Webinar E-Sourcing Freight Tendering in Germany
Webinar – Successfully Managing Online Truck Freight Tenders. Dos and Don’ts of Online Cargo Procurement. Date: October 5, 2023 – 1:00-6:00 PM.
Optimal Supply Chain Management – optimal Logistics.
We shape the future of your supply chains with you.
Optimal Supply Chain Management – optimal logistics.
We shape the future of your supply chains with you.
With over 30 years of experience in day-to-day operations – as a shipper, logistics service provider, and consultant – we know the good and bad sides of supply chain management and logistics from all perspectives.
Often overlooked, these functions are only noticed when they are no longer functioning smoothly.
Strong supply chains and optimal logistics structures are based on the potential of an active rather than reactive approach and less on the introduction of the latest gadgets. You should be one step ahead of the logistics curve, not behind it.
If you are ready to free your supply chain and logistics from their shackles, then we are your partner for a meaningful and future-oriented design of your supply chains.
Supply Chain Management = Logistics!
Supply chain management differs from operational logistics only in the inclusion of cash flows into the model of a company’s goods and information flows. However, in times of networked systems, we see this distinction as obsolete, so our logistics consulting covers both areas and we use the terms interchangeably below.
Logistics permeates your entire network and forms interfaces to almost all internal and external units, suppliers, and customers.
Effective logistics creates robust supply chains, increases the efficiency of your internal organization, lowers costs, minimizes risks, maintains your competitiveness, and has the potential to create a real competitive advantage.
According to publications by official logistics associations and the Federal Statistical Office, the share of logistics costs for German companies ranges between 8% and 15% of total operating costs, with some studies, such as one by the Fraunhofer Institute (IML), reporting figures as high as 25%.
Sound familiar?
Missing input materials, suboptimal inventory levels, lack of cargo space, budget overruns, overwhelmed employees, dissatisfied customers.
The list of possible logistics errors is long. In our logistics consulting, we distinguish between three fundamental types of errors: process errors, infrastructure errors, and organizational errors. The risks and costs of an error can be identical in all three sub-areas, but the respective error corrections require different techniques and knowledge.
Note:
We do not associate errors with the concept of blame. Errors have a cause. These causes are 100% based on the complex interaction of a multitude of actors, complex systems, and competing objectives. Accordingly, we use the term “error” in its pure original meaning.
Shortcomings in the operational activities of your supply chain and logistics.
The competencies required for troubleshooting by a professional logistics consultancy:
SCM / Logistics Expertise
Process Design
QM Understanding
[…]
Shortcomings in the structural or technological systems of your company.
The competencies required for troubleshooting by a professional logistics consultancy:
Warehouse Technology
Logistics IT
Project Management
[…]
Shortcomings in the organizational structures, guidelines, and responsibilities of your company.
The competencies required for troubleshooting by a professional logistics consultancy:
Strategy Expertise
Organisational Design
Change Management
[…]
Supply Chain, Logistics, and the Organizational Paradox
Your logistics activities are at the heart of your operations, but they are also the end result of a whole series of higher-order factors. The scope for autonomous action therefore only covers one level of your organization.
Despite its paramount importance for your operational value creation, logistics often remains driven by its superior production, purchasing, and sales departments, and thus limited to reactive actions.
If you want to organize or optimize your logistics in a meaningful way, a comprehensive consideration of the influencing factors and – more importantly – the possibility of shaping higher-level processes from the specialist area is essential.
Strengthening internal positioning, early involvement in planning and developments, effective design of internal interfaces, and a functional logistical risk management offer you the opportunity to create active instead of reactive logistics functions.
The functional areas of our logistics consulting cover all core competencies necessary for successful logistics design:
Expertise in the field, strategy expertise, organizational design, change management, quality management, occupational health and safety management, project expertise, and last but not least, process design.
Whether you’re building new logistics structures or optimizing existing systems, whether you’re optimizing your entire system or individual tasks such as carrying out internet-based freight tenders, we’ll work with you in four steps to achieve your individual top logistics.
in our free initial consultation, you have the opportunity to get a picture of us and our capabilities – after all, the chemistry between all parties involved should be right in the end.After recording the specific task description, we will create an individual offer for you, including the time frame, required resources, costs, and of course the possibility of state or institutional funding for the planned measures.
Planning describes the state that should be achieved through the commissioned measure. It includes concrete acceptance criteria and key figures that are used for later success measurement.
The actual state analysis serves to record all already existing information required for the implementation of the respective task, such as the identification of involved departments within and outside your organization, interface inventory, process maps, QM and ASM documentation.
This is followed by a target/actual comparison and the concrete planning of the measures to be implemented.
The operational phase encompasses all necessary activities and procurements for the implementation of the planned measures. These activities often take place within the framework of an agile or classic project. This phase ends as soon as the acceptance criteria are met and performance measurement is possible.
