You admire and despise them in equal measure, and perhaps you would even like to be a bit of a ramp sow yourself. Like Lidl, perhaps. While the economy is racking its brains over digital business models and holistic optimization of the supply chain, Lidl is currently making headlines with an analogue business model: Create an artificial shortage on the ramp, then cleverly determine there is a need that can be met on the fly. And they have already created two services that can be booked as an option: At an express ramp, the discounter unloads with its own staff within 90 minutes for an additional 40 euros. Freight forwarders can also unload late between 12 noon and 6 pm. Costs 100 euros and for 140 euros Lidl staff will lend a hand. You can do it, but it's pretty stupid.

Firstly, unloading is the responsibility of the recipient anyway, and secondly, the receipt is returned as a freight surcharge in purchasing. And what is express about 90 minutes? Time slot management is a great thing. Even if a few old-timers tell the tale of paradise without time slots, the truth is that we no longer want to do without ramp control. The daily chaos in incoming goods has come to an end, waiting times are reduced and even the tone of communication has improved. Screw dealer Würth has shown how to manage ramps successfully, Alnatura shows how it can also work flexibly in the food trade. What works there and at thousands of ramps in industry or at logistics service providers seems to be a problem for most food retailers. Their central warehouse ramps mainly stand out because they prefer to take more money out of the carriers' pockets through monopoly-like time slot structures rather than optimizing processes.

Long waiting times despite overpriced booking fees, rude tone, miserable sanitary facilities. There is room for improvement. Why not learn from Lidl? Stop booking overpriced time slots, realize that there is a need for fast delivery and offer two additional services: Delivery at the desired time for an extra 100 euros, unloading by the driver for 40, or rather 80 euros. All for the benefit of retailers, of course. It can be done, would be smart and rhymes with ramp sow.

Anita Würmser is a business and logistics journalist, initiator of the Logistics Hall of Fame and the IFOY Awards. In LT-manager, "Mutti", as she respectfully calls the industry, has not minced her words exclusively since issue one.