Unidex, De Zilk

First, the shared responsibility between the warehouse and the office was reversed — the planning was no longer to be managed from the office. In addition, we were already familiar with time slot management systems, as several customers were working with such solutions. A brewery pointed Unidex towards DC Transportplanner and spoke highly of it. Several solutions were compared, but in the end, DCT was chosen. The main requirement was to be able to book a time slot in the simplest way possible. Unidex wanted to make it easy for carriers to switch to this new way of working together.

Patrick continues: “The implementation itself actually went very smoothly. DCT prepares the software for use, and you can also get a short training if needed. In fact, you could almost start using it within a single day. Of course, you do need to clearly communicate the new system to your carriers.”

DCT has now been in use for several years. Unidex uses the application for inbound flows, working with around 35 carriers. Outbound flows are handled by Unidex itself, primarily using its own delivery vans (some of which are refrigerated).

In addition to the system-generated booking code, Unidex wanted carriers to also use their purchase order numbers in order to be allowed to unload. This kind of requirement can easily be added to the booking form in the application. Upon request, an account is created for each new carrier. Once approved, login details are provided and bookings can be made immediately.

A carrier can schedule bookings up to 48 hours in advance. Later than that is not desirable, as Unidex wants to align its resources perfectly with incoming deliveries. Exceptions are possible — one day in advance can be allowed in special cases. By booking a time slot, Unidex knows when the carrier will arrive and what cargo is being delivered. After a booking is made, Unidex receives a notification, while the supplier also gets the same information. Within the application, Unidex has a clear overview of upcoming activities, and the use of different colours in the booking overview makes it easy to assess the situation at a glance. If a carrier fails to show up on the scheduled day, a Unidex employee contacts the supplier. In this way, inbound flows at both locations are perfectly managed.

Patrick concludes: “After the simple and fast implementation, the system quickly became standard practice. The adjustment period for both the carriers and ourselves was short, and after that, DCT simply did what it was supposed to do.

We have little contact with DCT, but when needed, they are always easy to reach. Updates or adjustments are carried out quickly. In short, the application was delivered perfectly.”