Shortening transit procedure from 5 days to 26 hours
For a client serving the eastern corridor, we optimized the security submission process. A procedure that lasted almost a week was closed in a single day.
East-West TransLog was losing money because their trucks were standing at terminals waiting for documents. We changed the information flow and shortened clearance time by a full four days.
The challenge
The client has a fleet of 34 sets running the Poland–Kazakhstan route. Every truck stood at the border for an average of 118 hours due to errors in T1 documents and slow processing of customs guarantees. One day of downtime generated a net loss of 1,430 PLN, not counting contractual penalties from goods recipients. The client's forwarders were buried in emails, and drivers finished their working time before even leaving the hub. The situation was critical because two key contractors were threatening to terminate contracts due to delays.
Our approach
For 4 days, we sat in the client's office and checked how papers flowed. It turned out that goods data reached the customs agency with a 12-hour delay because no one was verifying invoices on an ongoing basis. Marek Wiśniewski from our team introduced a new pre-inspection protocol. We also changed the customs guarantee provider to a real-time system. Instead of waiting for calls, we set up automatic SMS notifications for drivers as soon as the MRN number was ready for collection.
The solution
We implemented a system at Sloenka Logistic GR for direct data transmission to NCTS for all East-West TransLog vehicles. We transferred all responsibility for goods tariffing to our specialists in Szczecin. Now documents are prepared before the car even reaches the loading terminal. Additionally (this is important: few people do this), we introduced a night verification shift, thanks to which clearances start at 6:00 AM rather than at 10:00 AM like the competition. Every driver received a simple PDF instruction on what to check on the paper version of the document to avoid being turned back at the scales.
Results
Thanks to the changes, trucks hit the road almost immediately after loading. The client regained financial liquidity and stopped paying penalties for late deliveries.
Timeline
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January 12, 2024Audit of forwarding office processes and analysis of the last 47 transports.
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January 25, 2024Launch of the fast-track guarantee and testing on 4 vehicles.
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February 14, 2024Full implementation of the procedure for all 34 fleet vehicles.
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February 28, 2024Final report and training of drivers on the new SMS procedures.
"Sloenka Logistic GR did what three previous companies couldn't. Drivers stopped calling with complaints about downtime, and I finally see profits instead of just invoices for contractual penalties."