Detailresult Groep is the parent company of the supermarket formats Dirk and DekaMarkt. Each day, more than 200 branches are supplied from seven distribution centres with everything that a consumer may expect in a supermarket. A logistical challenge that recently became substantially more efficient thanks to Yellowstar.
From order to delivery, the entire chain is now fully transparent. Manager Transport Planning Rodney van Koert: “The realised Order Management Tool has become truly indispensable to our organisation.”
✔ Full transparency from order to delivery
✔ 40% fewer manual actions due to phasing out of Excel
✔ 24/7 real-time data exchange
✔ Dynamic transport planning
✔ Scalable and foundation for further improvements
In an average week, hauliers perform about 2500 trips for Detailresult Groep. Not only to supply the supermarkets, but also for transport between the various distribution centres (DCs), transport to and from the production locations for meat, bread, etc. and multiple return flows. The 40 liquor stores of Dirck III that operate beyond the scope of Detailresult Groep are included in the complex transport plan as well. Van Koert: “The project was initially aimed at achieving a more efficient route planning. With the help of Yellowstar, it has become much more than that.”
‘Detailresult Groep is a dynamic company with a dynamic logistics situation. We want to support that with a dynamic application as well’
From Excel to real-time data
Detailresult Groep uses multiple systems alongside one another for forecasting, orders, promotional items, central order processing and the physical execution thereof. In the past, Excel was used for all data exchange between these components. The entire transport planning was also based on Excel according to a repeating schedule. A manual and therefore time-consuming process, which furthermore made real-time planning impossible. Van Koert: “Detailresult Groep is a dynamic company with a dynamic logistics situation. We wanted to be able to support this with a dynamic application as well. Every day, the operation sees many deviations. Until recently, making adjustments to the planning required a lot of manual actions due to the use of Excel.”
‘On a scale of 100, at least 40 percent of manual actions and administrative tasks have been permanently eliminated'
Order Management Tool provides insight
As a solution, Yellowstar has implemented an Order Management Tool over the existing systems. With that, all systems that are relevant to the logistics implementation have been linked to each other via Star Connect. From ordering advice to the eventual consolidation of orders into trips, the entire process is now transparent for everyone in real-time. The benefits are clear. The transparency within Detailresult Groep - and with that the ability to plan - has improved tremendously. Departments know which actions are required at all times. The days when data was adapted from system to system based on Excel lists are gone as well. In each system, data is now uniformly available in real-time. Van Koert: “The Order Management Tool has become truly indispensable to our organisation. On a scale of 100, at least 40 percent of manual operations and administrative tasks have been permanently eliminated.”
Improved trip planning
The new Order Management Tool also provides the input for the daily route planning, which is performed via a dynamic application from Ortec. The hauliers of the transport companies that drive for Detailresult Groep (almost) all use an app for their trips in that respect. As a result, all parties involved benefit from improved efficiency. Paperwork has been decimated, drivers provide feedback on the execution of their trips in real time. Via the Order Management Tool, all this information is also made available again in the systems of Detailresult Groep.
‘The entire transport process has become much easier to manage’
“Every DC can now see exactly at what time they can expect which vehicle,” Van Koert mentions as one of the major advantages of the achieved transparency. Loading the trucks is also more efficient. Drivers are informed about the correct dock via the app. To achieve this, the docks are linked to the Warehouse Management System via the Order Management Tool. “The entire transport process is now much easier to manage.”
Successful project
For the realisation of the Order Management Tool, the Logistics and ICT departments of Detailresult Groep intensively collaborated with Yellowstar over a nine-month period. In a short time, Yellowstar mastered the complex logistics process of Detailresult Groep. Through a dedicated project manager who was on loan from Yellowstar to Detailresult, the project was next successfully implemented in practice. “The quality of our service provision has improved and there is now definitely room for further growth in that respect.”