bekuplast keeps an eye on load carriers thanks to Logistikbude

With the solutions from Logistikbude, bekuplast, a manufacturer of plastic containers, keeps its load carriers in view at all times, saves costs, and can collaborate more efficiently with shipping partners. bekuplast GmbH from Ringe is both a family business and a global player. As one of the leading manufacturers of reusable transport packaging in Europe, the company offers its customers tailored container solutions. The goal? Efficient and sustainable containers for every purpose.

(Dortmund/Ringe) The family-owned company bekuplast GmbH uses classic Euro exchange pallets for the transport of its plastic containers. Various shipping companies pick up the produced containers, including the Euro exchange pallets, several times a day. Before collaborating with Logistikbude, the forklift drivers recorded this exchange process manually on a pallet slip – which was not only a considerable manual effort but also prone to errors. The completed pallet slips were often submitted late and then had to be manually transferred to an Excel spreadsheet, manually scanned, and filed in the document management system (DMS). Additionally, someone always had to keep track of the exchange accounts and reconstruct how many exchange pallets were circulating as outstanding items. These tedious tasks fell to Wolfgang Wenke, who is responsible for incoming goods at bekuplast. He spent many hours each month solely on manual pallet documentation and reconciling the exchange accounts. He coordinated directly with the shipping companies and customers via email or phone regarding the “pallet debts” – a time-consuming and thus costly endeavor for all parties involved. “At some point, I thought: There must be an easier way in today’s world,” reports Wenke.

“We realized: We need a more modern system to document all exchange processes of the Euro exchange pallets simply, digitally traceable, and transparently, in order to ultimately reduce personnel and shrinkage costs and increase employee satisfaction,” explains Maik Westenberg, Head of Digital Transformation (CDO) at bekuplast.

Westenberg’s job is process automation and digitization within the company. Together with Wenke, he searched for a long-term solution for pallet management. Initially, there was also the consideration of developing a corresponding software solution with internal application developers. However, this idea was quickly discarded due to the high effort and the complex topic of information security in connection with a cloud solution in digital applications. Coincidentally, a ready-developed and immediately usable solution from Logistikbude already existed.

Digital loading material slips via app

The cloud-based software solution Logistikbude digitizes and simplifies the management of reusable objects such as racks, boxes, or pallets. Although there was already contact between the eponymous Dortmund start-up and bekuplast, a meeting with co-founder and COO Michael Koscharnyj at a logistics fair in Düsseldorf was crucial. Koscharnyj and Westenberg quickly engaged in conversation and repeatedly returned to the issue of pallet exchange. The very next day, Westenberg had the application demonstrated to him and was immediately impressed: “I hadn’t expected that there would already be a nearly perfect solution for our needs and challenges.”

From the forklift via app

Thus, bekuplast has fully digitized its manual pallet management process. Instead of documenting with pen and paper, the forklift drivers now record the pallet exchange directly from the forklift using the Logistikbude app. To do this, they log in at the start of their shift via QR code and create an exchange transaction as soon as a shipping company delivers or picks up Euro exchange pallets. From a dropdown menu, the driver selects the corresponding shipping company, enters the number of pallets received or picked up, and documents the quality of the accepted Euro exchange pallets with a photo via the app. After signing in the app, a digital loading material slip is generated and documented. The recorded booking is then checked by Wolfgang Wenke, adjusted if necessary, and finally approved.

“Thanks to the support from Logistikbude, this process, which previously cost me a lot of time, now runs almost by itself. This significantly relieves me in my daily work,” says Wenke. After approval, a link is automatically sent to the shipping company, sharing information about the Euro exchange pallets and enabling continuous coordination instead of having to wait for the monthly account statement. Handwritten notes and tedious follow-up phone calls are now a thing of the past.

Fast booking processes and transparent tracking for all parties involved

For both the forklift drivers and employees like Wenke, the booking process for load carrier exchange is now much simpler and clearer. The app not only makes the exchange processes visible, but also the exchange accounts of all exchange partners are visible at a glance.

Thanks to Logistikbude, the shipping companies also work more efficiently, as they can continuously track and coordinate the quantities of Euro exchange pallets. “By now, we are even being asked by our shipping partners and customers which solution we are using. This shows us that our collaboration with Logistikbude has set a new standard,” summarizes Westenberg. So far, over ten partner shipping companies have already taken advantage of this offer, and since the start, over 2,000 exchange transactions have been processed through this solution.

Saving costs by avoiding unnecessary new purchases

In addition to the significantly more efficient processes and the resulting reduced personnel costs, bekuplast also saves on ongoing costs thanks to Logistikbude: Because the family business can now trace how many Euro exchange pallets are in circulation, it can avoid unnecessary new purchases. “We were surprised by the number of Euro exchange pallets in the value chain and the number of transactions processed. The system has for the first time made it transparent how much ‘money’ in the form of Euro exchange pallets is in circulation,” explains Westenberg.

Short test phase with maximum success

The fact that these significant successes emerged after just a few months speaks not only for the software solution itself, which has streamlined and simplified bekuplast’s reusable management during this time, but also for the employees of the family business. After all, even the best software solution can only support if it is actually used by the employees. For Steffen Brand, Customer Success Manager at Logistikbude, it was immediately clear that the project would be successful.

“On the one hand, our solution fits perfectly with bekuplast’s requirements. However, what particularly impressed me was the friendly yet productive collaboration. Due to my personal connection to the region, the joint project felt like a hit from the very beginning,” explains Brand, who hails from the area.

Targeted test phase

Through a targeted test phase, bekuplast employees were intensively involved in the implementation. “For us, it was particularly important that the solution meets the needs of our forklift drivers. After all, they are the ones who will use the app in their daily work,” emphasizes Westenberg. Three selected forklift drivers tested the app and found it extremely user-friendly and intuitive.

Other employees involved in the exchange process, especially Wolfgang Wenke, also played a crucial role in the project’s success. “Since Wolfgang mainly manages our pallet exchange accounts, we wanted to ensure in advance that the software also meets his requirements,” explains Westenberg. Fortunately, it quickly became clear during this short phase that it was a good fit: “I was pleasantly surprised and volunteered as a ‘test subject.’ Logistikbude actively supported us and not only listened to our comments and suggestions for improvement with open ears but also implemented them directly,” says Wenke.

After a few adjustments, all employees already had great confidence in the new system, so the introduction could begin after just one and a half months. Overall, the complete implementation took less than four months.

Long-term future-proof

In the near future, the manufacturer of reusable transport packaging can envision further expanding its collaboration with Logistikbude and applying the system in other areas as well. “When relocating our production tools, which we use across locations, we encountered similar challenges as with our Euro exchange pallets. Here, real-time tracking would be very helpful,” explains Westenberg. However, the implementation of a new ERP system is currently on the agenda, where the existing interfaces to Logistikbude’s digital solution will also be examined. This is intended to further improve, automate, and, above all, simplify existing processes.

Photo: © bekuplast