Interview with Wolfgang Thoma | CEO of Ansorge Logistik
Ansorge Logistik’s slogan is at the same time also the „incentive“ of Soloplan GmbH. So it comes as no surprise that CEO, Wolfgang Thoma, has decided to implement the logistics software CarLo from Kempten.
Mr Thoma, could you please tell us how the cooperation between Ansorge and Soloplan started? And how has work changed in your company with the software CarLo since then?
Countless pieces of information find their way into our IT systems by means of information highways every day. This starts with order data and continues with data on personnel, fleet, finance, and controlling. The input from telematics makes this data collection complete. Today, information is everything, but the question is how to get the right data at the right time?
Whether we are talking about information as the basis for taking a decision in operating business or for a subsequent analysis from the reporting system. The rapid availability of information and the combination of data that, in the end, leads to a figure, has been our goal. Over the past three years, we have intensively researched the subject and, over the course of the study, we came across Soloplan’s software product CarLo. Since we implemented CarLo in November last year, we have been able to access the required data or KPIs more quickly.
Which special aspects have been taken into account in your project?
Our transport business is clearly focused on intermodal transport. The combination of the modes road and rail is a special challenge for scheduling. Unlike long-distance road transport, combined transport allows the dispatcher to work with the pulling units again much earlier. They can thus work with much more leverage. Moreover, combined transports (pre-carriage road/main carriage rail/on-carriage road) create more overlap already in scheduling, and in post-calculation, they pose many more challenges with regards to business analysis. The special requirement imposed on Soloplan has been to correctly reflect those custom processes in the IT system. However, the project team consisting of our own employees and employees of Soloplan has handled the task professionally and competently.
Have you and your employees observed that certain workflows and steps have become simpler thanks to the work with CarLo?
Operative processes in planning have been simplified: We could create an interface to the combined-transport operators and we have thus been able to simplify our workflows.
For what purpose do you use the statistics exactly?
The reporting of business figures from our business areas transport and logistics has already been very effective prior to the implementation of CarLo. However, we could only tap superficial results of a reporting period. Thanks to CarLo, we obtain business figures of the daily business in a timely manner. This means we can determine scheduling errors faster and, if necessary, interfere immediately.
Have you noticed other effects, increased efficiency, for example?
Every workflow optimisation will automatically result in advantages regarding time and thus also cost savings, etc. However, we also expected this of the new application software, and we see further potential which we quickly want to realise.
Regarding the future, do you have any new projects?
There are always different customer projects in the pipeline. Efficient IT systems are nowadays indispensable to meet the customers’ needs and to stand out from the competition.
Take a glimpse behind the scenes of the logistics provider Ansorge here.