Making the most of available capacity is crucial for freight forwarders. This is why the Hamburg, Germany-based forwarder Kube & Kubenz relies on the integration of valid master data from Loady. In 2023, a 9,7% drop in production in the chemical industry led to significant capacity utilization issues. As the market recovers, forwarding companies face even greater challenges. In particular, the growing shortage of drivers and skilled workers, combined with rising costs, such as the 80% increase in toll charges, is causing problems for the freight forwarding industry and the industry as a whole. Now more than ever, it is critical to maximize available resources and minimize waiting times and wasted trips.

Kube & Kubenz is an international forwarding and logistics company specializing in the transportation of liquid hazardous goods, chemical gases, and other chemicals. Konstantin Kubenz, Managing Director of the company, relies on digitalization and, through the connection to the Loady master data platform, on reliable, digitally usable data to optimize transport planning, dispatching and communication with drivers. For years, Kubenz has been active in European associations and working groups to promote digital collaboration and drive standardization and harmonization in digital logistics. "We are forced to consistently minimize manual effort," says Kubenz. "This also means that the increasing amount of administrative work that we have taken on for our customers over the years is being put back where it belongs: with the customers themselves." Kubenz specifically refers to all the information that needs to be considered when goods are picked up or delivered to a site. "Our dispatchers should focus on dispatching, not managing third-party data. Whether it’s opening hours, loading times, temperature requirements, safety equipment information, necessary documents, or technical equipment, each supplier and recipient in a supply chain should maintain and keep their own data up to date. As carriers, we often find ourselves or our drivers painfully aware of changes when they are unable to complete a shipment as planned or even have to return."

   Konstantin Kubenz, Managing Director, Kube & Kubenz

"We are forced to consistently minimize manual effort.”

Reduce Costs and Enhance Competitiveness

The cost of a wasted trip runs into a four-digit range, which can add up over the course of a fiscal year. When supply chain partners maintain their own data, carriers no longer have to spend a lot of time manually managing data or documents, and there are no more miscalculations in freight tenders. "If we can save just 1% of our costs by connecting to Loady, it will directly boost our business results by six figures. We will also be able to lower risk charges, handle more orders, and improve our overall competitiveness. This, in turn, benefits our customers,' says Kubenz.

Positive Impact on Carbon Footprint and Increased Satisfaction

Reliable, smooth transportation brings more than just financial benefits. A wasted trip can add between 50 and 350 kilometers to a truck’s route, with a loaded four-ton truck emitting between 130 and 950 kg of CO₂. Faster loading and unloading also lead to increased satisfaction for both the company’s customers and their end customers, who enjoy fewer errors and greater predictability. Additionally, drivers benefit from shorter waiting times and improved planning, which they have long been seeking.

“Our dispatchers should plan and not maintain third-party data.”

Data Sharing Benefits Everyone in the Supply Chain

With Loady, manufacturing companies manage and update their specific loading and unloading requirements. This ensures a reliable source of information that benefits everyone involved, especially the companies themselves. They avoid incorrect information flows, questions, and disputes. When requirements change, the data is automatically synchronized with their business and logistics partners, keeping everyone promptly informed of the updates.

Conversely, the forwarding and logistics company keeps master data on its vehicles, drivers, and equipment in a separate digital platform. This data is then shared with customers in the supply chain, especially when they want to digitize or automate truck dispatch at their site.

For maximum benefit, Kube & Kubenz plans to integrate Loady's data into the forwarder's Transportation Management System (TMS). The interface is expected to be implemented in the third quarter of 2024.

Author:

  Stefanie Kraus, Co-founder and Managing Director, Loady GmbH, Mannheim

Personal Profile

Stefanie Kraus is Co-founder and CEO of Loady, a digital platform that enables companies in the supply chain to share master data on loading requirements within their logistics ecosystem and thus promote digital collaboration. She holds a master's degree in Political Science and German Studies, as well as in Business Administration.

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Source CHEManager 08/2024: https://www.chemanager-online.com/news/digitalisierung-als-schluessel-zur-effizienz