...Ah, that.”

Hayashi frowned.

“When I asked one of the drivers to do 'previous-day loading,' he got angry. He said, 'If I do that, I'll never be able to go home.'

Goda nodded quietly.

“TOC is based on the idea of 'subordinating everyone to the constraint,' but that doesn't mean 'putting a burden on people.' Rather, it means 'focusing on the constraint so that the workplace becomes easier to work in.' For example, if we could create a system where that driver could start work later the next morning, they might be more willing to consider previous-day loading.”

“I see... So it's not about 'sacrifice,' but about 'conviction'?”

“Yes. Conversely, it means that 'without conviction, improvement cannot continue.' If you try to run things based solely on data, the workplace will break.”

That afternoon, Goda set up another opportunity to talk with the drivers. Suzuki, who was in charge of Route B and had opposed the 'previous-day loading,' faced him with a somewhat stiff expression.

“Honestly, we're doing all we can just to stick to our assigned routes. Being told, 'You need to load faster, but don't reduce the number of deliveries'... in the end, is it all left up to us on the ground?”

“I understand why you'd feel that way. But, could you take a look at this for a moment?”

Goda showed a graph of Suzuki's 'waiting time' for the past week on his tablet. An average of 1.6 hours of 'loading wait time' was occurring per day.

“If this were eliminated, your delivery time and your time getting home should be significantly earlier. I feel that the idea of 'doing previous-day loading to get home earlier' is more in line with the reality of the workplace.”

Suzuki stared at the screen in silence, then muttered quietly.

“...Can this really be improved?”

“I am here to prove that it can.”

That evening, Hayashi said quietly.

“In the past, every time we introduced a 'new system,' someone would quit. But this time, everyone is staying. When it's explained with 'numbers,' people seem to listen without getting stubborn.”

“The essence of TOC is 'not blaming anyone.' The constraint isn't the people; it's the structure.”

Next time (Chapter 5), we will depict the scene where Hayashi and Goda, having decided to embark on a new operation design based on the 'TOC Thinking Process,' face further 'hidden constraints.' It will cover the battle against 'organizational rigidity' that cannot be overcome by theory alone, and Goda will introduce the 'Five Focusing Steps.'

Chapter 5: The 'True Constraint' Reappears

Two weeks had passed since the improvement activities began at Issei Transport. The load factor had recovered from the 60% range to the 70% range, and the drivers' duty hours had been reduced by an average of about 40 minutes per day. However, Goda's expression was not bright.

"Mr. Hayashi, there is something that concerns me."

Goda brought it up when they were alone in the president's office.

"These numbers, while there is a change, don't you think they look like they are 'hitting a ceiling' somewhere?"

"Indeed... they aren't growing as much as they were in the first week. Is there something we're overlooking?"

"Yes, it seems so. The constraint on the floor was the 'loading wait time,' but it's possible that the next constraint has moved to a different location."

"The constraint... is moving?"

Goda wrote five major steps on the whiteboard.

TOC: Five Focusing Steps

1. Identify the constraint

2. Exploit the constraint

3. Subordinate everything else to the constraint

4. Elevate the constraint

5. If the constraint moves, go back to the beginning

"There is 'always one' constraint. Moreover, as improvements progress, the constraint moves to the next location. I believe the constraint has now moved from 'loading wait time' to the 'design logic of the dispatching itself.'"

"…Certainly, the dispatch schedule is still handwritten, after all."

"And each branch is doing its own dispatching independently. This makes it impossible to follow the TOC iron rule of 'subordinating to the constraint.'"

"We've always been like that. Nagoya is Nagoya, Osaka is Osaka. If we try to coordinate, it actually causes confusion."

"But that structure is hindering overall optimization. Therefore, the next things we need to tackle are the 'standardization of dispatch rules' and the 'redesign of coordination.'"

The next day, Goda gathered the dispatchers from Nagoya, Shizuoka, and Osaka and held a simple workshop. Projected on the screen were the latest load factor data, duty hours, and the trends in 'empty vehicle rates'.

“Everyone. Looking at it by branch, things are improving. But looking at the company as a whole, more than 10 trucks a day are 'hauling air.' Don't you think that's a waste?”

Kojima, a dispatcher from Shizuoka, spoke up.

