Procurement logistics for a leading German producer of agricultural machinery

Our customer is one of the leading producers of agricultural machinery in the world. With a total revenue of € 3.4 billion in 2012 and 9,000 employees worldwide. Their network covers all continents and hence all relevant agricultural markets.

Example Industries Inc.

Starting Situation

In 2012 during the tender phase, our customer was looking for logistics partners to take over the inbound and outbound road transport for material flows from over 1,000 suppliers in Europe from their factories in Germany France and Hungary. The main requirements were:  a Control Tower set-up, centralized billing and just-in-time deliveries.

»The agricultural industry is subject to strong seasonal changes in demand. Therefore, our primary task is to ensure that the flows of materials are secured and that the integrity of the supply chain is maintained at all times.«

Solution

According to the motto „Think global, act local“, we developed a Control Tower system for the countries of origin France, Italy, Spain and Portugal with the objective of providing local service to every plant whilst ensuring global transparency and control. The logistics management performance controlling is handled centrally while the operations take place locally. It was import-ant that the factories and local suppliers deal with employees that speak the same language and whereever possible are close to their premises. This facilitates effective communication. At the same time, the idea of a global partner was in focus to be the single source of information for the headquarters. This set- up also includes centralized billing and prior to that an approval process to ensure data accuracy and integrity. Logistics for the agricultural industry is subject to fluctuating seasonal demands and high expectations with regards to punc-tuality, proactivity and flexibility, thus Hellmann`s main task is to ensure the stability of the flow of materials at all times.

Contact

Monika Thielemann-Hald

Monika Thielemann-Hald

Global Vice President Automotive & Agricultural Logistics