Digital connector
By Lars Becker I 4 minute read
02/12/2024
As digitalization advances in day-to-day logistics operations, it makes life easier for logistics operatives and keeps goods flowing. Jan Herzig is helping to ensure that at DACHSER, the clipboard is increasingly being replaced by the tablet.
When Jan Herzig began his career at DACHSER as a dual student in September 2017, he was still one of a handful of experts working specifically on digitalization in day-to-day logistics. Seven years later, as a team leader in the Shared Services department, his focus is on digital platform products. With these, the 27-year-old is currently helping to shape groundbreaking changes in the everyday working lives of almost 15,000 DACHSER employees worldwide.
“The aim is to involve our employees in the commercial area even more in the digital exchange of information. This includes giving each of these Logistics Operatives access to digital content via a mobile device,” explains Herzig. His enthusiasm for the project is palpable.
Digital processes for everyone
Digital communication and data exchange, such as those that are part of everyday life in the commercial sector through the use of Microsoft 365 applications and Teams, will then also be possible in the transshipment halls, in the warehouse or at the depot. “This is a great lever, because then our colleagues will also have a direct digital connection here. Effective communication will then also be possible digitally at all times, and manual processes can be replaced in future – a real efficiency gain,” explains Herzig.
He cites communication between logistics operations and service staff as an example. In future, information could be passed on directly via tablet and photos could also be taken if required. And this, according to Herzig, is just one aspect. Warehouse employees can now also enter ideas for improving work processes directly into DACHSER’s Idea2net idea management system.
Jan Herzig is currently making frequent trips from his office in the Kempten head office to pilot locations in Germany and Europe. He wants to use this opportunity to get as many employees on board as possible. “The response is usually very enthusiastic,” he says, smiling with satisfaction.
Take a look behind the scenes in our series of articles “Opportunities in logistics” and get to know the professions and people who keep global supply chains running.
The aim is to involve our employees in the commercial area even more in the digital exchange of information.
Added value in day-to-day business
“Many colleagues are extremely satisfied and generally don’t want to do without the mobile devices and all their new possibilities,” reports Herzig: “It’s great to be able to create added value for the professionals in handling.” The rollout of “Microsoft 365 meets Logistics Operatives” is set to begin at DACHSER’s branches in Germany in the course of 2025. In the coming years, every commercial DACHSER employee worldwide will be integrated into digital communication.
Jan Herzig sees the potential for improvement in this area as “almost limitless”. Once introduced, the tablets can be used for various applications. For example, for the translation tool “DACHSER Translate”, which is being further developed by Herzig’s team, or for digital integrations with the @ILO or telematics applications.
Save paper, gain sustainability
The smapOne app kit has at least as much potential for the digitalization of everyday working life. With the help of so-called smaps, users can create small digital applications that make their work easier without any special programming knowledge. For example, digital checklists that are processed and provided with signatures. “The motto is: away from the clipboard and towards digital solutions,” says Jan Herzig. This is also sustainable. So far, more than 8.9 million pages of paper have been saved in various processes.
Jan Herzig’s team consists of five people in total. “We have a very good relationship outside of work too,” he says happily. This special team spirit also contributes to the fact that digitalization has arrived in everyday logistics. “The integration of Digital Platform Products is about more than just a pioneering IT achievement. We are connecting the digital and analog future – by people for people. That’s super exciting.”
