Berendsen Optimizes Its Textile Service Distribution Network

Berendsen, one of Europe's leading textile service companies with service in 13 countries, plans to optimize its distribution with supply chain planning solutions from Ortec.

"The customer oriented service delivery of Berendsen relies heavily on a professional planning of the distribution process for its success," says Ralf Richters, project manager at Berendsen. The company hopes to improve and enhance its service levels by implementing the planning software.

Berendsen's operations focus on the periodic and regular exchange of soiled textiles and garments with clean materials. Each week, Berendsen supplies thousands of delivery addresses from eight locations and with approximately 75 trucks.

"The complexity of the distribution process increases sharply as a result of our growing customer base and the differentiation in service options," says Richters. "Distribution is an essential component of our service. Our clients ask for and are provided with increasingly differentiated options in their service delivery. To be in a position to support our customer requirements, improvements in the planning process are necessary."

With ORTEC TRP (Tactical Route Planner), Berendsen will determine the most optimal service sectors. Within these areas the most optimal distribution of weeks and days will be calculated, taking into account driving hours and time at the customer site. Scheduling new customers will become an easier task with the software, Richters says, as the solution will allow Berendsen to calculate different scenarios to assist in the decision making process.

Besides improvements in planning, the software implementation will also contribute to how Berendsen manages its operations from an environmental awareness perspective. More intelligent route planning will lead to a reduction in the number of miles driven and the new method of planning will also play an important role in the desired reduction of CO2 emissions.

Source: http://logisticstoday.com/