The final phase serves to introduce, review, and continuously improve the implemented measures. This includes possible training concepts, ongoing success measurement, and the consistent application of the principles and structures of continuous improvement. As soon as significant changes to previous logistical or organizational processes have been achieved, we recommend the application of appropriate change management measures to ensure that the successes achieved are secured in the long term by creating broad acceptance.
Whether you’re building new logistics structures or optimizing existing systems, whether you’re optimizing your entire system or individual tasks such as carrying out internet-based freight tenders, we’ll work with you in four steps to achieve your individual top logistics.
In our free initial consultation, you have the opportunity to get a picture of us and our capabilities – after all, the chemistry between all parties involved should be right in the end.
After recording the specific task description, we will create an individual offer for you, including the time frame, required resources, costs, and of course the possibility of state or institutional funding for the planned measures.
Planning describes the state that should be achieved through the commissioned measure. It includes concrete acceptance criteria and key figures that are used for later success measurement.
The actual state analysis serves to record all already existing information required for the implementation of the respective task, such as the identification of involved departments within and outside your organization, interface inventory, process maps, QM and ASM documentation.
This is followed by a target/actual comparison and the concrete planning of the measures to be implemented.
The operational phase encompasses all necessary activities and procurements for the implementation of the planned measures. These activities often take place within the framework of an agile or classic project. This phase ends as soon as the acceptance criteria are met and performance measurement is possible.
The final phase serves to introduce, review, and continuously improve the implemented measures. This includes possible training concepts, ongoing success measurement, and the consistent application of the principles and structures of continuous improvement. As soon as significant changes to previous logistical or organizational processes have been achieved, we recommend the application of appropriate change management measures to ensure that the successes achieved are secured in the long term by creating broad acceptance.
Our logistics consulting is modularly divided into process consulting, infrastructure consulting, and organizational consulting and follows, in terms of content and logic, the previously described error sectors and their different requirements for techniques and knowledge of meaningful logistics consulting in the respective areas.
Your Advantage: You only book what you really need.
Support in planning and carrying out a freight tender does not require a fundamental review of your logistics strategy. However, if a review is desired, simply extend the scope of the order. The same applies in reverse. Our services can be combined and range from individual process improvements to the complete setup of a new supply chain or logistics system.
Please note that individual measures can rarely be considered in isolation. All three areas are subject to interactions and overlaps. Before each measure, we check these interactions and ensure that our work “fits in”.
Structural analysis and optimization in the context of logistics and SCM systems refer to the examination and adjustment of organizational and operational structures to enhance the performance and efficiency of logistics processes. This encompasses the analysis of warehousing, transportation, distribution, and other logistical activities to identify bottlenecks, calculate future requirements, optimize resource utilization, and minimize costs. Through structural analysis approaches, weaknesses can be uncovered and specifically optimized to ensure the smooth and effective execution of logistics and SCM activities.
As experienced change management consultants, we support companies in successfully implementing and sustainably establishing changes.
Process management is a structured approach to designing and optimizing business processes within your logistics. It encompasses analyzing existing processes, identifying improvement potential, and developing efficient and effective process flows.
Supplier management encompasses all activities related to coordinating and steering your suppliers. It enables you to systematically identify the strategic importance of a supplier within your logistics and its strategic alignment to optimize your value chains. It also minimizes the risks of working with external suppliers and service providers. An example of this is the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (Lieferkettengesetz), which came into force on January 1, 2023, and imposes a multitude of due diligence obligations on you in your dealings with suppliers.
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The difficulty of freight space procurement is determined by the degree of individualization of the respective transport mode. Individualization refers to the dependence on transport routes and the existence of fixed lines. Air freight can be considered as less individualized, as goods are transported from fixed locations, usually at fixed times, from A to B. The supreme discipline of freight space procurement is the transport mode with the highest degree of individualization of all transport modes: the truck.
Effective Freight Space Procurement for Trucks
To efficiently design freight space procurement for trucks, a simple request/comparison/selection/order process, as with a CEP service provider, may no longer be sufficient. It is crucial to understand the motivations and constraints on the transport provider side in order to successfully procure truck freight space at market-appropriate prices, especially on online platforms.
Shipper:
– Networked shipping systems
– Automated transportation order management
– Transportation status handling
– External transportation management systems
– Automated freight audit / billing
– Automated document handling
Carrier:
– Automated customer connections
– Dispatch / transportation management software
– App-based order processing
– Legally compliant tracking & tracing
– Automated document handling
– Automated freight billing
Today, transportation orders are processed automatically. Tracking & tracing, status-based real-time monitoring, digital document management, and automatic freight billing are increasingly considered standard. All you need for this is a smartphone or an internet-enabled computer.
