ProKoLog - Productivity in contract logistics

In the research project "ProKoLog - Productivity in Contract Logistics", the Logistics Department of the Technical University of Berlin, in cooperation with its practical partners BLG Automotive Logistics GmbH & Co. KG and HUETTEMANN Logistik GmbH offer practical solutions for measuring and increasing productivity for contract logistics service providers. After completion, the solutions to be developed are implemented on a pilot basis at the partners' premises and applied in everyday business life. The main objectives are to increase efficiency and innovative ability. The research project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Unlocking productivity potential is one of the most important challenges facing players in the fast-growing market for contract logistics services. To do this, they need powerful tools and innovative concepts.

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

The goals, approaches and the subject matter of the project are presented in a coherent framework (see below). In order to meet the demands of application-oriented research, the solutions are designed and tested in close exchange between theory and practice. The procedure comprises a total of four steps:

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

Through the implementation of the service library, the offer concept is based on predefined service modules. Thanks to the stored cost and service model, the offer can then be evaluated without great effort and sales can be significantly supported in price calculation.

In the start-up and operating phase, the productivity-oriented measurement system enables practical controlling on the basis of defined performance variables and allows continuous presentation of performance for customers.
The Best Practice Guide for Innovation Management takes into account the specific requirements of the industry and promotes the development and implementation of innovative services and processes.

The framework brings the objectives, the approaches to solutions and the subject matter of the project into a context.

Project Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Alliance partner:

• BLG Logistics Solutions GmbH
• HUETTEMANN Logistics GmbH
• TU Berlin Logistics Department

Website (www.prokolog.de) and blog (http://prokolog.wordpress.com) of the research project

• Software-Demonstrator [4] (v 0.3.2G)
• Implementation Guide for the Software Demonstrator [5]