Organizing 19 processes in a logistics company
We reduced order approval time from 48 hours to 14. We eliminated 3 unnecessary approval stages that blocked the work of 12 drivers.
The company Trans-Pomorze Sp. z o.o. was struggling with decision-making paralysis in handling 87 permanent contracts. Every transport order was getting stuck in dead points, which delayed departures by almost two days.
The challenge
At Trans-Pomorze, every new order from a client landed in an approval queue with three different people. Our measurements showed that the average time from receiving an email to confirmation lasted exactly 48.3 hours. This caused 12 drivers to wait at the base, wasting fuel and working time, instead of being on the road. In June alone, the company lost 4 trips on the Gdańsk-Berlin route because the competition responded faster.
We identified 19 processes that were duplicated in Excel sheets and paper circulation slips. No one knew who was currently responsible for a given document. Forwarders called accounting, and accounting waited for the signature of the board, which was often in the field. There was a lack of a clear bird's-eye view of the facts, which generated chaos and unnecessary tension in the team.
Our approach
We entered the office for 4 days of field observation. We didn't just read the instructions, but sat next to 5 forwarders to see where the time was really escaping. Without sugarcoating, we showed the board that 2 stages of financial approval for smaller orders were completely unnecessary and brought nothing to the company's safety.
Our team of 3 specialists conducted workshops directly with the operational staff. We fix the mechanism, not the people, so instead of looking for culprits, we together mapped the order path on a board. We focused on removing communication bottlenecks between the office and the driver's cab.
The solution
We scrapped physical circulation slips and replaced them with a simple digital status system. We removed the requirement for board consent for orders valued under 4,200 PLN net from permanent clients – now the forwarder makes the decision independently in 3 minutes. This unblocked the flow of information and allowed for shortening the approval time from 48 hours to just 14.
We also moved the point of cost reporting. Instead of waiting 11 days for paper invoices, we introduced quick entries for fuel costs and road tolls on the road. Thanks to this, the margin of every order is known within 14 minutes of the car's return to base. The entire mechanism was simplified so that every employee knew what fell within their duties without asking supervisors.
Results
Thanks to the process renovation, the company regained control over drivers' working time and radically accelerated customer service. Trans-Pomorze now handles more loads with the same team size.
Timeline
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May 2024Field audit and mapping of 19 processes in the Gdańsk office.
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June 2024Elimination of 3 unnecessary approval stages and simplification of procedures.
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July 2024Implementation of digital circulation for 87 active contractors.
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August 2024Verification of results and training for 12 drivers on the new rules.
"Before, we argued about who blew the deadline. Management Eagle showed us that it was the procedure that was worthless. Now the drivers know what to do, and I have peace of mind and hard data on my desk."