Since 1989, the Buhr Group has been operating as a steadily growing family business with 130 employees, 65 tractor units and special equipment from Bergen in Lower Saxony all over the world. "Our company was originally responsible for agricultural waste disposal transportation. Over time, we have specialized in the transport of paper, wood, beverages, building materials and oil," says Managing Director Walter-Christoph Buhr.

The task

Today's logistics require quick decisions, without delays, in order to ensure optimal transportation processes. This is why the Buhr Group set itself the task of establishing fast and uncomplicated contact with its transport partners. "Entering and maintaining the transport offers in the database was far too time-consuming. The offers simply had to be entered twice. Once in the in-house transport management system (TMS) "Gehr Dispo SP" and then also in Timocom. That was annoying and time-consuming," says Walter-Christoph Buhr. This process therefore had to be optimized and accelerated. The decision was therefore made to use the TC Connect interface from Timocom, the provider of the first Smart Logistics System for Europe. Gehr Datentechnik, the developer of the company's own transport management system (TMS), was entrusted with the installation. The aim was to save time and costs with TC Connect. The aim was also to optimize return loads in order to avoid empty runs. After all, these are themselves a high cost factor. The biggest challenge for the developers was to create a balanced relationship between function and application. This means: complexity yes, but only to the extent that it is also easy to use. The most comprehensive systems are useless if nobody can use them efficiently. The interface should also be set up as simply and automatically as possible. A setup wizard was therefore developed, which sent installation instructions by e-mail to the Timocom contact person.

The solutions

What are the specific advantages for dispatchers now? What has changed? "Today, the employees in the load assignment department only need to check one box. The data is then transferred smoothly to the Timocom database. No more double entry, no more loss of time," says Walter-Christoph Buhr, describing the functionality of the new interface. Completed actions are also removed so that they no longer hold up. For example, once suitable transport partners have been found, the load offer is automatically deleted. This saves additional time and frees up time to concentrate on other things in the process flow. Another advantage: other customer requirements are simply processed better thanks to this time saving. The Timocom TC Connect interface now enables the automated transfer of recorded orders (e.g. as a collective transfer). "Thanks to the smooth cooperation with our software manufacturer Gehr Datentechnik and Timocom, setting up and implementing the interface was child's play," says a delighted Walter-Christoph Buhr.

TC Connect saves a noticeable amount of time in the workflow. "Calculated over a week, we save around four hours," explains Walter-Christoph Buhr. Another company that benefits from the digitized process is Gehr Datentechnik as a TMS system provider. It has a competitive advantage over TMS systems without a direct Timocom connection. TC Connect even performs well when it comes to optimizing return loads. A solid base of transport partners has been successfully established, which in turn has resulted in numerous new customers. An effect that has significantly increased turnover. The example of the Buhr Group clearly shows the advantages of connecting to Timocom interfaces (also known as application programming interfaces or APIs for short): "Work efficiency and speed are increased in the daily workflow. And this is one of the most relevant topics within the digitization process of the transport and logistics industry," summarizes Lars Küpper, Solutions Manager at Timocom.

What already works for the Buhr Group and ensures faster processes and time savings is something that other companies can well imagine using to optimize their processes. "The industry's awareness of digital solutions is increasing, which is why Timocom is receiving more and more customer inquiries on this topic," adds Küpper. Digitalization is not just some abstract word from science and the media. It is finding its way into companies and is already helping to make working life easier.