New streamlined process inspires AGC to ramp up e-CMR in daily operation!
New streamlined process inspires AGC to ramp up e-CMR in daily operation AGC Glass, a division of AGC Group, is one of the leading glass manufacturers in construction. Their glass panes are distributed all over the world to their customers. The European logistic process was digitized recently with Collect + Go’s e-CMR solution. Container carrier De Block from Evergem played an important role in this digital transition. AGC’s ambition was to streamline the daily operation in a paperless flow. One of their customers already applied e-CMR since 2019. During the Covid pandemic, this new way of working proved its value. It was very easy to switch over to a QR code signoff process in which social distancing was applied. For AGC’s logistics team this was the first stepping stone in digitization of the logistics operation. For Gauthier Bouchez, project manager AGC Glass, the e-CMR process brings a lot of value to the business: “Collect + Go delivers flexible scenarios in handling the e-CMR. When we initiated the project we thought that the goods issuing from our SAP system would be the starting point for e-CMR. It turned out that the process actually started at carrier De Block. They had a legal obligation to issue a paper CMR for the empty container leg. With Collect + Go’s flexible scenario handling we were able to combine two paper CMR’s into one digital e-CMR flow. With this real time process we have full visibility on our shipments now.” 3 months implementation This new way of working was delivered by the implementation team during the summer. Bouchez: “Collect + Go was selected via our RFI/RFP process. Their proven track record with one of our customers and their government certification and technical capabilities were important in our assessment. The project team started just before the summer. We went live mid-September. The integration with our SAP system was made via an API connection. De Block chose to integrate their planning and execution process in parallel. These preparations proved their value in the go live. This went smoothly and for the full 100% for container transport.” Data security and compliance Data security and legal compliance was, next to sustainability, vital to us. Bouchez: “We deliver goods to the Antwerp harbor. One of Collect + Go’s specializations is to link the e-CMR process to gate in / gate out processes. They already integrate with partners that add extra security to the pickup and delivery of containers at the terminals. The e-CMR accreditation by the Benelux governments provides the necessary legal compliancy. The ISO27001 certification safeguards us on data security. Further rollout Because e-CMR delivers important benefits for AGC Glass we are committed to further rollout to our other main carriers. Bouchez: “e-CMR is also of value to them. It eliminates a lot of hassle in the daily operation and provides real time visibility. Our next step is to apply on the other streams too.”
AI Integration for e-CMR
AI integration for e-CMR AI integration container- and sealrecognition On October 24, Sentors, Pharox and Collect + Go launched the first AI integration for e-CMR during the final DDSZ event at VDL Steelweld in Breda. During this event, interested parties could experience how drivers can automatically create e-CMRs from their daily work process when they take photos of container and seal numbers. These photos provide additional information in the context of visibility and transparency in the supply chain. Another advantage of this way of working is that it provides more flexibility in handling by drivers. It is not always known in advance which container is being transported. Only after arriving at the location the driver will be told which container is ready to go. A flow in which documentation is built up based on user activities was therefore desirable. The application of AI technologies, in addition to existing OCR techniques, offers new opportunities to organize processes differently. Intermodal Container Transport Venlo (CTV) is the first to apply this innovation when drivers pick up an export container for their customers. This will build up the first data to train the model for recognizing seal and container numbers. The first datasets for containers and seal numbers have already been processed within the AI application. Availability We developed this integration in collaboration with Sentors and Pharox within Digital Data Square South Netherlands (DDSZ).
