The Swiss Jura Materials Group produces around one million tons of cement every year. Two cement plants under the Jura Cement brand as well as several landfills, gravel and concrete plants belong to the group. Yard management is a Herculean task that can only be mastered through smart and efficient control.

The introduction of the Logiq software solution from Schenck Process has greatly simplified and accelerated processes at Jura Cement. Among other things, the web-based application enables automated recording of incoming and outgoing goods as well as forward-looking production planning. Various areas of the company are now digitally networked, enabling real-time collaboration regardless of location.

Jura Cement is a subsidiary of the Jura Materials Group. Every day, up to 250 trucks and 50 rail cars are loaded and unloaded on the premises of the two plants. Recording the bulk goods, weighing the materials and correctly calculating the quantities and prices makes up a large part of the work. The processes should be as quick and simple as possible.

Truck drivers were already able to use scanners to log on and off using an access card when entering and leaving. However, all subsequent processes had to be controlled manually. Among other things, this affected the organization of the warehouse and the creation of delivery bills and invoices. ERP data could not be accessed in Yard Management - the software used there was too old to implement the necessary interface. The problems were most evident when faults occurred, as these could generally only be rectified on site by a service technician who had to travel to the site.

For these reasons, Jura Cement wanted a modern digital solution that would simplify yard management. This was to be compatible with the existing ERP system. One goal was to significantly reduce the time and effort required to manually record incoming and outgoing goods and organize the warehouse. The software was to enable intelligent production planning, freeing up employees to focus on other tasks. In addition, a connection to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) was required so that rail car orders and rail capacities could be reserved precisely. Last but not least, the software was also to be used by other companies in the cement industry so that they could benefit from each other's experience.

The company earns money with digital solutions

After a few months with Logiq, the experience at Jura Cement has been extremely positive: the introduction of the software has significantly simplified and accelerated yard management. Processes have been automated and locations have been networked with each other for data exchange in real time (keyword "zero-touch logistics"). Truck drivers can now log in and register conveniently on the touch screen using a QR code. The user interface is self-explanatory and clearly laid out. Relevant information such as the license plate number, the storage location and the target weight of the trucks are already stored in the system so that manual entries are no longer necessary. The program is also multilingual - in this case German and French, which was an important requirement for the Swiss company.