BVL and GS1 Germany Launch “Cloud4Log” for Digital Delivery Notes

The Federal Association of Logistics (BVL) and GS1 Germany are launching the Cloud4Log platform. The kick-off took place at the German Logistics Congress in Berlin. This marks the launch of paperless logistics – the digital delivery note becomes a reality! With this solution, thousands of tons of paper can be saved.

(Bremen/Cologne) High manual efforts have so far characterized the delivery and transport processes in industry and trade. Deliveries to wholesalers or retail distribution centers are still fundamentally accompanied by paper delivery notes. For the food retail sector in Germany alone, this amounts to at least 20 million delivery notes per year. This results in at least 180 million sheets of paper due to multiple copies, equivalent to 1,500 trees with a diameter of 40 centimeters and a height of 25 meters. The introduction of the digital delivery note with the online platform Cloud4Log can finally put an end to the cumbersome handling of paper documents.

After a successful practical test of the digital delivery note, the Federal Association of Logistics (BVL) and GS1 Germany, together with T-Systems and numerous companies from industry, trade, and logistics services, have completed the technical solution for practical use this year. The BVL and GS1 Germany announced the launch of Cloud4Log for live operation today at the German Logistics Congress in Berlin. “Now all supply chain partners can exchange digital delivery notes and, in the future, other transport documents through this online service. The cumbersome handling of paper delivery notes is thus obsolete,” explains Dr. Martin Schwemmer, Managing Director of the Federal Association of Logistics (BVL). The platform is immediately usable in many industries for the movement of goods – from suppliers to trade.

40 Companies Contribute to the Platform

Over 40 companies from industry, logistics services, and trade are currently contributing to Cloud4Log. These include suppliers such as Eckes Granini, Frosta, Henkel, Nestlé, and transport companies like Dachser, DHL Supply Chain, Fiege, and the Nagel Group. Retailers such as dm-drogerie markt, Lidl, and Rewe are also participating. The digital delivery notes are available for the duration of the delivery process and ten weeks thereafter. Printing, forwarding, transporting, and acknowledging the paper document are thus unnecessary. “The uniqueness of the Cloud4Log solution lies in the neutrality of the platform and the community concept. This approach ensures that the interests of all process participants are taken into account,” emphasizes Oliver Püthe, Lead Industry Engagement at GS1 Germany.

Identification Standards Link the Digital Document with the Delivery

In detail, the process works as follows: The shipper on the supplier side stores the delivery notes in the cloud. GS1 identification standards ensure that the digital document can be uniquely assigned to the respective delivery. When the logistics service provider takes over the load, the driver scans a QR code generated at the manufacturer’s goods exit, for example, using a smartphone with a scanning function via the integrated camera. The link to the digital delivery note is stored on the driver’s smartphone. During transport, the digital delivery note documents are accessible at any time and can be presented during inspections. At the retailer’s goods receipt, the digital delivery note is scanned again via the QR code on the smartphone from the cloud for further processing. Documentation of quantity deviations or damage images can be attached to the digital delivery note in the cloud. The acknowledgment by the recipient and driver places the delivery note in a completed, unchangeable status. The cloud solution prevents the delivery note from being stored on multiple digital devices of the carrier. Thus, only those directly involved in the process have access to the current status of the documents.

Entry Barriers are Low

The neutral roles of BVL and GS1 Germany as providers and operators of the solution ensure that entry barriers are low and the service is available to participants in all industries and markets. Existing company or industry-specific island solutions for digital delivery notes can be integrated. Data at Cloud4Log is processed via the Open Telekom Cloud (OTC). The technical infrastructure and front-end solutions were developed by T-Systems. The collaboration with the Telekom subsidiary guarantees data storage and processing on a server operated in Germany, ensuring data protection and security according to European law.

Photo: © BVL