Nestlé

Specifically, Nestlé has been aiming to:

• Reduce transportation costs across Europe
• Enhance environmental sustainability through CO2 emissions reduction
• Improve management of carrier landscape & quality of service
• Increase customer satisfaction through proactive information & real-time visibility

How Nestlé stays ahead with real-time visibility

Centrally coordinating transport management and rolling out Sixfold was the first big step. The ready-to-use cloudbased solution and quick onboarding of the most important carriers allowed Nestlé to quickly unlock the benefits of real-time visibility.

Predictive ETA information and live tracking of trucks, which are shown in the control tower, are only two examples of features that immediately generated value and enabled Nestlé to gain an overview of its transport network in real-time.

The following real-time visibility features are particularly helpful at achieving its goals:

• Predictive ETAs & real-time statuses of individual transports to make data-driven decisions
• Holistic overview of all transport activity to optimize transport operations across Europe at a glance
• Smart dashboard to focus on exceptions that need attention
• Reporting & analytics to gain insights on aspects such as quality of service, carrier performance, or CO2 emissions

Not only does real-time visibility help Nestlé to optimize standard processes and operations, it also provides insights that Nestlé’s supply chain needs in order to react to any kind of situation in a flexible and informed way, especially in times of disruption.

The importance of supply chain visibility in times of disruption

A significant example of a major supply chain disruption is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The required restrictions to combat COVID19 on public gatherings and individual travel in addition to increased border controls and closures have impacted cargo flows while curbing the spread of the virus. Moreover, both consumer demand and demand for commercial transportation shifted rapidly, driven by the increasing lockdown of businesses in various industries and the restriction of social activities. All of this, of course, is also impacted the supply of cargo capacity. Nestlé quickly understood the seriousness of the situation and utilized real-time visibility in various ways to remain in control, even during this significant disruption:

• Focus on data & facts: At first, the pace and volatility of the situation caused uncertainty among the staff but it was quickly curtailed by focusing attention on exceptions that could be identified using real-time data & predictive insights
• Understand stops & wait times: The disruptions lead to longer dwell times, congestions at crucial points such as ports, and irregular stops due to lockdowns, were better understood with clear visualizations and analyses
• Consider border disruptions: Closures and uncertain situations at border crossings made planning and execution difficult. Actual wait times at borders derived from Sixfold’s real-time and predictive data helped to (re-)plan transports.