In February this year, a well-known German operator, LKW Walter, announced its switch to electronic transport documents. Since the beginning of March this year, the frozen food transport and storage specialist has also been using e-CMR. It has eliminated the need for paper documents thanks to the Cloud4Log platform.
Data exchange with the new platform is fully integrated into internal processes, which will have a positive impact on the transparency and efficiency of supply chains, German carrier Nordfrost stresses in an official release.
Cloud4Log is a joint project between the German logistics association BVL and GS1 Germany, a non-profit organisation implementing an international identification and communication system.
E-CMR pilot
Testing of the Cloud4Log platform began last September as part of a pilot project involving 20 companies from the consumer goods, retail and logistics industries. Among them was Nordfrost. The pilot aimed to introduce and enforce a standard for the digital exchange of shipping documents between all parties involved in the supply chain via a ‘cloud-based’ platform.
QR code instead of paper
At the beginning of last month, Nordfrost implemented e-CMR on a permanent basis using a customised Cloud4Log interface and integrating the platform into its internal central warehouse system with its frozen food range. For more than a month now, the goods that the German haulier delivers daily to this central warehouse on behalf of various customers are no longer accompanied by a paper delivery note.
“The driver only receives a QR code, which he shows to the recipient. After scanning the barcode, the driver and the consignee confirm the delivery on the tablet. The pallet exchange is also documented electronically. The signed document is then available for download and is fully automatically saved in the Nordfrost document management system and made available to the customer when required. Using the link behind the QR barcode, the driver has mobile access to the delivery confirmations via smartphone if they are needed during the route,” the operator explains.
According to the company, the introduction of a digital proof of delivery will not only benefit shippers but also industrial and commercial partners.
“In the transport process, not only the handling of paper documents is eliminated. The creation and archiving for shippers and receivers can also be automated. In addition, documents and feedback are available to everyone involved at an early stage and reliably. This optimises the entire supply chain. This is a joint advance in efficient and transparent food logistics,” emphasises Dr. Falk Bartels, Managing Director at Nordfrost.
Nordfrost, which receives and dispatches numerous deliveries every day, is committed to the development of Cloud4Log and encourages its business partners to use the platform.
“If the digital process is accepted by the industry as a whole, associated supply chain improvements will be made across the board,” adds the company.