Cars in showrooms are an everyday sight. But how do they get there? The simple answer is: with a car transporter. However, highly complex logistics hide behind this apparently simple process, as the company Akkermann Transporte impressively demonstrates.
Since its foundation in 1936, Akkermann Transporte from the East Frisian village Moormerland is a family-run company, now in its third generation. In 1989, the specialisation on vehicle transport started with the first car transporter. Today, the company does not only transport cars but also commercial vehicles, motorhomes and caravans all over Europe. Each year, Akkermann transports 120,000 vehicles with its fleet of 62 trucks. However, the real challenge begins long before the vehicles are loaded on the transporter: the exact planning.
Intelligent Transport Logistics
“The transport of vehicles is subject to strict regulations and requires a perfect coordination between all concerned parties as well as a precise route planning,” Mrs Akkermann explains. In order to efficiently satisfy these requirements, the company relies on the transport management system CarLo by Soloplan. The software automates the entire process : from order entry–which is created digitally thanks to OCR text recognition–to optimised tour planning.
For this, many factors are to be considered: Roads and bridges have to hold the weight and dimensions of the transporter and, at the same time, the fastest and most cost-efficient route has to be selected.
For this purpose, CarLo supports the dispatchers with intelligent tour planning: The automatic and customisable restriction tests function, which immediately sends a message when planning incorrectly, helps the dispatchers choose a suitable route. Most of the time, however, a big truck does not only transport one single car for one single car dealership, but often drives to several car dealerships. Deciding which car dealership to start with is an art of its own. The software now supports the dispatchers with their tasks and considerably simplifies the route planning: CarLo provides automatic route optimisation that always suggests the optimal route for dispatchers. A big step towards more efficiency.
“CarLo is user-friendly and structured. The various interfaces reduce error sources and considerably simplify the entire working process.”– Imke Akkermann, Akkermann Transporte
Challenges in the vehicle transport
Vehicle transport is challenging not only in the office but also on the road. The vehicles are manoeuvred very precisely on the transporter with platforms and hydraulic lifts. This requires thorough training of the drivers as each incorrect position could slow down the transport or damage the vehicle. Subsequently, the cargo has to be secured: Belt and tensioning systems, tarpaulins and covers protect the cars from shakes, dirt and weather influences. During the journey, regular cargo controls are necessary in order to recognise possible displacements or damages at an early stage. Especially for luxury sports cars, a separate transport is often carried out by means of closed car transporters. This way, the risk of damages by external influences is very low.
For this, CarLo inTOUCH comes into play: The driver app allows for departure controls with individual checklists and ensures a smooth communication between drivers and dispatchers. For drivers, checklists have a great importance. These are like individual to-do lists, for example, for departure controls. During this control, lights, cargo securing, tires and possible damages are to be verified and confirmed. In the app, the drivers can simply tick these items off. Status messages are transferred to the dispatchers in real time. This keeps them always informed and allows them to immediately react to possible changes of the time of arrival. In case of damage, the driver can directly send messages containing photos to the office. Another considerable advantage: Once the car has arrived and been unloaded, the driver can have the order digitally signed directly. The signed order is then transferred back to the office and the calculation of the order can begin.
Increased efficiency via digitalisation
Mrs Akkermann sees a clear advantage in the software: “CarLo is user-friendly and structured. The various interfaces reduce error sources and considerably simplify the entire working process.” CarLo also supports the planning office with the consideration of driving and rest times of the drivers and warns against possible exceedances. So, during your next walk past a car dealership, you will now know: A perfectly coordinated logistics chain hides behind each (luxury) car in a showroom–and cutting-edge software controlling everything behind the scenes.
Soloplan is one of the leading producers on the logistics software market. Thanks to constant further development and enormous innovative capacity, the family-owned company from Kempten has been shining on the market for more than 30 years. Arrange your individual consultation appointment and simplify your processes!
