White paper: Collaborative master data management in logistics

Mannheim and Salzbergen, Germany, 2025, October 13th

The SRS EcoTherm Thermal Waste Treatment Plant in Salzbergen is breaking new ground in driver communication: It is the first plant of its kind to offer digital instructions in currently 13 languages. The aim is to overcome language barriers that are increasing increasingly due to the Europe-wide shortage of drivers and international driver deployment — and thus significantly increase safety and efficiency at the location.

With QR codes right at the factory gate, drivers receive easy-to-understand step-by-step instructions on a smartphone. The content combines text, images and pictograms and guides you through all relevant applications: from the delivery of garbage, white lime or ammonia water to the collection of residual materials or slag. As well as practical processes, the digital sliders also contain clear safety instructions and emergency protocols.

“For years, we have increasingly seen that many drivers speak little or no German and often no English,” explains Markus Bünker, who is responsible for operating the TAS at SRS EcoTherm. “We had to send drivers away from time to time because instruction was simply not possible. With the new solution, we can now reach all drivers — regardless of their origin or language skills. In this way, we improve communication, reduce accident risks and ensure smoother processes.”

As an industrial plant in the CRITIS infrastructure, SRS EcoTherm takes its responsibilities and legal obligations very seriously. By making things easier to understand, they want to ensure that the driver is handling things correctly when delivering and collecting equipment and that his personal safety and that of the system's technology is not endangered. It is also about meeting the obligation to provide evidence of instructions. A direct connection to the system at the scale or at the reception is therefore planned: In future, drivers should be recorded and only be given mandatory training if they are new to the site, have not worked there for a long time or relevant processes have changed.

“For us, digital instruction is more than a practical solution in everyday life — it is an important component of our digital strategy,” emphasizes Erwin Junker, operations manager at SRS EcoTherm. “We want to use innovation where it really makes a difference: for safety, efficiency and the people who work with us every day. The project is a good example of how we combine responsibility with modern technologies.”

Local employees are also increasingly hoping for relief: “We've known many of our drivers for years, communication is no problem and they know their way around here very well. But with the new ones, we are often hands-on and often have to accompany them in order to personally instruct them at the loading or unloading point. It always takes 20-30 minutes and is impossible without a common language — today, a quick scan is enough,” says Ralf Dehmel, employee at the weighing bridge. “Initial experience shows that Spanish drivers in particular are particularly open — they immediately pull out their smartphones, scan the code and follow the instructions.”

For the introduction of QR code-based, multilingual instructions, SRS EcoTherm has chosen a solution from Loady and shows how digitization can be used in a practical way: to increase safety, to relieve employees and as a clear answer to the challenges of the international driver market — while at the same time meeting the CRITIS requirements.

About SRS EcoTherm

SRS EcoTherm GmbH, based in Salzbergen, operates a modern thermal waste treatment plant with an annual incineration capacity of 120,000 t. At nominal plant load, it generates around 50 tons of steam per hour, which are converted into electricity at the customer's industrial power plant. The extracted heat is used to supply the customer's production plants located at the site with climate-friendly process steam. As a reliable partner for the customer, it stands for sustainable energy and disposal solutions and relies on modern digitization concepts and resource conservation.

Press contact:
Markus Bünker, TAS company
+49 (0) 5976 945-673
markus.buenker@srs-ecotherm.de

About Loady

Loady is a start-up founded in Mannheim in 2023 from the chemical industry. With its central hub for standardized loading requirements, Loady is removing a decades-old breaking point in logistics. By creating a uniform understanding and facilitating multi-language communication, the platform enables seamless, digital collaboration between all parties involved. For shippers, recipients of goods and logistics service providers, this means more efficient and cost-effective processes and a clear contribution to achieving their sustainability goals. Loady offers interfaces for common logistics applications and also online views for dispatchers and drivers — available in 13 languages — and is optimally tailored for international logistics.

Press contact:
Stefanie Kraus, CEO & Co-Founder
+49 (0) 151 2371 2351
stefanie.kraus@loady.com

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Loady and OCCON today announced the start of a strategic partnership aimed at making freight tendering processes significantly more efficient, transparent, and error-free for companies.

By integrating Loady into OCCON’s tender processes, customers can drastically reduce the effort required to prepare tender requirements. Uniform and transparently provided loading requirements for all bidders minimize the risk of calculation errors. The result: fewer misunderstandings, fewer mistakes in transport execution, and sustainable process optimization even after the tender has been awarded.

In turn, Loady customers benefit from the exceptional flexibility and service quality for which OCCON has long been recognized in the market. “Our cooperation with Loady offers our customers a double benefit: efficient, transparent processes on the one hand, and customized, flexible services on theother,” explains Sabrina Bähr, Managing Director of OCCON GmbH.

