LSP Chemion, providing services to CHEMPARK, one of Germany’s largest chemical parks, plans to reduce truck lead times significantly for CHEMPARK customers and to simplify transport handling – with the aid of intelligent automation for Checkin and checkout processes using leading-edge RFID and biometrical technology orchestrated by a real-time business process management system. star/trac supply chain solutions GmbH, which will be presenting its solutions at the transport logistic Trade Fair, is general contractor and in charge of the implementation.
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Munich, 18 May 2013 – Logistics service provider Chemion plans to reduce transport lead times significantly by using automated processing and handling of truck shipments in all three CHEMPARK sites. The project named “GATE” is aimed at reducing truck lead times, optimising process sequences, and ultimately at improving the competitiveness of companies located in CHEMPARK. “We are also seeking to enhance the attractiveness of the sites, together with CHEMPARK operator CURRENTA, and to create a basis to achieve further synergy effects in the chemicals and logistics industry”, says Udo Gruhn, GATE’s project leader at Chemion Logistik.
Munich-based star/trac supply chain solutions GmbH has been appointed as general contractor and is responsible for business process redesign, software development and the provision of all soft- and hardware in this project. By deploying star/trac’s FLOW software suite, a solution framework specifically developed to control and manage material flows from and to large industrial sites, plus state-of-the-art automation technology, such as RFID and biometrics, CHEMPARK’s clearing processes of in- and outbound trucks can be fully automated. In the second half of 2013, the first CHEMPARK site at Krefeld-Uerdingen will be implemented and the solution will be rolled out to CHEMPARK’s Leverkusen and Dormagen sites.
star/trac supply chain solutions GmbH, the inventor of FLOW, is exhibiting at the transport logistic Trade Fair (4 – 7 June 2013) in Munich. The company will be presenting its FLOW solution in Hall B2, Stand 400. All FLOW modules will be on show, including slot booking, loading bay planning and the electronic hazardous material check using flow2go. Together with RFID partner Identec Solutions, the future check-in processes at Chemion will also be demonstrated. Trade fair visitors can authenticate themselves biometrically at the self-service terminal and have shipping documents printed.
The star/trac FLOW solution, a German acronym of “Fahrzeug Leitung und Optimierung im Warenverkehr” which stands for optimized transport and material flow, is the IT-brain behind automated and monitored process sequences across the entire transport process in CHEMPARK. FLOW bundles trucks and trailers, the drivers and the respective shipment orders into a logical entity “drive”, which then is managed and monitored in real-time along all sub-processes and handlings steps of multiple parties involved when handling such a drive. The moment the transport service providers equip their vehicles and vehicle components with the RFID transponders especially customised for the chemicals industry and have registered them with GATE they are able to participate in an innovative work flow:
The first GATE step involves easy advance notification of the GATE drive by the transport service provider via Internet, optionally even with the concurrent integrated booking of a time slot at the respective loading bay, which facilitates optimal time management for both the loader and the transport service provider.Upon arrival at CHEMPARK – the RFID equipped trucks and their respective shipment orders are automatically identified and directed to self-service terminals. No need to dismount here, as the touchscreen-terminals can be adjusted to the height of the truck windows. The driver then uses his personalised FLOW-Card, which is an intelligent memory card in the size of a credit card, to identify himself and is authenticated by comparing his fingerprint stored on the card and a real time biometric scan of the finger. In parallel, FLOW automatically initiates the inbuilt printer to provide all the necessary accompanying documents, that the driver then takes through his window directly from the terminal – without getting out of his vehicle.
The third stage is when all security and hazardous goods checks – individually identified in the FLOW system for each order – are carried out directly at the truck in lane by the responsible Chemion employees. They use handheld devices and electronic checklists, evaluated in real-time and electronically archived as reliable documentation for all statutory inspections as required by law of all shippers.
FLOW collates and reports in real-time that all GATE work flow prerequisites have been fulfilled and only then opens the gates to allow the vehicle to enter the site. Possible process deviations or errors are automatically corrected whenever possible. Otherwise the “drive” is transferred out of GATE lanes and handled manually.
All process-steps in the procedure of handling a shipment through to its completion – entering the site, during loading and the similarly automated exit process – are also recorded, monitored and controlled by the system.Via FLOW’s integrated controlling dashboard, all trucks on site are shown in real-time, together with information on their current stage in the process (be it hazardous goods check, loading bay or waiting zone). Thus, the Chemion employees always have an overview of in- and outbound truck traffic at any time – and they may override the system manually, if necessary. Sudden ramp closures, unavailability of goods to be loaded or ad-hoc prioritisations of urgent orders, for instance, manually can be managed via the control panel.
Finally, operational reports are compiled by FLOW, allowing to evaluate the performance of any party involved as well as to be used as basis for activity based invoicing Chemion’s customers – i.e. the CHEMPARK’s tenants – for services rendered on a one-to-one basis.
“The star/trac FLOW solution framework for real-time management and control of large industrial yards and chemical sites can be perfectly integrated into our system environment and adjusted to suit our needs and those of our customers”, stated Roger Boungou, head of Organisation and Information Technology at Chemion Logistik. “With interfaces in our ERP and other processing systems, FLOW enables us to link up and control all the hardware and software components necessary for optimising truck throughput.”
About Chemion Logistik GmbH
As a full-line service-provider, Chemion Logistik GmbH covers the entire spectrum of logistics services in chemical industry and related sectors. Alongside conventional logistics services, such as warehousing, transshipping and transport logistics, the company which operates in all three CHEMPARK locations in Leverkusen, Dormagen, Uerdingen as well as in Duisburg offers services which include handling of all incoming and outgoing goods for all companies located on CHEMPARK’s sites (> 70). Blue-Chips Bayer, Lanxess, INEOS and Kronos are a few of these companies.
About: star/trac supply chain solutions GmbH
star/trac supply chain solutions GmbH is a specialised software provider focused on the intelligent management and control of business processes in multi-node supply chain networks. As a one-stop implementation partner for complex supply chain event management environments, star/trac offers extensive support in process consultancy, design and development through to support services. The company was established in 1998. star/trac’s FLOW users include renowned blue chips in the chemicals industry such as Henkel, Wacker, Infraserv and others.
Contact:
star/trac supply chain solutions GmbH
Uta Mayrhofer (Marketing/Sales)
Baierbrunner Str. 35
81379 Munich, Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)89 890569-21
Telefax: +49 (0)89 890569-29
uta.mayrhofer@star-trac.de
www.star-trac.de