We’ll show you how to bring your transport planning and scheduling into the 21st century with minimal effort.
Optimal fleet management begins with the willingness to regularly review the viability of having your own fleet. Do you know your direct and indirect fleet costs? These include not only the obvious acquisition costs, fuel costs, or administrative costs but also the additional or reduced costs of an alternative external freight purchase or passenger transport costs, combined with a risk assessment for external procurement – in other words, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
We evaluate your fleet for operational profitability and optimization potential.
The digital transformation in the SCM-logistics environment refers to the integration of digital technologies and data-driven approaches to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and flexibility of supply chain processes. This includes leveraging technologies such as IoT, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and blockchain to collect, analyze, and utilize real-time data to optimize processes, synchronize supply chains, and improve information flow between suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and customers. Through digital transformation, companies can become more agile, improve their responsiveness, and operate more competitively in the market.
Please pay particular attention here to the opportunities for government funding for your digitization projects. Contact us!
Are you in need of new warehouses or looking to optimize an existing one? Are you planning a paradigm shift regarding your inbound or outbound flows, central warehouse vs. distribution warehouse? Are you considering outsourcing or looking to leverage the benefits of an external fulfillment center for parts of your goods flows?
We are here to support you!
Logistics (SCM) strategy refers to a long-term planning process aimed at optimizing the logistics activities of a company along the entire supply chain. Logistics strategy aligns with your overall strategy.
This includes not only internal logistics processes and their strategic fit, but also collaboration at all interfaces – particularly with suppliers and customers. The goal is to design material flows, warehousing, transportation, and distribution in a way that enhances the efficiency and performance of the entire supply chain and supports your overall strategy.
From the strategic alignment of new logistics structures to the realignment of established logistics chains. Our logistics consulting supports you in determining your own “strategic fit”.
The choice of a suitable organizational form significantly influences the performance of your logistical units. Crucial to this is the degree of independent design options of the respective operating conditions of your logistical departments by the department itself, as well as the clear definition and task assignment of their interfaces to all internal and external stakeholders.
Logistical quality management is a component of your operational quality management.
Our certified QM expertise ensures that quality is comprehensively considered in your supply chain and logistics processes according to the respective requirements.
If you are interested in the general implementation of suitable QM systems, please contact us. Further information about our QM services can be found here: Caestra Consulting – QM Services.
Transport damages are annoying – they cost money and damage customer reputation. Accidents resulting in personal injury are individual tragedies and a real existential risk for any company. Safety first – no compromises – especially in your logistics!
Transport safety encompasses all hazards arising from the physical movement or storage of your raw materials, operating and auxiliary materials, spare parts, and finished materials, regardless of where this movement ultimately takes place. Transport safety programs essentially follow the systems of modern occupational safety and are ideally already integrated into your company’s occupational health and safety management system.
Our comprehensive consultation on transport safety / cargo securing includes all standards of a regular occupational health and safety management system according to DIN EN ISO 45001. If you do not yet have an occupational health and safety management system or want to optimize your current OHSMS system, we are happy to help you build a complete system. Further information can be found here: Caestra Consulting – Occupational Health and Safety Management Services.
We offer further training sessions on all topics covered in our consulting services. A comprehensive catalog of our training offerings will be available here shortly.
The uniqueness of our training lies in the individual customization of the content specific to your company. Our training sessions can be conducted at your premises or online, as per your preference.
Talk is cheap, action is gold.
We go beyond mere management consulting. Upon request, we can also actively support you in the implementation and aftercare of your projects on a long-term basis.
Our work philosophy is based on comprehensiveness, integration, foresight, and networked solution approaches at all levels.
Up to 80% of our business logistics consulting costs are eligible for government funding for German-based companies. Our doors are open to you!
Your vision, our expertise.
We operate independently in our consulting services, ensuring freedom from external influences. This includes avoiding sales partnerships or similar cooperation models with manufacturers or providers in the relevant fields.
Our analyses and recommendations are free from personal interests. We rely on a professional and neutral perspective, based on data and facts. We act in the best interest of our clients.
We communicate clearly, openly, and transparently. Our consulting services are limited to areas covered by our expertise. Discretion and care in handling your data are our top priorities.
We respect every individual and value your corporate culture. Without exception! A respectful exchange of ideas and opinions promotes collaboration and, in turn, the achievement of your goals.
We operate independently in our consulting services, ensuring freedom from external influences. This includes avoiding sales partnerships or similar cooperation models with manufacturers or providers in the relevant fields.
Our analyses and recommendations are free from personal interests. We rely on a professional and neutral perspective, based on data and facts. We act in the best interest of our clients.
We communicate clearly, openly, and transparently. Our consulting services are limited to areas covered by our expertise. Discretion and care in handling your data are our top priorities.
