The company was looking for a software solution to sustainably align its route strategy with the changed framework conditions and found it with Plantour from Pass Logistics Solutions. Reisser, based in Böblingen, operates 58 locations in the southwest and east of Germany. More than 85,000 available articles - from sanitary ceramics and bathroom accessories to sustainable heating systems and modern installation technologies - ensure a comprehensive product portfolio. Reisser relies on 18 logistics locations and a fleet of 240 trucks that operate in fixed delivery areas to ensure fast and reliable delivery to customers. In addition to short delivery times, the company is pursuing the goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035.

In order to meet this requirement even with a changing customer portfolio, Reisser regularly reviews its strategic route planning. Previously, however, this meant a great deal of effort, as the company mainly worked with Excel and online map services, sometimes based on plans that were decades old. This made it increasingly difficult to achieve efficiency and satisfactory customer service.

Complex restrictions as a challenge

In order to modernize its route planning with software support, Reisser began by sounding out the market. The company drew up an extensive list of potential providers and finally invited three software providers to on-site presentations. In addition, those responsible used demo data to check how the systems proved themselves in practice. In addition to user-friendliness and a convincing price-performance ratio, the mapping of complex restrictions played a central role - such as fixed delivery time windows, the requirement to only drive to a zip code area once a day or vehicle-specific specifications. In this way, Reisser not only wanted to simplify planning, but also create the basis for clearly structured and efficient route areas.

After completing the selection process, the company opted for the route planning software Plantour from Pass Logistics Solutions. "With Plantour, we have found a solution that reliably maps our complex restrictions and is easy to use from the cloud. This makes us flexible, saves us internal IT work and gives us the transparency we need for efficient route planning," explains Louis Schneider, logistics planner at Reisser.

From the decision to implementation

After deciding on Plantour, Reisser and the experts from Pass began the step-by-step integration into everyday logistics. The aim was to smoothly transfer the planning processes to the new system and familiarize the employees with the functions. The training provided by Pass proved to be crucial: employees received practical introductions and were able to clarify questions directly in the work context. "The support from Pass was really excellent - we always got an answer quickly and worked out solutions together," reports Schneider.

In October 2024, Reisser began actively using Plantour and initially focused on strategic route planning in order to create a solid foundation for a sustainable logistics structure. Operational planning, on the other hand, was put on the back burner, as the existing structures in the SAP system had to be updated first.

Concrete results in practice

Significant improvements can be seen just a few months after the launch. Numerous planning runs with variable parameters open up flexible scenarios, while drag-and-drop functions simplify customization and historical data provides additional transparency.

So far, Reisser has redefined the route structures in the Freiburg and Fellbach branches - out of a total of 18 locations. The result: time and cost savings, a higher service level and the elimination of an entire route area, which has made it possible to permanently save one truck. The strategic optimizations are currently underway at the Böblingen and Karlsruhe locations. At the same time, the company is using Plantour for location analyses in order to make future decisions transparently and based on data.