“But... our principle is that we 'fill our own trucks ourselves.' We have... almost never coordinated with Osaka.”

Goda smiled and nodded.

“Exactly as you say. But that is precisely why it is worth changing. If we are going to start 'overall design based on constraints,' now is the time.”

Goda intentionally did not show the 'optimal solution,' but instead said this:

“I have a proposal. Why don't we try a joint 'dispatch meeting' for all three branches for just one day? Let's treat the trucks as 'company-wide resources' and try 'reallocating' them according to the constraints.”

Hayashi called out from behind.

“Let's try that. Even we have felt the limits of our old ways somewhere along the line. Let's try changing things up in a big way, just for this time.”

At that moment, the atmosphere in the office shifted just a little.

In the next installment (Chapter 6), we will conduct a joint 'dispatch simulation' for the three branches and depict how 'dynamic optimization' centered on constraints changes the workplace. On the other hand, new 'resistance' and 'conflicts' from the field will also emerge, making this a chapter where the protagonist Goda's 'convictions as a TOC practitioner' will be tested.

Chapter 6: Joint Dispatch Meeting

At 9:00 AM on Monday, dispatchers from the three branches gathered in the large conference room at the Nagoya headquarters. Nagoya, Shizuoka, and Osaka—each clutching paper route charts and dispatch notes, they sat in their chairs with somewhat tense expressions.

“Today is an 'experiment',” Goda said right at the start.

“In this meeting, we will reconstruct the dispatching you usually do just once, from the perspective of 'company-wide constraints.' Let's redefine dispatching itself not as a unit-by-unit task, but as a 'design to maximize the use of the company's logistics resources.'”

Hayashi also chimed in from behind.

“To be honest, until now, Nagoya did its own thing, and Osaka did its own thing. We were suspicious of each other, thinking, 'If we hand it over to them, our own cargo won't get moved.' But that ends up being a loss for the company. Today, let's try it Goda's way for once.”

On the magnet sheet attached to the whiteboard, all trucks and all delivery cases were listed. Goda explained them one by one.

“These red magnets are shippers whose shipping timing is a constraint. For example, Company A and Company C. If we don't 'allocate' trucks here first, the daytime operation schedule will fall apart.”

And the blue magnets are shippers who have some 'leeway' in their shipping times. We will put these off until later and fill in the red ones first.

Kojima, a dispatcher in Shizuoka, pointed his finger.

"If we could divert an empty vehicle from Nagoya to this Shizuoka job... we wouldn't need one of our empty trucks."

"Conversely, if we combine the morning B-route in Osaka with the afternoon return trip from Nagoya, we can handle two jobs with one vehicle," replied Toyama, a mid-level dispatcher in Nagoya.

Within an hour, the atmosphere in the room had changed. Even those who had been silent began to speak up.

"Hey, it looks like this shipper doesn't actually need this in the morning." "In that case, let's push it to the afternoon run and clear the constrained jobs first."

Goda wrote the following at the bottom of the whiteboard.

<<New Rule: Design the whole based on constraints>>

• Departure order is determined by 'shipping constraints,' not 'shipper convenience'

• Vehicles are considered 'company resources,' not 'branch property'

• Jobs that can be coordinated between branches are used to 'fill empty trucks'

• Set a KPI to reduce overall 'empty transport' by 10%

That afternoon, the re-dispatched schedule showed an unprecedented level of optimization.

• Total vehicles in operation: -3 compared to last week (2 of which were changed to 'afternoon only' operation)

• Average load factor: 78.4% (on the verge of exceeding 80% for the first time)

• Duty hours: -32 minutes per driver

• Complaints: Zero

After the meeting, Kojima from Shizuoka muttered,

"Honestly, I used to think that 'leaving it to Nagoya would be a loss.' But with Goda's method... it might actually be a gain."

Hayashi nodded vigorously beside Goda.

"I always thought dispatching was all about 'intuition and experience.' But now, it seems it's an era of doing it based on 'structure and principles.'"

　Goda stared at the whiteboard and said quietly.

“It is difficult for an entire organization to ‘share constraints.’ But only when you take that step can you see the ‘true profit.’”

In the next installment (Chapter 7), while “joint dispatching” begins to get on track, a backlash within Hayashi's company calling to “return to the old ways” emerges, and a new constraint—the “resistance of the sales department”—begins to shake the story.

