Yokogawa Electric Corporation has signed a distribution agreement with France-based software company BuyCo to bring its Transportation Management System (TMS) to companies in the materials industry.
The partnership expands Yokogawa’s digital solutions beyond individual manufacturing operations, targeting the increasingly complex logistics networks connecting plants with international markets.
Through BuyCo’s container transport management platform, companies can centralize shipping data, plan and book shipments, track cargo in real time, and optimize transportation routes.
BuyCo platform connects production and logistics
Global supply chains in the materials sector have become more difficult to manage amid rising transportation costs, geopolitical risks, tighter environmental regulations, and fluctuating demand.
The challenge is particularly significant for industries such as chemicals, where companies must also account for hazardous-material regulations and diverse cargo requirements.
Yokogawa has traditionally focused on automation and operational optimization within individual plants. The company is now expanding its approach toward end-to-end supply chain optimization, connecting production operations with logistics across multiple facilities.
The BuyCo agreement represents a step in that expansion, specifically addressing international container transportation.
Container management gets real-time visibility
BuyCo’s SaaS platform draws on the company’s experience in the maritime industry and provides a centralized view of container transportation activities. The system supports a range of logistics functions, including shipment planning and booking, centralized container transport data, real-time visualization of shipping operations, information sharing between supply-chain stakeholders, shipping line and route selection based on cargo data, and door-to-door shipment tracking.
The platform is currently used by more than 12,000 users worldwide, according to BuyCo.
For materials companies, the system can help reduce logistics costs and inventory levels while improving on-time delivery. It can also help lower the risk of cargo quality deterioration while providing greater visibility into CO₂ emissions from transportation.
Yokogawa eyes broader supply chain management
The partnership also forms part of Yokogawa’s longer-term push toward more comprehensive supply chain solutions. Naohisa Endo, Yokogawa executive officer and head of its Materials Business Headquarters, said the company plans to build on the partnership by integrating production operations with international logistics.
The company’s broader vision includes eventually incorporating capabilities such as demand forecasting and inventory optimization into a more comprehensive supply chain management solution.
For BuyCo, the partnership gives its container transportation technology a path into manufacturing and materials companies through Yokogawa’s existing expertise in industrial operations.
Carl Lauron, founder and CEO of BuyCo, said the collaboration is intended to close the gap between manufacturing and international transportation, allowing companies to address transportation costs, efficiency, and sustainability as part of a single supply chain.
From plant optimization to end-to-end logistics
The Yokogawa-BuyCo agreement reflects a broader shift in industrial technology, where manufacturers are increasingly looking beyond factory-floor automation to optimize the entire flow of goods.
By combining Yokogawa’s manufacturing expertise with BuyCo’s container shipping platform, the companies aim to give materials businesses greater visibility from production through international delivery.
The next step will be expanding that approach into a broader supply chain management ecosystem that can connect transportation with forecasting, inventory, and other operational decisions.
