Digitized pallet management
Pixels instead of paper
With the solutions from Logistikbude, Bekuplast, manufacturer of plastic containers, keeps an eye on its load carriers, saves costs and can work more efficiently with forwarding partners.
The family business uses classic Euro exchange pallets, among other things, to transport its plastic containers. Several times a day, various freight forwarders collect the containers produced, including the Euro exchange pallets. Before working with Logistikbude, the forklift drivers used to record this exchange process by hand on a pallet slip - and this was not only quite a lot of manual work, but also prone to errors. The completed pallet bills were repeatedly handed in late and then had to be manually transferred to an Excel spreadsheet, manually scanned and filed in the document management system (DMS). In addition, someone always had to keep track of the exchange accounts and reconstruct how many exchange pallets were outstanding. These tedious tasks came together in the hands of Wolfgang Wenke, responsible for incoming goods at Bekuplast. He spent many hours each month on manual pallet documentation and reconciliation of the exchange accounts alone. He coordinated the "pallet debts" directly with the freight forwarders and customers by email or telephone - a time-consuming and therefore costly undertaking for everyone involved. "At some point, I thought: there must be an easier way to do this nowadays," reports Wenke.
"It became clear to us that we needed a more modern system to document all exchange processes for the Euro exchange pallets in a simple, digitally traceable and transparent way in order to ultimately reduce personnel and shrinkage costs and increase employee satisfaction," explains Maik Westenberg, Head of Digital Transformation (CDO) at Bekuplast. Westenberg's job is to automate and digitize processes within the company. Together with Wenke, he was therefore looking for a long-term solution for pallet management. Originally, the idea of developing a corresponding software solution in-house with internal application developers was also considered. However, the idea was discarded as quickly as it had arisen due to the high cost and the complex issue of information security in connection with a cloud solution in digital applications. A fully developed and ready-to-use solution from Logistikbude already existed.
Digital charging slips via app
The cloud-based software solution digitizes and simplifies the management of reusable objects such as racks, boxes and pallets. The Dortmund-based start-up of the same name had already been in contact with Bekuplast, but the decisive factor was a meeting with co-founder and COO Michael Koscharnyj at a logistics trade fair in Düsseldorf. Koscharnyj and Westenberg not only quickly got talking, but also repeatedly returned to the problem of pallet exchange. Westenberg was shown the application the very next day and was immediately impressed: "I hadn't expected that there was already an almost perfect solution for our needs and challenges."
Bekuplast has completely digitalized its manual pallet management process. Instead of using pen and paper, the forklift drivers now document the pallet exchange directly from the forklift using the Logistikbude app. To do this, they log in at the start of work using a QR code and create an exchange transaction as soon as a freight forwarder delivers or collects Euro exchange pallets. The driver selects the relevant freight forwarder from a drop-down menu, enters the number of pallets received or collected and documents the quality of the accepted Euro exchange pallets using a photo via the app. After signing in the app, a digital loading slip is generated and documented. The recorded booking is then checked by Wolfgang Wenke, adjusted if necessary and finally approved. "Thanks to the support from Logistikbude, this process, which used to take me a lot of time, now runs almost automatically. This makes my daily work much easier," says Wenke.
After approval, a link is automatically sent to the freight forwarder, which shares the information about the Euro exchange pallets and enables continuous reconciliation instead of having to wait for the monthly account statement. Handwritten notes and time-consuming follow-up phone calls are now a thing of the past.
Save costs by avoiding unnecessary new purchases
In addition to the significantly more efficient processes and the resulting reduction in personnel costs, Bekuplast also saves on running costs: because the family-run company can now track how many Euro exchange pallets are in circulation, it can avoid unnecessary new purchases. "We were surprised by the number of Euro exchange pallets in the value chain and the number of transactions processed. For the first time, the system has shown us transparently how much 'money' is in circulation in the form of Euro exchange pallets," explains Westenberg.
Short test phase with success
Bekuplast employees were intensively involved in the implementation through a targeted test phase. "It was particularly important to us that the solution met the needs of our forklift drivers. After all, they are the ones who will be using the app on a daily basis," emphasizes Westenberg. Three selected forklift drivers tested the app and found it extremely user-friendly and intuitive.
Other employees involved in the exchange process, in particular Wolfgang Wenke, also played a decisive role in the success of the project. "As Wolfgang mainly manages our pallet exchange accounts, we wanted to make sure in advance that the software also met his requirements," explains Westenberg. Fortunately, it quickly became clear during this short phase that it was a good fit. Wenke explains: "I was immediately positively surprised and volunteered to be the 'guinea pig'. Logistikbude actively supported us and not only listened to our comments and requests for improvement with open ears, but also implemented them directly."
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