Yard management with real-time capable truck feed control

The advantages of modern time slot management for organizing yard logistics on the factory premises are obvious: freight forwarders and dispatchers report their transports and requirements via an Internet platform - so everyone involved has an overview of the information relevant to them. This makes it possible to plan exactly when which truck with which freight is expected at the gate. Throughput times promise to be shorter and more reliable as a result, and the logistics experts responsible can plan loading resources better and utilize them more efficiently. However, in view of the increasingly complex tasks that industrial logistics has to face internationally these days, it quickly becomes clear that simply planning time slots optimally is not enough. Optimum yard management requires a second important component: a dynamic and real-time-capable truck supply control system that optimally regulates all processes in industrial logistics.

High importance for real-time IT

In practice, unforeseen events thwart even the best plans on an almost daily basis: delivery vehicles arrive too early, too late or unannounced, bring different material than announced or in a different quantity - and slots get mixed up, loading and unloading points on the factory premises have to be rescheduled. Almost all sectors of the manufacturing industry have to deal with this problem in their day-to-day business. Decision-makers in the logistics and supply chain management sector are well aware that there is a lot of catching up to do here. This is shown by a recent study conducted by Aachen-based optimization specialist Inform in autumn 2022: 98% of the 307 participants stated that they consider real-time IT in logistics to be important or very important. However, only 26 percent already use real-time applications in their company. So there is still some catching up to do.

The right yard management system: these are the advantages

There are seven good reasons for an efficient yard management system that optimizes day-to-day operations in real time, combining time slot management and intelligent control of truck access. It keeps track of and coordinates all loading processes on the factory premises from entry to exit:

1. flexible check-in

As soon as the truck reaches the factory gate, check-in at the gate takes place digitally either at special communication pillars, on the company's own end devices or via pager, text message or app on the driver's smartphone - in terms of procedure, this is quite comparable to checking in at the airport. The data is recorded digitally - cumbersome phone calls and the comparison of documents are no longer necessary, and any language barriers between drivers and gatekeepers are hardly an obstacle.

2. independent optimization of the throughput

If a truck has missed its time slot, the intelligent software calculates a new plan for loading and unloading goods within a few seconds. It not only keeps an eye on the specific truck and the priority of its load, but also takes into account all relevant processes - including the status of other vehicles on the site and in the incoming goods area as well as the current volume at the loading points - and uses this knowledge to determine an optimized throughput sequence. The software schedules independently without the need for an employee to intervene.

3. automated communication

However, even optimal scheduling is only really helpful if it is communicated immediately to all relevant parties. The software therefore automatically communicates its updated throughput sequence to all those involved. The truck drivers are immediately informed of which loading point, buffer zone or parking lot they should head for, while the loading point employees are simultaneously informed of which goods they have to dispatch and when and in which order.

4. additional service via app

Communication is also possible via display boards, text messages or pagers. However, the best way is via a smartphone app, which promises truck drivers and loading point employees an additional service: in the chemical industry, for example, it can also be used to log ADR checks, scan loads and packages, locate trucks as they approach the plant and transmit further driving or waiting instructions to the drivers.

5. inbound and outbound

Unlike a conventional time slot booking system, an intelligent yard management system not only organizes truck arrivals and the corresponding loading and unloading of materials and goods separately. It can also control the integrated planning of inbound and outbound traffic, such as the delivery of empties and collection of goods. It is also possible to link pick-up and delivery time slots as part of a joint logistics network between supplier and manufacturer.

6. variable connection and integration options

A yard management system can be easily integrated into IT systems (e.g. ERP, PPS and similar) via standard interfaces using all common technologies (XML, SOAP, MQS, etc.). Information on orders, material or even the delivery status of the goods is compared with each other and can be transferred to a data warehouse if required. Dashboards and KPIs provide meaningful statistics for management reporting. Appropriate software components can also be used to coordinate upstream trailer yards or integrate a transport control system, which can then be used to synchronize internal logistics with delivery logistics.

7. scalability according to demand

The basic principles of industrial logistics are the same in most manufacturing industries. However, there are industry-specific differences in detail, as the requirements of an automotive supplier, for example, cannot be lumped together with those of a chemical company in every respect. For this reason, the yard management system can be adapted to the specific needs of the respective company in terms of special tasks and functional features with just a few clicks and also covers criteria such as multi-client capability and multilingualism. It also takes different time zones into account. The quantity structure is also easily scalable from a few dozen to hundreds to several thousand trucks per day.

An intelligent yard management system with the option of booking time slots and controlling the inflow thus creates complete transparency of all transportation processes on the factory premises, significantly reduces throughput times and therefore also helps to save resources in terms of time, materials and personnel. Real-time IT will be a decisive factor for economically and ecologically successful industrial logistics in the future. And this future has already begun.