The story continues to layer “changes in constraints and overcoming them” in a TOC-like manner.

Chapter 7: Voices of Backlash

　The third week since the dispatch reform began. The numbers clearly showed results. The total number of operating vehicles decreased by 2 to 3 per day, and the load factor exceeded 80% on average. Driver working hours were also on a downward trend, and stress on the front lines was beginning to ease.

　However, an internal email that reached Hayashi made the atmosphere heavy once again.

Subject: Regarding the impact of dispatch changes on the sales department

“Since the start of joint dispatch operations, the following reports have been raised by the sales department:

・Delivery times to some customers (especially C-rank shippers) have been lagging, leading to complaints
・The removal of fixed drivers has broken down relationships where ‘familiarity’ was key
・There is emotional dissatisfaction on the front lines that ‘our customers’ are being taken to other bases

As a sales department, we would like to prioritize ‘community-based’ responses as we have done in the past.

Sales General Manager, Takano”

“Takano...”

　Hayashi sighed deeply. He was a member since the company's founding and a ‘field-oriented fighter’ who had built relationships with business partners. He had been passive about this reform and had consistently opposed joint dispatching, claiming there were ‘risks that don't show up in the numbers.’”

“Goda-san, it seems the voice saying ‘numbers aren't everything’ has emerged after all.”

“That is natural. Even in TOC, we acknowledge that there are ‘constraints that cannot be quantified.’ ‘Emotions’ and ‘customs’ are also powerful constraints.”

“...What should we do?”

“Rather than fighting head-on, we have no choice but to ‘visualize’ it and get them to understand.”

　The next day, Goda held an opinion exchange meeting involving the company's sales, dispatch, and driver teams. The theme was ‘Changes in Constraints and Front-line Discomfort.’ At the beginning of the materials, he intentionally included the ‘voices of the sales department’ exactly as they were on the slides.

　In the midst of that, Takano opened the floor.

"We operate based on 'relationships with customers,' not numbers. If we change our dispatching for our own convenience and lose their trust, what are we supposed to do? Right, Mr. Goda?"

Goda looked him straight in the eye.

"You are absolutely right. But... how many cases of 'lost trust' have actually occurred?"

"...Huh?"

"Since we started joint dispatching, not a single customer has 'terminated their contract' due to delivery delays. As for dissatisfaction regarding 'the change in personnel,' 70% of respondents said they 'don't mind,' and 20% said it actually 'became more polite.'"

"..."

"Conversely, because we previously relied on 'who the person in charge was,' more people are saying that the current 'systematized' structure is more stable. Of course, I absolutely want to avoid anything that would break customer trust. To that end, I want to design a system where sales, dispatch, and drivers can work as a 'trinity.'"

That day, Hayashi said this at the end of the meeting.

"Reform isn't about numbers. It's about whether there is a 'convincing reason.' Takano, what you're saying is also correct. But it's a fact that 'the front lines are becoming easier' with Goda's method. The numbers are also there. If you're going to say 'it's still no good,' then give me an alternative. Just going back to how things were is meaningless."

Takano nodded slightly, though he looked bitter.

After the meeting, Goda quietly spoke to Takano.

"...Mr. Takano, actually, I knew from the beginning that 'you would push back.'"

"Huh?"

"If you really want to change things, the existence of 'people who oppose it' is essential. When someone like you is convinced of the 'reason why we have to change,' the organization truly changes. That is what I believe."

Takano was silent for a while, then took a cigarette out of his pocket and said,

"Next time, show me a system that I can be convinced by."

Next time (Chapter 8), sales, the front lines, and dispatch will cooperate to take on 'service level design from a TOC perspective.' The theme will be the 'redefinition of differentiation,' focusing on 'reliability that respects constraints' rather than 'delivery speed.'

Chapter 8: What is Service?

That weekend, Goda brought a new agenda item to Issei Transport's internal project meeting. The theme was—'What, in the end, is our "service"?'

In the conference room were Takano from the sales department, Toyama from dispatch, Kojima from the Shizuoka branch, Suzuki representing the drivers, and President Hayashi. An unusual lineup was gathered.

