Major Shipping Company NYK Line Adopts ASTERIA Warp to Build Platform for Integrating Data from Internal Systems Without Coding, Reducing Development Person-Hours to One-Sixth
Press Release
Tokyo — July 11, 2023 — Asteria Corporation (Japan listed, Security Code: 3853) announced today that Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (hereinafter NYK Line) has introduced “ASTERIA Warp” (hereinafter “Warp”) — the leading enterprise data integration software in the domestic market (EAI/ESB) for the 16th consecutive year.*1
Background and Future Initiative
NYK Line is a comprehensive logistics company that handles all methods of transportation, such as shipping via ocean, land, and air, and operates vessels at over 350 ports in Japan and abroad. As the company is actively advancing digital transformation (DX) using digital technologies and data for safer and more efficient cargo transport, the aging of its on-premise*2 marine transportation system managed individually by each department was seen as a problem. The company then introduced a SaaS*3-type cloud-based integrated maritime operations system “Veson IMOS Platform” (VIP) as a new core system and consolidated internal systems. Preparations are underway to develop a platform that integrates data from VIP and those from existing systems crucial to its global operations such as accounting (SAP*4), vessel scheduling, and automated vessel management systems.
When considering a data integration tool that would smoothly connect to various existing systems, the company focused on Asteria’s Warp product, which enables the construction of such tools without coding. The decision was made to adopt Warp for its ability to integrate various data from cloud services and core systems with over 100 types of adaptors on offer as well as its flexibility in data processing, including file format and code conversion, necessary for system integration.
Using Warp, a team of four NYK Line employees, including new hires, built a data integration platform that connects VIP and existing systems, such as accounting (SAP), vessel scheduling, and automated vessel management systems, without coding. The construction of the system without relying on programming skills was made possible by drawing on data mapping and debugging functions as well as participation in Asteria’s unique user community “AUG”, which brings together development engineers.
In addition, by integrating VIP’s CO2 emissions data and SAP’s accounting data related to fuel and cargo details and analyzing them, the system can calculate CO2 emissions from each transport. To date, the company has developed a data integration platform capable of handling about 60 processes in about a year, reducing development person-hours to one-sixth, when compared to the scratch development using Java, which is the mainstream in the company.
Through the latest initiative, NYK Line has built the foundation for company-wide DX, including the reduction of operational burden by migrating systems to the cloud and the optimization of business processes. In the future, NYK Line plans to promote data-driven management while effectively utilizing data accumulated in its internal systems.
Business Plan of Warp
Asteria’s Warp business has been expanding steadily with the number of companies which have introduced the product exceeding 9,900. As a result, it has held the largest share of the domestic enterprise and data integration software market (EAI/ESB) for 16 consecutive years. In addition to digital transformation (DX) trends to improve work efficiency seen across a wide range of industries, the new data coordination demand is growing to comply with the revised electronics books preservation act and the new invoicing system to be implemented in Japan.
In the future, Asteria will continue to expand sales of Warp’s functions to link with diverse data sources to different industries, and by taking advantage of its no-code feature, it will support the use of data to solve social issues such as IT human resource shortages, and contribute to the promotion of business efficiency and automation.
*1: According to the “Overview of software marketing in 2022 — the EAI/ESB market edition” published by Techno Systems Research Co. EAI/ESB stands for Enterprise Application Integration and Enterprise Service Bus, respectively, and is the enterprise data integration product category.
*2: It refers to information systems such as servers and software managed within the physical location of an enterprise.
*3: The abbreviation for Software as a Service. It provides users with an access to software via the internet without having to install them on their own computers.
*4: ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software, a system for managing in-house assets, offered by the company SAP SE.
About Asteria Corporation
Established in 1998 as Infoteria Corporation, Asteria developed its first no-code product in 2002. It sells software and services which connect a variety of in-house computers and devices. Its key product, ASTERIA Warp, is middleware which integrates data in different computer systems without coding. As of end-March 2023, 9,931 companies, mainly large and medium ones, had introduced the product. Another product, Handbook, allows users to carry around materials used for sales activities and meetings as well as product catalogues in electronic files on smartphones and tablets. A total of 1,680 companies and public institutions had adopted the product through end-March 2023.
For more information, visit https://en.asteria.com/
About Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha
Founded in 1885, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha is one of the world’s leading integrated logistics companies, providing sea, land and air transportation services around the world. The company handles diverse logistics operations related to the infrastructure of everyday life, such as shipment of coal, oil, pulp, and car carriers. Based on its core corporate philosophy of “Bringing value to life”, the company is striving to become an entity that brings value to all living things and the environment, as well as contributes to the enrichment of the lives of people around the world. In order to remain a corporate group with sustainable growth, we will go beyond the framework of a general logistics company and co-create the value needed for the future by strengthening our core businesses and fostering new ones.
For more information, visit https://www.nyk.com/english/
About ASTERIA Warp
ASTERIA Warp, the No. 1 EAI/ESB product in the Japanese market for 16 consecutive years, is middleware that allows data from different computer systems to be linked without coding. The product has been highly received for its ability to implement complex logic needed to connect and convert data between systems — from mainframes and cloud servers to spreadsheet software — without programming. The subscription version, ASTERIA Warp Core, is also available for a minimum monthly fee of 30,000 yen with no initial fees required. Core, with its select functions of ASTERIA Warp, enables business automation and data utilization by quickly linking with systems and services.
For more information, visit https://www.asteria.com/jp/en/warp/feature/
For the press enquiries, please contact KOIZUMI Masumi of Asteria’s PR and IR department.
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