Stefanie Kraus, CEO of Loady GmbH, also emphasizes the importance of thepartnership:
“We are truly proud that OCCON, as a local provider of an internationally successful procurement solution, is directly integrating Loady. The added value for their customers was immediately clear to OCCON’s management: the resource-intensive and costly task of preparing data now comes to an end.”

Loady customers from large corporate environments are already using the platform in connection with major procurement and sourcing solutions. Freight forwarders invited to participate in tenders receive structured and traceable logistical requirements, which not only increases efficiency and quality in the bidding process but also reduces data preparation efforts by up to 80%.

Initial joint discussions with industrial customers are already underway. With this partnership, both companies reaffirm their commitment to driving innovation in logistics practice and securing long-term competitive advantages for their customers.

About Loady

Loady is a startup founded in Mannheim in 2023, originating from the chemical industry. With its central hub for standardized loading requirements, Loady enables shippers, consignees, and logistics service providers to collaborate seamlessly, digitally, and without media disruptions. For industrial logistics, this translates into more efficient and cost-effective processes, as well as a tangible contribution to achieving sustainability goals. Loady provides interfaces to common logistics applications, including SAP S/4HANA, as well as online views for dispatchers and drivers – available in 13 languages. Over 4,000 transport lanes in Europe and the US already benefit from reliable information.

More information at: www.loady.com

Press contact:
Stefanie Kraus, CEO
+49 (0) 151 2371 2351
stefanie.kraus@loady.com

About OCCON

OCCON GmbH is an independent, owner-managed consulting and software company with offices in Ludwigshafen, Mannheim, and Riga. It supports manufacturing and trading companies worldwide across various industries in the fields of procurement and logistics. The company stands for high service quality, customized concepts, and innovative solutions. Through its in-house developed platform u-tender, OCCON manages an annual procurement volume of USD 9 billion.

More information at: www.occon.de

Press contact:
Sabrina Bähr, Managing Director
+49 (0) 621 5968 3262-10
s.baehr@occon.de

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19.02.2025 – Despite complex requirements, even medium-sized companies can modernise their processes and position themselves for future growth through digitalisation and innovative approaches. This is shown by the example of Scheren Logistik, a family business that specialises in the storage of hazardous materials for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

In addition to 40,000 pallet spaces and daily handling of around 50 lorries, the logistics company offers a wide range of additional services – including sampling, interface management and refrigerated storage. With innovative solutions, 32-year-old Managing Director Björn Scheren wants to master the key challenges facing his company and make operations efficient and future-proof. He describes personnel as the biggest challenge, referring not only to recruitment in his company, but also and especially to the haulage companies commissioned by customers.

“Staff turnover is increasing enormously, in our warehouse and especially among lorry drivers. This is critical for us, because if drivers are dissatisfied or don’t understand processes, the entire process comes to a standstill,” explains Scheren. Waiting times are a frequent cause of frustration, which not only affects efficiency but also the satisfaction of everyone involved. And waiting times quickly arise when the variety of languages increases and makes everyday work more difficult on both sides, which is particularly true for the complex processes in chemical logistics. “The requirements for the drivers not only vary depending on the product group – for example with regard to load securing or seals – but also have to be communicated in different languages. In our despatch office, it’s pure paperwork madness,” says Scheren, describing the situation.

Every notice is translated into five languages. In addition, regulations such as the signing of CMR documents or compliance with IMO guidelines for the transport of dangerous goods by sea required a lot of explanatory work.

Even though Scheren is trying to standardise processes, it remains a challenge to meet the requirements of all customers in a uniform and efficient manner. In addition, customer requirements vary considerably. A lot of information is only available in internal work instructions and notes, as there was previously no methodology for communicating the respective requirements at the loading points clearly and in multiple languages. A clear plan was developed to change this. With the help of innovative digital solutions such as Loady, a standardised data hub developed specifically for the requirements of supply chain and chemical logistics, processes and communication with customers, freight forwarders and drivers are to be sustainably improved.

In future, drivers should be able to access structured and multilingual information that is easy to understand thanks to clear displays and visual elements. It is also expected that this will create standardised processes for customers and haulage companies. “We no longer have to define the requirements for drivers individually for each customer, but can use them across the board. With Loady, we enable our customers to use our requirements data. It takes very little effort and everything that applies to the delivery or collection of the respective products from our warehouse can be transferred directly to our customers’ communications with the haulage companies,” says Scheren. Customers and the haulage companies they commission are also informed directly of any changes. This minimises waiting times and makes the processes more pleasant for the drivers, who now have access to the information in their own language and can understand it better. For Scheren, one thing is certain: “With the right digital tools and a clear focus on the needs of our customers and partners, we can not only master the current challenges, but also remain successful in the long term.“ (bm)

Source (last update: 19.02.2025): Datenteilen in der Gefahrstofflogistik | CHEManager

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