“The other day, there was talk that 'a customer complained because of joint delivery.' But in reality, I feel that we ourselves hadn't clearly defined 'what was expected' in that regard.”

Goda wrote this on the whiteboard.

《Definition of 'Service' Until Now》

• The assigned driver does not change

• Delivering as quickly as possible

• Meeting requests even if it means pushing ourselves

“...Doesn't this kind of 'atmosphere' exist?”

The atmosphere in the conference room became heavy.

Suzuki opened his mouth, albeit hesitantly.

“To be honest, the idea that 'the driver's face is the service' was nothing but pressure. There were times when I was rushed so much that I couldn't even take a lunch break.”

Takano reacted.

“But having them remember your face is valuable for sales, isn't it?”

Goda nodded.

“Of course, a relationship where you can see each other's faces is important. However, there are also ways to 'guarantee that through a system.' In TOC, we don't just 'subordinate others to protect the constraint,' we also consider 'building trust with customers' as one of the constraints.”

“Then, conversely, how do we define 'service from now on'?”

To Hayashi's question, Goda presented three keywords.

《Definition of 'Service' From Now On》

1. Reliability to deliver surely at the promised time

2. The quality of each response has 'reproducibility'

3. Flexibility to respond to customer requests through 'structure'

'Reliability over speed,' 'collective systems over individual effort,' and 'moving from individual-dependent responses to system-dependent responses'—that is the shape of the new service, Goda said.

At those words, Takano frowned, but after a moment of silence, he replied.

'...In the long run, that might actually be better for the customers, too. The culture of 'somehow managing at the last minute' was, in fact, a bit precarious at times.'

Goda finally distributed a simple survey form. He said he would conduct an awareness survey regarding the 'definition of service' for employees in each department.

Hayashi nodded.

'I hadn't seen it that way. The word 'service' is convenient, but it might have been empty inside. If we can redefine this, the next move will naturally become clear.'

In the next installment (Chapter 9), based on the redefined 'service,' Goda will design 'constraint-managed' operational performance indicators (KPIs). What is the 'truly valuable outcome' that could not be measured by 'conventional delivery volume and sales'? This will be an episode that faces that question.

Chapter 9: Reconstructing KPIs

On Monday morning, at the Issei Transport headquarters, Goda stood before a whiteboard in front of a mixed team of dispatchers, sales staff, and driver leaders.

'Until now, your evaluations have centered on 'number of deliveries' and 'sales.' However, that does not align with the TOC perspective of 'leveraging constraints.'

Goda drew a large circle with a marker. He wrote 'Constraint' in the center and drew arrows extending outward from it.

Conventional KPIs (= Performance Indicators)

• Drivers: Number of deliveries per day

• Dispatchers: Vehicle utilization rate (= moving as much as possible)

• Sales: Number of sales and number of shippers

'These seem rational at first glance, but they tend to become 'evaluations that ignore constraints.' When you run toward departmental optimization by saying 'drive more,' 'load more,' and 'get more,' the whole thing falls apart.'

Hayashi nodded. 'Indeed. Drivers are 'scolded if they are late,' dispatchers are 'evaluated if they fill the schedule,' and sales are 'told to pack more in'... everyone was looking in different directions.'

Goda added his new KPI proposal to the whiteboard.

New KPI Proposal: Constraint-Managed Performance Indicators

1. On-Time In-Full (OTIF)
   On-Time In-Full: The rate of deliveries made on time and without shortages. -> Evaluating the 'ability to keep promises' to the customer.
   

2. Constraint Utilization Rate
   The ratio at which the constraint point (e.g., shipping origin Company A) is operating at maximum capacity
   → Focuses on whether the bottleneck is being “utilized”

3. Empty Vehicle Reduction Rate
   The ratio of empty mileage to total mileage
   → The whole company realizes that reducing waste leads to profit

4. Number of Improvement Proposals (Constraint-Based)
   The number of improvement proposals that consider constraints
   → Avoiding reliance on specific individuals and promoting systematization

“By using these KPIs, the perspective of evaluation will shift from ‘did you work hard?’ to ‘did you utilize the constraints?’. It will align the ‘direction’ of everyone’s work.”

A moment of silence flows through the conference room.

After that, Takano from the Sales Department muttered.

