Future-oriented route planning in frozen food logistics at NORDFROST

As Germany's market leader in the field of frozen food logistics, NORDFROST employs around 3,000 people, spread across its European headquarters and 40 logistics locations throughout Germany. The family-run company offers comprehensive and individualized logistics solutions for customers from the entire food industry and food retailing as well as import and export. The range of services extends from transport, warehousing and port logistics to trade logistics, food processing and fine distribution: the efficient and holistic design of the global supply chain.

Challenging demands and requirements

The company masters logistical challenges on a daily basis. Janka Dirks from NORDFROST's process management keeps a cool head: "Our complex network logistics places high demands on our planning. Not only vehicle utilization, costs and routes have to be optimized. The planning of local transport routes must also run smoothly. Depending on the location, the dispatchers have very personal preferences," says Dirks. "In addition, we are obliged to keep an eye on the different temperature ranges for the transport and distribution of goods. PTV Route Optimiser supports us very well in this."

Location-independent and flexible planning

After the company had already been working with the previous version of PTV's route planning software, the switch to the current and future-oriented solution was an obvious one. It was not only the extended functions, new map material and individually adaptable layout that scored points. "PTV Route Optimiser is linked to the user, not to the stationary computer," explains Dirks, "which enables our dispatchers to work independently of location and therefore with greater flexibility."

First results

Even though the rollout has not yet been completed due to the large number of company locations, the initial results are already convincing: The clearer and individualized planning strengthens employee motivation, the fast calculation algorithm leads to noticeable time savings, and the visual planning support to avoid route crossings. "The data in subsequent systems is cleaner," adds Dirks, "as it no longer has to be maintained manually. Still, the PTV software always offers the option of manual fine-tuning." The process manager's conclusion: "The process effort decreases and thus our dispatchers have more time available for detailed planning: This means they can more easily identify potential for route optimization and address it. This in turn leads to cost savings and ultimately protects the environment."

Our philosophy is to take new, sustainable paths that build on the tried and tested. So the step to future-oriented route planning with the new version of PTV Route Optimiser was not far away.

Janka Dirks Process manager at NORDFROST