ProKoLog - Productivity in Contract Logistics

Tapping into productivity potential is one of the most important challenges facing players in the rapidly growing market for contract logistics services. To do so, they need powerful tools and innovative concepts.

The aim of the research project is therefore to develop practical solutions for productivity measurement and presentation, for offer conception and calculation as well as for innovation generation at the process and service level and to make these available to the market for contract services. Above all, small and medium-sized service providers should benefit from this.
The research team of the Logistics Department at the Technical University of Berlin is working on this together with BLG Automotive Logistics GmbH & Co. KG and HUETTEMANN Logistik GmbH. The solutions initially developed at the conceptual level will be transferred into a software demonstrator which will be made available free of charge after the project is completed in June 2014.

The objectives, solution approaches and the object of study of the project are mapped coherently in a regulatory framework (see below). In order to meet the demands of application-oriented research, the design and testing of the solutions takes place in close exchange between theory and practice. The procedure comprises a total of four steps:

1. status recording and analysis of the requirements in practice
2. development of solution approaches
3. review and evaluation of the approaches in the application context by the practice and, if necessary, adaptations
4. pilot implementation of the developed solutions in the business processes of the practice partners.

By implementing the service library, the offer conception takes place on the basis of predefined service modules. The offer can then be evaluated without much effort thanks to the stored cost and service model and the sales department can be supported significantly in the price calculation.

In the start-up and operating phase, the productivity-oriented measurement system enables practical controlling based on defined performance variables and allows for a continuous presentation of performance to customers.
The best practice guide for innovation management takes into account the specific requirements of the industry and promotes the development and realisation of innovative services and processes.

Project sponsor:

• Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Collaboration partner:

• BLG Logistics Solutions GmbH
• HUETTEMANN Logistik GmbH
• TU Berlin Fachgebiet Logistik

Project duration:

01.09.2010 - 31.05.2014