Preparing the ground to become a solution provider

Customer

A leading group in the distribution of civil engineering and construction machinery for public works, quarry and mining activities. Next to the Benelux it specialises in overseas countries and Africa.

Challenges

It’s a tough task to find one party that provides transportation to and within West Africa while also carrying out warehouse operations and transportation in the Benelux. And when a company is evolving into a solution provider, how will this impact its current processes and way of working?

Solution

Instead of pursuing our quest for an all-round logistics partner to serve both the Benelux and the West African markets, we focused on finding the best partner for transportation to and within West Africa on the one hand, and the best one for warehousing and transportation in the Benelux on the other. When reflecting on the processes, it was important to be aware of the fact that this exercise could not be disassociated from the organization as a whole. We, therefore, developed an operating model comprising four aspects: processes, organization, system & tools, and KPIs.