barth logistics group

The medium-sized transport and logistics company has been operating successfully in Germany and Europe for 75 years. With lbase, the barth Logistikgruppe has succeeded in digitalising key processes. But the challenges remained high: in recent years, the concentration on the market has intensified. In addition to quality and fast, flexible service, productivity and efficiency have become even more important. Added to this was the shortage of skilled labour.

This is where the project came in: The heart of logistics - scheduling - was still very time-consuming and labour-intensive. The desire was therefore to automate route optimisation. "It was important to us not to simply apply an algorithm to everything, but also to take special features into account. Because we need the lorry with the right driver in the right place, in the right area and with the right customer," explains Uwe Schempp, Managing Director of the barth logistics group.

To meet these requirements, the barth Logistikgruppe opted for the Tour Optimisation web service from addHelix. It was adapted to the specific requirements in a multi-stage, iterative process and integrated into the lbase TMS. "In the course of the development partnership for the tour optimiser, we were in close contact with the customer on an ongoing basis and exchanged expertise. It was important for us to understand the company's processes," explains Andreas Schellmann, CEO of lbase.

It soon became apparent that optimising the sequence was not enough. In a second step, a free route optimisation was therefore carried out under restrictions. In fact, there were various special cases to consider: for example, customers who order certain drivers for their transports. Or drivers who want to continue driving in certain areas that they have known like the back of their hand for years. By customising the addHelix web service, it was possible to reliably integrate such requirements.

Thanks to the integration of the web service in lbase TMS, route planning is simple and possible in the familiar environment. By eliminating manual route allocation and subsequent transfer to the system, the working day of the dispatchers concerned now starts early in the morning instead of in the middle of the night. "This increases our attractiveness as an employer. The job description is also changing: instead of spending a lot of time on repetitive tasks, dispatchers are now increasingly acting as troubleshooters when challenges arise," says Uwe Schempp.

With automatic route optimisation, the barth logistics group can consolidate routes, make better use of capacity and avoid several hundred empty kilometres a day. The resulting productivity gain is between 20 and 25 per cent. In addition, significantly more CO₂ emissions are avoided, which benefits the environment. The web service is currently in use at the head office and in one branch, and will be rolled out gradually to other locations.