Liebherr-EMtec’s outbound logistics go digital
Liebherr Earth Moving Technologies (EMtec) has introduced the first part of AEB's new transportation management system. The result is largely automated processes, reduced lead times, and significantly enhanced delivery quality.
Challenge
Liebherr's earthmoving and handling machines are the backbone of productivity on nearly every construction site. With everything from mobile and crawler excavators to wheel loaders, bulldozers, and dump trucks, their portfolio covers all the bases.
Besides these state-of-the-art machines, the company also ships the associated individual and spare parts from its four production plants in Germany, Austria, and France to trading partners and its own locations around the world.
To handle the tens of thousands of shipments each year, the company previously relied on an application developed in-house. However, this did not allow for seamless end-to-end process control and collaboration between different areas such as packaging, shipment processing, and loading.
“Our shipping was heavily characterized by manual activities,” reports Michael Erdle, Project Manager Transport at the Kirchdorf plant of Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger. “Information was exchanged via email, phone, or MS Teams, many steps in the process were paper-based and data had to be entered multiple times.” The consequences: high risk of errors, low transparency, and an overall time-consuming shipping process.
Liebherr-EMtec decided to introduce AEB's transportation management system (TMS) in order to make its shipping operations fit for the future. The goal: standardized, digital, and automated processes. “We wanted a toolbox with standards, but processes that are tailor-made - software that supports us and our specific processes, without workarounds,” says Svea Wallschläger, Head of Transport at Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger.
The software was connected to the InforLN ERP system and now maps shipping processes digitally. From document handling to 11-meter industrial booms, all general cargo shipments are mapped in AEB's TMS.
The implementation period is particularly noteworthy: The first part of the TMS was introduced within just six months thanks to the agile approach used. “We developed the solution iteratively together,” explains AEB project manager Franz Gaber. “Close coordination, joint specification, and prompt testing and feedback rounds enabled us to implement requirements very quickly and develop the solution within the schedule,” facilitating a seamless transition into the second project phase.
Functional highlights of AEB's TMS at Liebherr-EMtec:
- Automated consignment consolidation: The TMS starts with the creation of the delivery note, consolidates various delivery notes according to defined criteria, and controls the physical and systemic packaging and weighing.
- Automated carrier selection: A set of rules created in AEB's TMS automatically selects suitable carriers based on parameters such as package dimensions, destination, terms of delivery, and mode of transport.
- The appropriate labels and documents are automatically printed for the logistics service providers, and all relevant shipment data is transmitted.
- Load control: Each package is scanned during loading, which enables 100% control and creates end-to-end transparency.
Result
The introduction of AEB's TMS strengthens the future-readiness of Liebherr-EMtec's shipping operations: The employees' knowledge was transferred to the system and processes were standardized and automated. The user-friendly interface simplifies daily tasks and increases acceptance among employees. Today, even those who have been working in operational logistics for 30 years enjoy using AEB's TMS on a computer or mobile device.
Another major advantage: users can easily make adjustments to the system themselves, and the shipping department has become much more flexible and adaptable.
“We have significantly reduced the manual effort involved in shipment processing, minimized sources of error, and greatly increased transparency throughout the entire process,” says Michael Erdle, drawing a positive conclusion. “Today, we can track every single item during shipping and take targeted action in the event of deviations.”
In addition to the second “TMS Outbound” project phase in Austria and France, Liebherr is already analyzing whether further processes can be integrated into the system in order to consistently drive forward the digital transformation of their logistics operations.
Transportation management software from AEB for global success
AEB transportation management software lets you plan, execute, and optimize your regional and international transport processes on a single platform. From freight purchasing to outbound delivery. For end-to-end visibility, lower costs, and better supply chain resilience.
About Liebherr-EMtec
Liebherr's earthmoving and handling machines are the backbone of productivity on nearly every construction site. With everything from mobile and crawler excavators to wheel loaders, bulldozers, and dump trucks, their portfolio covers all the bases.