Enhancing Productivity and Efficiency, One Truckload at A Time:
Transport optimisation puts Gebrüder Weiss on the road to compliance and operational excellence
The reason for MIXMOVE
The significance of supply chain connectivity has not been lost on industry players in recent years, with the rise of e-commerce, the impacts of the pandemic, and growing consumer demand requiring faster turnaround times and stronger efficiencies from first to last mile.
As a result, the role of tools such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and big data have inevitably grown in significance. The overarching aim: to ensure visibility and transparency, both for those end customers, but also for each partner across the value chain.
For renowned supply chain specialist, 3M, these notions of visibility and transparency have been related to each and every one of their business partners in an effort to smoothen communications, to reduce errors, and to make operations more efficient and sustainable.
One such implicated partner has been Gebrüder Weiss, one of Europe’s leading transport and logistics companies thriving over land, air and sea, as well as through its logistics capabilities. With 8,000 employees working out of 180 locations across 35 countries, the need to align such a large-scale operation with 3M’s needs subsequently led to MIXMOVE’s door, and the company’s X-Dock solution.
“The core task of MIXMOVE is to consolidate shipments.
All processes related to both consolidating shipments, and splitting those shipments efficiently, have subsequently been fine-tuned, and continue to be improved to this day.”
Manuel Lechner,
Gebrüder Weiss' Process Manager
Reconstruction 2.0
Gebrüder Weiss’s primary mission is to deliver the best possible supply chain solutions for customers while minimising all parties’ environmental impacts in the process.
For this, those buzzwords of visibility and transparency were seen as key, while also aligning - and remaining compliant - with 3M’s missions. Prior to the partnership with MIXMOVE, Gebrüder Weiss’ internal solution already had electronic data interchange (EDI) connections with 3M’s systems. Turning to a long-time partner of 3M such as MIXMOVE, came with an intention to build on this existing connection, and to further integrate the business’s data and real-time metrics.
An overarching priority as part of this partnership related to optimising the use of transportation resources and condensing different products to form full pallets. These pallets also needed to be easier to load and reliably ship over both short and long distances across Europe.
Despite already carrying out this reconstruction process internally on behalf of 3M, the integration of MIXMOVE’s solution was vital to the long-term business relationship Gebrüder Weiss shared with the business.
A truckload of operational improvements
MIXMOVE X-Dock solution has subsequently been deployed by Gebrüder Weiss across its hubs in both Austria and Hungary, aiding both the reconstruction and sorting processes, as well as aligning administration, rules, settings and planning configurations with 3M’s systems.
This ability to optimise both internal processes and customer-facing shipments through this improved reconstruction function, means that Gebrüder Weiss has elevated both compliance and operational performance, simultaneously.
Gebrüder Weiss’ Process Manager, Manuel Lechner said: “The core task of MIXMOVE is to consolidate shipments. All processes related to both consolidating shipments, and splitting those shipments efficiently, have subsequently been fine-tuned, and continue to be improved to this day.”
‘Consolidation’ in this context relates to the optimised architecture of truckloads. Each day, the company receives an average of two full truckloads, equating to more than 2,000 boxes and as many as 200 different consignees in Austria alone. Each has to be sorted, put through the admin process, reconstructed, and shipped back out on that same day.
Lechner continued: “MIXMOVE is providing a lot of the settings and rules to aid the planning process, which guides our employees across that entire receipt and packing operation.”
As a result, Gebrüder Weiss also has a better grasp of KPIs and overall efficiency and productivity levels, thanks to the EDI translation happening in the background. With full transparency and visibility of each day’s performance levels, continuous improvement as a conjoined supply chain network is now a daily biproduct.
A seamless relationship
Lechner describes this improved way of working as “state-of-the-art digitalisation”, but reiterates that these transformations are rarely achieved without complication. With any integration, the testing and reconfiguration process can encounter downtimes or unforeseen outlays. And that’s why the existing relationship between MIXMOVE, 3M and Gebrüder Weiss has been so helpful in mitigating some of these bottlenecks and speeding up the transition.
Looking forward, Gebrüder Weiss is excited to further leverage the value-added services provided through MIXMOVE X-Dock software, while also enjoying a more connected, transparent and seamless relationship with 3M.
“We’re making optimum use of the space we have, considerably fewer transport resources are needed, and CO2 emissions have also been greatly reduced as a result,” Lechner concluded.
Get this success story by email
Do you want to get this success story by email?
Fill out the form and we will forward it to you within seconds.
Happy reading!
Join leading brands with MIXMOVE
Mixmove supports organisations to run their businesses more sustainably, cost-effectively, compliantly, and efficiently with our cloud base solution. Achieve real-time journey management, planning and proof of delivery solutions. Our from Gartner arwarded technology is robust and scalable to meet the needs of any business, including yours.
