Digital connector
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 as a dual-track student at DACHSER in September 2017, he was one of a handful of experts who were specifically concerned with digitalization in everyday logistics. Seven years later, as a team leader in the Shared Services department, his focus is on digital platform products. The 27-year-old is currently helping to shape groundbreaking changes in the daily work of almost 15,000 DACHSER employees worldwide.
“The aim is to involve our employees in operations even more deeply in the digital exchange of information. This includes giving each of these logistics operatives access to digital content via a mobile device,” Jan Herzig explains. His enthusiasm for the project is palpable.
Digital processes for all
The tablets are bringing digital communication and data exchange—already part of everyday life in commercial areas of the business through the use of Microsoft 365 applications and Teams—into the transit terminals, warehouses, and depots. “This is a major step, as it extends the direct digital connection to our colleagues here, too. As a result, effective digital communication is possible at any time, paving the way for manual processes to be replaced by digital ones—a real efficiency gain,” Jan Herzig explains.
Jan Herzig cites the example of communication between logistics operatives and service employees: operatives would be able to forward information and if necessary take photos directly with their tablet. And this, he points out, is only one aspect. Warehouse employees can also use the tablet to submit ideas for improving workflows directly into DACHSER’s Idea2net idea management system.
Jan Herzig often leaves his desk at the Head Office in Kempten to visit pilot sites in Germany and Europe. He aims to use this opportunity to get as many employees on board as possible. “The reaction is usually great enthusiasm,” he says with a smile.
“Lots of colleagues are delighted with the new approach and wouldn’t want to give back the mobile devices and all their new possibilities,” Jan Herzig says, continuing: “It’s great when you can create added value like this for professionals in the transit terminal.” The rollout of “Microsoft 365 meets Logistics Operatives” at DACHSER’s branches in Germany is set to begin in 2025. In the coming years, every DACHSER logistics operative worldwide is to be integrated into the digital communication setup.
Jan Herzig sees the potential for improvement in this area as “almost limitless.” Once introduced, the tablets can be used for a variety of applications. One of these is the DACHSER Translate tool, which Jan Herzig’s team is working to develop further. Others include digital integrations with the @ILO or Telematics applications.
The smapOne app kit offers at least as much potential for the digitalization of day-to-day work. With the help of “smaps,” even users without any special programming knowledge can create small digital applications that make their work easier; for example, digital checklists that are checked off and signed electronically. “The general idea is to move away from the clipboard and toward digital solutions,” Jan Herzig says. This approach also leads to more sustainability: so far, DACHSER has saved more than 8.9 million pages of paper across various processes.
Jan Herzig’s team is made up of five people in total, and he is happy to say that “we get along really well outside of work, too.” This special team spirit has also played a role in establishing digitalization in everyday logistics. “The integration of digital platform products is more than a pioneering IT achievement. We’re connecting the digital and analog futures—designed by people for people. It’s all very exciting.”