We respect every individual and value your corporate culture. Without exception! A respectful exchange of ideas and opinions promotes collaboration and, in turn, the achievement of your goals.
*Dear customers, in line with our principles, here you will find only a selection of anonymized references that do not allow conclusions about our clients. If you have a justified interest, we are happy to facilitate contact with the respective referees.
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Our information service provides you with exciting insights, analyses, and trends on core topics of our consulting services.
You can find a complete overview of all articles here:
Webinar – Successfully Managing Online Truck Freight Tenders. Dos and Don’ts of Online Cargo Procurement. Date: October 5, 2023 – 1:00-6:00 PM.
Work transformation, change in values, digitization, decarbonization. Relevant topics of the funding program Initiative New Quality of Work (in German: Initiative Neue Qualität der Arbeit – INQA for short), cover all parts of your company. Find out how you can use INQA-Coaching for your logistics here.
Online freight tendering often fails due to differing expectations and biases of both providers and demanders. We take a scientific approach to examine the fundamental behaviors of various market participants in Germany and provide solutions to optimize your own bidding process.
The most frequently asked questions of our customers.
Sure, here is the translation of the given text:
There are many good reasons to use an external consultant. In most cases, external consultants bring in specific expertise that is not available within a company. Reason 1 would therefore be specialist expertise, but there are other reasons…
Good external consultants offer their clients a gain in specialist knowledge for the duration of the consultation. Very good consultants ensure that specialist knowledge is permanently transferred to your organization. Two competencies are distinguished here – methodological competence and subject matter competence.
Methodological competence is the “core competence” of a consultant. Without knowledge of coaching principles, project management methods, change management techniques and analysis methods, the work done remains a short-term island solution. Consultants with excellent methodological competence can also do profitable work without any specialist knowledge of your individual requirements. For example, no specialist knowledge of the project object is required to manage a project – example: the construction of a new warehouse without any special architectural or warehouse management knowledge, instead focusing on the smooth, punctual and cost-optimized project execution and the coordination of the involved experts.
Subject matter competence is necessary if a consultant has specialist knowledge that the client needs but cannot or does not want to keep in-house. Classic examples of external consultants based on subject matter competence are tax consultants, lawyers, quality managers or occupational safety experts.
Objectivity and fresh ideas – External project consultants have no personal or internal preferences or prejudices and can offer an objective view of the company’s challenges and problems. They bring a fresh perspective and new perspectives to develop effective solutions.
Project management knowledge – External logistics consultants usually have in-depth knowledge of project management and can ensure that logistics projects are successfully planned, controlled and implemented. They bring in proven methods and proven procedures to minimize risks and maximize project success.
Flexibility and scalability – External logistics consultants can be used flexibly as needed. They can be integrated into logistics at short notice or expanded or reduced as required. This enables quick adaptation to changing requirements and optimal use of resources.
Time and cost savings – By using external logistics consultants, the company can save time and money. They can often design logistics projects more efficiently and comprehensively, identify and eliminate risks early on, avoid bottlenecks and ensure that the project remains within the time and budget.
Networks – Working with an external logistics consultancy offers the respective customer the advantage of an extended network. External consultants usually have a broad network of contacts and experts from various industries and specialist areas of logistics. Through these connections, they can provide their customers with access to specialized knowledge and resources that are required to solve specific problems or implement new projects. In addition, the external consultant’s network gives customers access to best practices, industry-specific trends and potential business partners.
Yes, our focus is even on so-called SMEs – small and medium-sized enterprises. Specifically for this group of companies, we have applied for and received the corresponding authorizations for specific state funding programs for our logistics consulting.
The cost of consulting depends on the type and scope of the consulting services. As a rule, we work on a daily rate basis. In addition to this, there are special offer models such as fixed project prices or monthly fees for recurring work such as the preparation of monthly quality or occupational safety documentation. In principle, a large part of our services – especially transformation projects – are eligible for government funding. The cost of external consulting is often much lower than you might think. Please contact us. Our offer preparation is always free of charge.
The funding database of the federal government, states, and the EU alone contained 2,564 entries in August 2023. Keeping an overview here is a tedious task.
We would be happy to advise you personally in a free initial consultation about your individual options for participating in public funding programs.
Your advantage:
The implementation of recommendations for action that we develop together with you is also generally eligible for funding. It does not matter whether it is a matter of securing, transforming or expanding projects or which industry you belong to.
No. Less is more. We focus exclusively on the operational processes of your value creation as the focus topics of our consulting services and only deal with financial and tax issues where there are overlaps and interfaces between our focus topics and financial and tax issues.
Caestra Consulting goes beyond pure consulting. Upon request, we work together with you to implement the desired measures. For this purpose, all consultants are trained and certified in project management techniques.
Yes, long-term engagements – such as those for interim solutions – are possible and a regular part of our service offering.
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