“...That also sounds like a total rejection of the ‘evaluations we’ve been doing until now’.”

Goda immediately shook his head.

“It’s the opposite. The way we’ve done things until now was correct in the sense of ‘responding to the customer right in front of us.’ However, from now on, we need to ‘align our direction’ to evolve into a ‘system that responds as an organization.’ That is all.”

Suzuki, the driver representative, continued.

“With these KPIs, I feel like I’ll be judged not on ‘whether I worked hard,’ but on ‘whether I was truly useful.’ That actually makes me happy.”

Hayashi slowly opened his mouth.

“I only ever thought about ‘making the company bigger.’ But, as Goda-san says, you’re right. ‘Constraints’ are about ‘where to focus our efforts.’”

That afternoon, Goda opened his PC and began designing the KPI dashboard.

• Shipping time deviations visible in 1-minute increments

• Delivery reliability rates color-coded by shipper

• Empty vehicle segments visualized on a map

It was not just a “table of numbers,” but was becoming a mirror reflecting where the logistics organization stumbles and where it can shine.

Next time (Chapter 10), we finally reach the climax of this Issei Transport arc. As the new KPIs are rolled out company-wide, a “sudden trouble” appears—a system failure at Company A, disruption of the logistics network, and the “moment when true worth is tested.” Will the system Goda built function even in a “crisis”?

Chapter 10: Systems Protect People

Wednesday, 6:00 AM. Goda's smartphone rang shrilly.

"...Company A's system crashed?!"

Hayashi's voice was filled with anxiety and anger.

"The shipping list won't come out. I don't know the delivery destinations or the delivery times. Dispatching is impossible today. We're on the verge of a panic!"

Company A was one of the most important shippers for Issei Transport. It was routine to receive the delivery list at 7:00 AM every morning, start loading at 9:00 AM, and depart for the Tokyo metropolitan area at noon. It was the location Goda had placed at the center as a constraint process.

That had collapsed.

"Please calm down," Goda said, immediately opening his laptop.

He opened the 'alternative operation scenario' he had prepared for this very moment.

<<When Company A's system stops: Immediate response protocol>>

1. Execute provisional dispatch based on the previous week's shipping patterns

2. Immediately send 'variable response routes' to drivers

3. After departure, receive and replace with the official list at a service area along the way

4. Report the situation to the shipper and request a lead time readjustment (template available)

In the conference room, the dispatch team had already started moving. Kojima in Shizuoka raised his voice.

"I secured a 'buffer slot' for the Nagoya shipment, so we can move Company C's cargo to the morning shipment!"

Toyama in Nagoya continued.

"Based on yesterday's delivery results, I was able to estimate the shipping destination list. 70% of them are duplicates!"

Takano from the sales department said briefly.

"...So this is what Goda meant by 'system.'"

In the early afternoon, the official shipping list arrived from Company A via fax. Goda immediately performed the verification.

The error was only three cases. Although they had already been delivered, all of them had arrived within the acceptable delivery time window.

A call came in from the logistics manager at Company A.

"I was surprised that all the deliveries were complete even though the shipping list couldn't be sent today... Could it be that you used predictive routing?"

Goda answered with a laugh.

"No, it's a 'system tailored to constraints.' That's why it doesn't stop even when there's a little chaos."

That night, Hayashi gave a small laugh and said,

"So this is... what they call a 'system that doesn't rely on people.' When I was young, I never imagined a future like this."

"But you were the one who decided to 'take action' first, Hayashi-san. Without that, things might have collapsed today."

"...Goda-san, I'm glad I met you. Seriously, you saved us."

Epilogue: Signs of Rebirth

The following month, Issei Transport issued its first internal 'Constraint Management Monthly Report.'

• Average Load Factor: 82.3%

• Driver Working Hours: Down 12.4% from the previous month

• Customer Satisfaction: 3.6 → 4.4 (on a 5-point scale)

• Number of Improvement Proposals: 14 (cross-company)

Everyone in the company had started talking more about 'ease of working' than just the 'numbers.'

When the system changes, the culture changes. When the culture changes, people start looking forward.

And then—

Goda stretched lightly, heading toward his next destination.

"Well then... next up is the 'chaos in factory logistics.'"

He held in his hand an email from the next client seeking consultation.

Part 1 End