Case study
Green Logistics Groningen is implementing excellence in its order-processing procedure
Logistics service provider Green Logistics Groningen works for major American suppliers with a highly varied product range. How do they ensure business continuity? Warehouse Manager Danny Berg explains their approach here.
More and more products are being bought online, and the trend suggests that this will become even more common in the future. In 2017, 79 per cent of Dutch people aged between 16 and 75 made online purchases. This places the Netherlands in the top five EU countries. (Source: CBS)
Customer demands and expectations are also constantly rising. They want to be kept actively informed about the status of their orders. As a result, the demand for excellence throughout the entire ordering process is increasing. Striving to achieve this brings with it a number of challenges. The best way to illustrate what these are is through a real-life example.
Green Logistics Groningen
Green Logistics Groningen is a logistics service provider that ships products throughout Europe on behalf of a number of major American suppliers. The product range comprises a considerable number (thousands) of high-quality, exclusive products positioned at the top end of the market.
The product range is constantly changing, and customers’ ordering behaviour also varies greatly. These factors present challenges:
How do you adapt quickly to a constantly changing product range and customers’ ordering behaviour?
How do you ensure that the quality of Europe-wide deliveries is consistently high? And that, as part of the overall experience for the end user, deliveries are always of an excellent standard?
Every country has its own fastest carrier. And how do you switch between these different carriers?
Reliable and scalable
In its search for the most suitable solution, the company had a number of clear requirements. First and foremost, the hardware and software had to be reliable and easy to use. Another key factor was scalability. The hardware and software had to be able to scale at all times to accommodate the constantly changing product range and corresponding customer ordering behaviour. Ultimately, Zebra and ScanSolutions offered the best overall package of hardware and software.
Danny Berg of Green Logistics Groningen: “Zebra’s hardware and ScanSolutions’ software ensure our business continuity. We have control over every aspect of the logistics process: from the arrival of pallets to delivery to the customer’s doorstep. This enables us to be truly customer-focused.”
Process design
Before a parcel leaves the Groningen warehouse, it has gone through a whole series of internal processes. That is why ScanSolutions not only supplied the software, but also analysed all the work processes and proactively contributed ideas on how to organise the workspace efficiently.
The result is a seamlessly coordinated system in which automation is used where appropriate and manual labour is deployed where it makes sense. For example, the roller conveyor has been divided into zones. This ensures a calm working environment; staff do not get in each other’s way and you do not see people rushing about.
Individual requirements
During the ordering process, end users can also add personalised requests to their order. For example, they can have products engraved with a personalised message or have them sent in a gift box.
The three companies also place a high priority on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The processes are designed in such a way that work ethics are not compromised and that employees do not feel like robots: they work in harmony with the technology. Zebra’s hardware is ergonomic and easy to use. As part of its CSR commitment, Green Logistics Groningen uses almost exclusively environmentally friendly packaging materials.
The short learning curve did not go unnoticed at Green Logistics Groningen: “As both Zebra’s hardware and ScanSolutions’ software are highly intuitive, it is possible to train new staff quickly. This allows us to scale up easily during busy periods.”
The journey of a parcel
Most of the products distributed via Green Logistics Groningen are of American origin. They arrive by cargo flight or ship and are then transported by road to Aduard, near Groningen. From there, the products are dispatched to destinations throughout Europe.
The parcel’s journey to the end user begins at a label printer. Controlled by the software, it prints not only an itemised list but also the dispatch label straight away. Based on the customer’s parameters, the software immediately knows which carrier should be used to dispatch the parcel. Thanks to research and practical experience, we know which carrier performs best in each country.
The parcel then travels along the conveyor belt through the various zones, each of which is manned by one member of staff. In each zone, he or she scans the order using a ring scanner and adds items. With every scan, the software carries out automatic checks, which ensure a minimal risk of errors during the order-picking and packing process.
On their tablets, the packers can see straight away whether the parcel requires any additional labelling, for example if it contains substances classified as hazardous by law. After a final scan, a member of staff places the parcel on the pallet for the relevant carrier: ready for dispatch!
After-sales
As this involves the transport of high-quality products, the quality of delivery is extremely important. It is an essential part of the overall experience and the expectations of end users.
After-sales services play a special and important role at Green Logistics Groningen. The company takes a proactive approach to the returns process. The comprehensive package provided by ScanSolutions enables the company to assist customers in a highly personalised and prompt manner, and to offer highly valued customers that little bit of extra service.
Identifying problems before the end user does, so that we can step in in good time. That is the standard of excellence both companies strive for!
Zebra and ScanSolutions: logistics professionals
ScanSolutions has stocked Zebra products since its foundation and has been an official partner for a number of years. Arno Bruining of ScanSolutions explains: “We choose Zebra because they offer the best all-round package in the industry for scanning and printing hardware. That means scanners, printers, POD (proof of delivery) scanners, PDAs, etc. Every single one is a high-quality product.”
Both ScanSolutions and Zebra are companies with a rich history. ScanSolutions’ history began in 2005 when Arno Bruining founded Arox at the age of 19. ScanSolutions is a subsidiary of Arox. Founder Arno Bruining grew up in a haulage business and developed a passion for logistics from a very young age. ScanSolutions’ software is always tailor-made for the customer. They do not believe that the customer should have to adapt to the software, but rather that the software should adapt to the customer’s needs.
Zebra also has a respectable track record. Zebra is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The American company has a long-standing track record and is a global leader in the manufacture of hardware for the warehousing sector.
