RESULTS
- Increased visibility
- Optimized operations and asset turnover
- Improved transportation efficiency
- Reduced losses, damages and costs
With BOX ID, you can reduce the loss of containers and other mobile assets to near zero, on average by around 95%.
With BOX ID, you can significantly reduce lead times for returnable packaging, on average by around 20%.
With BOX ID, you need significantly fewer mobile assets for the same availability, on average around 15%.
THE INITIAL SITUATION:
For almost 50 years, FEGA & Schmitt has been supporting the German electrical industry by selling high-quality products, reliable services and excellent customer service. Traditionally, the wholesale company transported goods across its distribution network on wooden euro pallets and packed the bundles in shrink wrap. Freight forwarders shipped the pallets to regional distribution centers, where transporters took over to manage the final delivery to customers.
As the pace of business has increased over the years, this process has become too slow, too expensive and too error-prone. Pallets are vulnerable to theft, loss and damage. The process was not transparent enough to alert FEGA & Schmitt to issues that affected the end user. Common problems included slow returns of pallets for reuse, incorrect deliveries, and a lack of pallets available at the right time and in the right place for reliable distribution.
New intelligent containers enable the digitalization of the fleet
After examining various alternatives for automated and scalable logistics solutions, FEGA & Schmitt decided on a new reusable container to replace the pallets. The choice fell on Wanzl, a leading global provider of innovative and intelligent charging and transport systems for various industries. Wanzl presented intelligent roll containers that are connected to an IoT monitoring system and are perfect for transporting high-quality and sensitive goods. Each container is equipped with an IoT tracking device from BOX ID and is connected to the wireless network.
The container fleet is monitored and controlled in the BOX ID platform, which enables efficient fleet management, intuitive management of the container fleet and analysis for greater transparency throughout the entire supply chain. The solution also integrates data from other sources such as the ERP system and Auto-ID events to give FEGA & Schmitt a comprehensive overview of its existing distribution network.
Cost savings and significant reduction in administrative effort
BOX ID’s physical tracking device is a cost-effective, all-in-one solution that remotely monitors the location of roll containers and communicates them in real time to the cloud-based fleet management application. Each preconfigured device uses long-lasting batteries that enable maintenance-free operation for many years. Connecting the roll containers was seamless and easy.
The intelligent platform is open to integrating data from other tracking technologies, including QR codes, barcodes and RFID tags, so that FEGA & Schmitt has a comprehensive overview of its entire distribution network.
The team can use the platform at any time to maintain consistent transparency of all logistics processes and to optimize delivery times. Integrated retail customers can now access the web application to see the real-time location of their individual shipment, helping to dramatically improve the end customer experience and saving FEGA & Schmitt significant time in responding to delivery time queries.
Constantly monitored and optimized processes ensure that the roll containers are returned safely and on time at lower costs and with less organizational effort than with the pallets previously used.
