Swiss Krono: Streamlining deliveries with digitalized processes
Explore Swiss Krono’s journey with SAP
From interiors and building materials to flooring, Swiss Krono Group AG produces wood-based materials that are found in homes around the world. Using manual workflows to track and manage deliveries was causing holdups at manufacturing plants. So, the company decided to digitalize delivery processes in the cloud with SAP solutions.
| Industry | Region | Company Size | Partner |
| Building materials | Lucerne, Switzerland | 5,100 employees | Flexus AG |
reduction in wait time for delivery drivers.
fewer staff needed to direct drivers to the correct gate.
truck deliveries managed each day.
Global Business Architect for Logistics, Swiss Krono Group AG
Complex delivery planning for 24x7 manufacturing operations
One of the world’s leading manufacturers of wood-based materials, Swiss Krono has production plants in 8 countries and supplies customers in more than 120 countries. Running 24x7 operations, each plant must handle a large number of deliveries each day, and making sure that site capacities are not exceeded is crucial. Unplanned, early, or late deliveries result in longer waiting times for other trucks and can cause traffic jams on public roads.
However, manual workflows made detailed planning and liaison with suppliers complex and labor intensive. In addition, managing on-site registration and safety training for truck drivers from across Europe could be time-consuming – particularly as communication in a driver’s first language was often not possible.
To streamline its deliveries, Swiss Krono wanted to digitalize planning processes. It also wanted to collaborate with suppliers online to fine-tune delivery schedules.
Moving delivery planning processes online
With help from SAP partner Flexus AG, Swiss Krono migrated from its existing instance of the SAP ERP application to SAP S/4HANA. It then used the SAP Cloud Portal and SAP Connectivity services running on SAP Business Technology Platform to make it straightforward for both employees and suppliers to connect to SAP S/4HANA.
Flexus created SAP Fiori apps drawing on identity and profile management capabilities within SAP Customer Data Cloud solutions. This enabled truck drivers to quickly and simply find the information they need from SAP S/4HANA and complete process steps – with or without an Internet connection, and with minimal training. What’s more, localization enables drivers to access information in their own languages.
In addition, access control functionality available through SAP Customer Data Cloud enables third parties to manage use of the mobile apps. This means that suppliers can arrange employee onboarding without support from the IT department at Swiss Krono.
Enabling smooth and efficient deliveries while reducing carbon footprint
With the digitalized delivery planning solution, Swiss Krono can more accurately and efficiently plan truck arrivals and departures, reducing traffic congestion on the roads near its factories as well as CO2 emissions. Using SAP Fiori apps, drivers can complete documentation, enter data, and upload photos in advance of traveling to Swiss Krono’s production plants, reducing wait time and significantly improving the driver experience.
Automated assignment of time slots and unloading ramps helps ensure that deliveries run smoothly. Meanwhile, the ability to predict staffing based on the expected workload for each day or shift helps the company optimize on-site staffing to avoid backlogs. In addition, delivery planners save a considerable amount of time that was previously spent on scheduling and manually communicating appointment times to each supplier’s dispatcher. This time can now be spent on higher-value tasks.
Featured partner
A cross-industry logistics expert for more than two decades, Flexus AG specializes in consulting, implementation, and integration of logistics solutions and products from SAP. Committed to perfecting its clients’ logistics processes, the SAP partner is an expert in the application of SAP Business Technology Platform and SAP Fiori apps in customer projects.