»NEW INROADS« The DIY store logistics of the L.I.T. Group How do decking planks up to six metres long, kitchen worktops, wall panels, tiles and landscaping materials fit on to a truck bed and reach their destination intact? The demands on DIY store lo- gistics are high and cause beads of sweat to appear on the brow of many forwarders and logistics professionals. The L.I.T. team at the new branch in Moers has successfully tackled this problem. Their main subject is the transport of bulky, sensitive and heavy goods to DIY stores. More than 100,000 shipments have left the Moers site since the pre- vious CLI contract location was integrated into the L.I.T. Group at the beginning of 2018. And that is really heavy-duty work, because they achieve a daily total weight of up to 1,000 tonnes. Their destinations: hardware stores all over Germany. To ensure that nothing goes wrong during loading, 35 people are employed in the 10,000 sqm branch. “We used to hire subcontractors for all our subsequent shipping jobs. Now we can additionally fall back on the capacities of the approxima- tely 1,100 L.I.T. lorries”, reports Thomas Kalthoff, branch manager in Moers. There is still a lot of Tetris involved in loading the lorry as the goods mostly have different lengths, widths and heights. That is why the goods are loaded and unloaded from the side using three-tonne counter- balance trucks with telescopic forks. The diversity of goods has re- sulted in increased requirements on loading safety. “A combination of well-arranged loads and antislip mats with lashing down and cros- sed-over cargo restraints keeps the goods from slipping around du- ring shipment,” according to Thomas Kemper. The range of services at Moers also includes warehousing and picking for heavy and bulky goods. CONCEPT SPECIALLY DEVELOPED FOR DIY STORE LOGISTICS The team can look back on around 20 years of experience in DIY store logistics. To ensure that the goods are not damaged, the team has de- veloped a very special concept in the form of SSD® DIY Store Logistics. The protected brand name SSD® stands for ‘bulky’, ‘heavy’, ‘direct’. This is exactly what defines the concept: the unwieldy goods are deli- vered directly throughout Germany. Kalthoff explains: “Our drivers are also the delivery agent at the same time.” Compared to conventional general cargo distribution, this has the advantage that the goods are not handled in one lift. This not only reduces processing costs, but most importantly damage and complaint rates. An additional benefit for DIY stores is that they reduce loading dock visits, as goods from several customers are often delivered simulta- neously. Simeon Breuer, Managing Director of L.I.T. Speditions GmbH, is certain that the concept has great potential: “The logistics solution in this form is unique in Germany. The SSD® DIY Store Logistics is the perfect complement to the L.I.T. service portfolio.” But it is not only our customers who are enthusiastic. At the beginning of 2017 we were selected as official logistics partner by SynLOG – DIY und Garten Logistik, a joint logistics initiative of the two producer associations: Haus und Garten and Industrieverband Garten (IVG). “We are now in the same league as Dachser and GLS, who are also partner logistics companies”, says Kalthoff. “This is a real accolade for our SSD® Logistics, but it is no reason to rest on our laurels.” PLANS FOR THIS YEAR We have already considered specific projects for this year. First- ly, we will strengthen the marketing of expanded range of DIY store logistics services to our L.I.T. customer base. “Many existing partners have bulky goods to which we can now present the optimal solution,” says Kalthoff. In order to coordinate the processes, we also need a well-functioning infrastructure. IT is becoming increasingly important, especially in view of the increasing demands for transparency and a rapid flow of information. In order to make ourselves fit for the future, we have started with the introduction of ‘storeLution’, our own L.I.T. warehouse management software. Ralf Bunzek from Controlling sums it up: “This creates the basis for completely IT-supported loading.” With the help of scanners, in future we will not only be able to monitor all goods movements from storage to dispatch, but also control them in a targeted manner.“ Küchenarbeitsplatten Kitchen worktops Zaunelemente, teilweise verglast Fence elements, partially glazed Spanplatten Chipboards Kunststoffpaneele und Dachlatten Plastic pannels and battens Gartenbaustoffe bis 1.500 kg Gardening construction material, up to 1.500 kg Kovalex-Kunststoff Terassendielen bis zu 6 m Länge | Kovalex plastic deckings, lenght up to 6 meters 43