The cross-docking process starts and ends at the gate. It makes sense to consider both Depot activities and gate management by using practical examples.
Or do you simply retrieve the required information on one of your depot mobile scanners?
How high are the additional costs incurred when you have loaded an express or dangerous goods shipment on the wrong vehicle?
What happens if the shipment for Rome is sent to Paris by mistake?
How do you keep track of the operational processes when several employees are working under time pressure on the same loading list? Do you know exactly which employee has handled which package after the loading or unloading process has taken place?
Wouldn’t it be preferable to forget the list and to identify via scanning additional, missing and incorrectly located packages?
Can you manage and control your depot utilization in a flexible manner if your depot staff automatically receives a storage area position via scanning?
"Are you experiencing problems in controlling and tracking the movement of goods in your warehouse?. Do you want to learn how to eliminate these problems and increase your productivity? In the following Case Study we explore the topic."
David Burder (UK Country Manager)
KRATZER AUTOMATION
Freight carrier M. operates a hub within a logistics network.
The line haul vehicles that arrive from across the entire country are unloaded here and the shipments are sorted, grouped and forwarded according to their target destinations.
M. freight has just won a new contract to carry out the local distribution for a new customer, a well-known manufacturer from the entertainment electronics sector.
The new contract requires that the goods that are delivered from the manufacturer are to be transshipped within the depot to individual secondary distribution vehicles and onward transported to the end customer.
While small logistics customers only want to know where their shipments are the larger ones want more details.
Especially, if a shipment arrives at the customer and it has been delayed or damaged or if it is missing. This can be very costly with liability issues.
In such a case, if it is not possible to release the goods with appropriate documentation it could trigger claims for damages.
Long-term employees are familiar with customer-specific processes and know exactly where in the depot that the unloaded shipments have to be forwarded to. This is often associated with complex requirements and it has to be documented as well.
Staffing fluctuations means a potential loss of knowledge. It is a challenge to continue to ensure the usual process quality with new employees.
Fluctuating amounts of shipments and reduced loading capacity require a high level of flexibility during the loading process. At the same time goods that are classed as critical might require a prioritization of shipments.
Modified demands of logistics partners and short-term routing changes require fast reaction times.
It is no longer sufficient to plan only according to target destinations. Different goods groups and products all require specific handling needs sometimes on an individual item basis.
When processing a large amount of transshipments the chances are relatively high that packages may get lost during the loading process.
In most cases the search for the goods leads to time-consuming investigations using handwritten control lists. The subsequent search within the depot will almost always end up with all packages being found again.
But it leads to unnecessary staff costs and a loss of time. In the worst cases special trips are required which cannot be charged to the customer. The delivery deadline and thus the satisfaction of the customer suffer from such inconveniences.
Now Matthew, the depot manager has to seriously consider the issues around the optimization of the depot processes. Until now he could cope quite well with a pen and a sheet of paper.
With the increasing amount of orders and new processes this method of working is no longer an option. Furthermore the requirements of his customers together with his transportation insurance force him to be more accurate is his documentation of the transfer points within the cross dock process.
A software solution was absolutely necessary and it was easy to find it. The cadisPUD secondary distribution solution that had been already deployed elsewhere in the business has now been extended by adding the cadisTH (Terminal Handling) module.
During the unloading of the delivery vehicles all packages are scanned without exception. Missing and surplus items are detected and documented immediately.
The loading of incorrect packages onto the distribution vehicles is also alerted and recorded via scanning. This feature prevents potential incorrect loading and the “loss” of packages. The requirement to document information is fulfilled. Within the cadis system all scan processes are available to view in real time. The dispatching department is thus always informed about all discrepancies and events during the loading and unloading processes.
Damages are documented with the photo documentation feature on the mobile device and saved together with the package data.
Numerous claims can be avoided as it can be proved that the goods were already damaged when they arrived at the depot.
Depot staff are now informed within cadisAPP about important detailed order information and organizational instructions. The support occurs visually and acoustically, the text is also available in several languages.
Item scanning allows the depot staff access to precise planned and actual information concerning exchangeable loading equipment. He can enter information about status, type and amount on his mobile device. This data is now available in the follow-up processes. The proactive process support is also available for dangerous goods, temperature-controlled goods and special products.
As the depot storing location is displayed immediately during the unloading process, the workload for new employees and especially temporary employees is reduced considerably and incorrect assignments to storage locations can be avoided.
The underlying rule system keeps Matthew ahead of new challenges that are now easy to master. He is now able to organize his depot in a more optimal manner. He has fewer hot spots and fewer changes on the site. His changes are activated immediately and do not require any further actions by the rest of the depot team.
The improved presorting process speeds up the loading considerably.
Through this new transparency all participants can now react quickly to unplanned events. Matthew can thus instruct his staff, not to stack goods in crowded areas but instead to unload at an overflow location and document it via scanning.
By doing so the damage rate can be reduced considerably within the depot.
The planned list and the execution of inventory are now completely digitalized using depot scanning.
His staff saves on the time-consuming planned/actual comparison. Remaining and missing packages are immediately recognizable and displayed.
If an item is found to be in the wrong storage location during an inventory scan then the depot employee is informed immediately and can correct the error there and then.
The loading staff no longer have to search for wrong, unloaded or missing items anymore.
The expected time of arrival of secondary distribution vehicles are shown on clearly visible displays within the depot. The depot staff know exactly when and where (at which gate) they are required.
By doing so it is possible to adapt the work and rest times of staff to the latest situation. As Matthew sees on his display the delayed and early inbound vehicles he can now adapt the loading and unloading schedules in real time leading to a reduction of the waiting times for vehicles.
In the case of critical delays he can now anticipate this so he can still manage the transshipments in an effective way.
One year after the introduction of the cadis module the site manager draws a positive picture saying:
“The administrative workload has been significantly reduced. We do not require any loading lists or inventory lists produced as paper documents. There is now order within the depot, the damage claims are reduced to a minimum. The waiting times of the vehicles have been considerably reduced.”
Joshua R.- Depot employee: “If I am missing a package during the cross-docking process I just have to look on my mobile scanner and I know exactly where it has been placed when previously unloaded.
I do not have to search through the entire depot ….”
