NG.network is digitising load carrier management with Logistikbude at 47 locations

The general cargo network reduces manual effort and saves many hours of working time each week

• Complete transparency regarding the stock levels, movements and balances of load carriers
• API integration enables seamless integration into existing systems
• Roll-out across all networks expected in the summer

Less coordination effort, greater transparency and significant time savings in day-to-day operations: NG.network, a general cargo network operating throughout Germany, will be using Logistikbude’s software solution to digitise its load carrier management. The aim is to make the management of Euro pallets and mesh boxes between partner companies significantly more efficient.

“With NG.network, this is the first time we have worked with a general cargo network of this structure. The project clearly demonstrates that the need for digital solutions is particularly high in networks with many partners and complex coordination processes,” says Dr Philipp Hüning, co-founder and CEO of Logistikbude.

The software of the same name from the Dortmund-based tech company is the first Load Carrier Management System (LCMS), thereby establishing a new software category for the management of load carriers. The platform digitises and automates all processes relating to pallets, containers and other transport aids – from stock levels and exchange transactions to balances and reconciliations between partners. The platform gives companies, for the first time, centralised, end-to-end transparency over all load carrier flows. Hüning emphasises:

“Having a single platform for all processes relating to load carriers is key for NG.network and its partner companies in transforming processes in this area that have evolved over decades and significantly easing the burden of day-to-day work.”

General cargo network as an innovation community

NG.network brings together the transport capacities of 47 affiliated partner companies through a Germany-wide general cargo network. The partners feed their general cargo shipments into the shared network primarily via direct routes, where they are delivered via regional freight forwarders. At the heart of the network is the head office, which coordinates the partners’ activities and continuously develops the network through forward-looking planning. In doing so, NG.network relies on data-driven volume management and quality monitoring.

“As an innovation community, we work closely with our partners to develop solutions in the fields of digitalisation and sustainability, with the aim of reliably addressing both the structural challenges facing the logistics sector and the day-to-day operations of freight forwarding,” says Steffen Landsiedel, Head of IT and Digitalisation at NG.network. “Our goal is to transport general cargo shipments as safely, quickly and sustainably as possible.”

The shareholders of the general cargo consortium include Rhenus Freight Logistics, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Zufall logistics group, Honold International, Gebrüder Weiss and Streck Transportgesellschaft.

less manual coordination within the general cargo network

As an innovation community, NG.network regularly reviews its own processes with a view to optimising them. In doing so, the focus has shifted to load carrier management as a key component. Until now, many steps involved in the exchange of Euro pallets and mesh boxes were manual and time-consuming:

“Reversals, checks and reconciliations were often carried out using supporting documents, technical records, emails or phone calls. Staff had to switch between different systems and documents to track shipments,” explains Landsiedel.

To simplify these processes and make them more transparent, NG.network ultimately decided to implement Logistikbude’s LCMS.

Automatic balance reconciliation saves many hours each week

The software solution is connected to NG.network’s central platform via an API. Relevant shipment data for Euro pallets and mesh boxes is transferred automatically and can then be viewed centrally by partner companies – manual reconciliation of technical data records is a thing of the past. This creates end-to-end transparency regarding which load carriers are where in the network, how balances are developing, and where clarification is required.

“This reduction in workload saves us many hours of work each week that our staff would otherwise have spent resolving discrepancies or making manual entries,” says Landsiedel.

Roll-out planned for the summer

The project was launched in February. NG.network and Logistikbude are currently working on the technical implementation and the integration of master data. This will be followed by an extensive testing phase with partner companies, before the solution is expected to go live in the summer.
In addition to the technical implementation, the focus is primarily on change management. The aim is to involve staff at the various sites at an early stage and to integrate the new digital processes into day-to-day working practices as practically as possible.

“When digitalisation – as in this case – makes work noticeably easier in everyday life, it is quickly accepted,” says Landsiedel.