EF Logistics Relies on Route Planning from Ehrhardt Partner

In automotive spare parts logistics, just-in-time and express deliveries are everyday challenges. Reliable partners like EF Logistik GmbH, a company of the Emil Frey Group, play a crucial role in this. EF Logistik supplies car dealerships and auto repair shops across Germany from twelve locations with spare parts.

(Stuttgart/Boppard) Customized route planning, supported by digital process management, optimizes logistics processes across various types of items, short delivery times, and high order volumes, leading to efficient handling at the hub and timely deliveries.

With the goal of optimizing route planning and making processes between warehouses and on the road more efficient, EF Logistik decided in the summer of 2021 to implement the Transportation Management System Greenplan Execution from EPG (Ehrhardt Partner Group). The route planning system, specifically tailored to the needs of the logistics service provider, is complemented by the award-winning routing algorithm of the Greenplan Engine. Additionally, the EPG ONE app not only provides a digital solution for workflow design and process documentation but also serves as a mobile interface between the dispatcher and the contracted carrier with automatic delivery confirmations and an intuitive driver app.

Smart Software Support for Detailed Route Planning

EF Logistik GmbH, based in Stuttgart, operates at the warehouse location in Kassel on an area of over 10,000 square meters, handling more than 1,000 orders daily and serving up to 500 customers with a variety of different routes. These customers include auto repair shops urgently needing spare parts for repairs and wholesalers needing to replenish their stock. Furthermore, the integration of returns into route planning is an increasingly important part of daily work. This leads to complex supply chains with tight schedules, posing a real challenge for carriers and dispatchers—especially as routes, volumes, and customer requirements continuously change.

Greenplan Execution offers the automotive retailer the best possible support for planning these daily routes with its dynamic route planning. Dispatchers can define the optimal route calculation based on weighted factors (such as available vehicles, distances, and customer specifications). In conjunction with the award-winning routing algorithm of the Greenplan Engine, time-dependent and road-specific traffic flow speeds are taken into account, and the optimal route and corresponding start time are calculated for each time of day.

Alessandro Fabris, Logistics Project Manager at Emil Frey, explains: “The introduction of the Greenplan Execution overall solution has brought numerous advantages to our route planning, especially regarding transparency, adherence to quality standards, and reliability. The system has been specifically designed for our sprinter traffic, and specific extensions are currently being developed. In particular, the transshipment function, which allows goods to be loaded onto additional vehicles during the route, will make the distribution traffic to our customers even more effective.”

Emil Frey also benefits from a digitized operational logistics at the hubs, as Fabris adds: “Above all, the carriers at the hub are relieved by the systematic support from Greenplan. Previously, many tasks were the responsibility of employees who had to check the loading lists. Thanks to Greenplan, this control is now automated.”

Efficient Workflow Design and Seamless Process Documentation

The risk of incorrect deliveries, the increasing complexity of deliveries, and high demands for process documentation—drivers and dispatchers of the spare parts expert are also comprehensively supported by the EPG ONE app. The mobile application assists drivers with handling processes on-site and offers dynamic and customizable workflows. Direct feedback to the respective dispatcher increases operational transparency on one hand and allows for flexible adjustments to route planning on the other.

“When introducing the EPG ONE app, the clean documentation of the goods transfer was a priority from the outset,” explains Patrick Nierentz, Product Manager at EPG. “Here, the EPG ONE app provides high-performance support for carriers and drivers. Every movement is automatically documented, and the proof of task completion is significantly simplified by our proof-of-delivery functionality from departure control to delivery note. Additionally, digital checklists in the driver app assist in the complete verification of transported goods, and any damages or difficulties in delivery can be documented on-site immediately.”

The systemic support “on tour” and the aforementioned digitization of processes have also led to numerous optimization areas: “The greatest cost savings since the introduction of the app have been achieved in the area of complaints,” summarizes Fabris. “The increased quality and transparency that the EPG ONE app provides has helped minimize complaints, such as those due to incorrect deliveries, to a minimum. The documentation of the goods transfer also benefits from the significantly leaner communication channels. All information is available in real-time at the hub. This creates security for EF Logistik, the carriers, and the customers alike.”

Employees and Drivers Convinced by Ease of Use

Both employees and drivers are convinced by the ease of use of the system. Through the Greenplan overall solution and the EPG ONE app, delivery quality has improved, and processes in the complaints department have been made more effective.

Photo: © EPG