OPHEO Optimizes Logistics At Rothkegel

Leipzig-based building materials trading specialist Rothkegel Group is soon going to control its own fleet with the transport management system OPHEO and the telematics system OPHEO MOBILE from initions integrated therein. By switching to this system, the company aims to optimize store and construction site deliveries and procurement logistics. In addition to the savings in vehicle costs, Rothkegel improves its service quality and dispatchers’ working conditions thanks to the new software. Among other things, the intuitive operability and the display of the drivers’ current remaining driving times in the Dispatch Cockpit contribute to this. Following the Leipzig headquarters and the Merseburg branch, the other five locations are to be equipped with OPHEO step by step in the future.

At the Rothkegel group, OPHEO is directly connected to the ERP system Unitrade. This allows for a continuous electronic flow of information between order entry, article master data, dispatching and invoicing. “The seamless integration ensures a high level of transparency about all operations,” according to Max Uhlig, who is responsible for the software implementation as project manager at Rothkegel. Not only the dispatchers, but also sales employees can directly access OPHEO and determine when an order will be delivered, in case a customer asks.

OPHEO receives the order data via an interface directly from the ERP system Unitrade. After dispatching, the dispatcher then sends the tours and order data directly to the drivers. Nine of the 16 trucks have already been equipped with Samsung Galaxy tablets and the telematics app OPHEO Mobile. The app takes care of tracking and, in the case of branches that are already using OPHEO, also of end-to-end order management and routing to destinations. The current vehicle location, needed driving and rest times, and order statuses are reported back to the dispatching department in real time.

The forecasting feature checks whether a vehicle is still on schedule and applies any deviations to the rest of the current tour and to all subsequent tours. This means that impending violations of delivery dates are indicated at an early stage, without the dispatcher having to laboriously extrapolate times.

“initions’ vast experience within the building materials industry, its many references, and its existing interface with Unitrade were key factors in our decision,” explains Uhlig, adding: “OPHEO can also map our complex product structure in the builders’ merchant business and thereby optimally supports tour creation”.
Founded in 1990, the Leipzig-based Rothkegel group is one of the largest builders’ merchants in central Germany. Its product portfolio ranges from building materials to civil engineering and interior fittings. The family-run company operates seven branches and several tile studios in the German cities of Leipzig, Merseburg, Dessau, Wolfen, Jüterbog, Torgau, and Wittenberg. All locations host regular exhibitions on interiors, doors, windows, gates, tiles, building materials, garden and walkway design. For more information, please visit: www.rothkegel-baufachhandel.de

Background Information: initions AG
initions AG is a software development company based in Hamburg, Germany, specializing in intelligent, innovative IT solutions.Its main focus is on transport management, tour planning, telematics, and business intelligence.
Developed by initions, the transport management system OPHEO won the Telematik-Award in the category Fleet Management in 2014.