2020 is the year of challenges. Challenges that have shown us that flexibility and speed of response are essential factors. Not only in terms of sustainability, but above all in terms of economic efficiency. When standards can no longer keep up with exceptional circumstances, it is important to take a critical look at your own business processes.
Our motto for 2021 is therefore “Do not forget the tried and tested and be open to the new”.
Do not shy away from supposed complexity
AGV, AI, data mining, smart data and other buzzwords are building a threatening stage for the future. We counter this appearance with the philosophy “first analyze, then simplify, then automate”. In this way, we ensure in our projects that change takes place where it is integrated into ongoing business processes with the greatest added value and the least friction.
In order to significantly increase fulfillment, it is not mandatory to integrate an automatic sorter into the existing warehouse topology. A digitally supported manual sorter-picking system can provide a similar increase in performance.
In order to use mobile devices in the warehouse, it is not necessary to purchase expensive special solutions. Android smartphones can meet the requirements for mobile data entry in the warehouse and are already familiar to the users.
The first step on the way to a solution is not to look at a perceived problem. In the beginning, there are procedures of the existing business processes and how they are linked. This reduces the requirements from “All the new wonders the market has to offer right now” to “We need MDEs with a customized user interface for our employees”.
Avoiding big bangs – transparency and the strategy of small steps
BER airport has now opened and Berlin-Tegel has ceased operations. Before that, however, there were a few times when the media raised their voices.
In order to avoid such big bangs, our project partners take part during the whole process. Right from the start, we integrate them into the planning and implementation process using web-based tools. Via our knowledge management via Confluence wikis, all documents are always available online in the latest version and can be edited collaboratively. In complex projects we make sure that everyone has the same background knowledge and a consistent project vision. Open questions or new requirements are not lost due to a CC forgotten in an e-mail. The information flow does not fray into different platforms.
This strategy has proven particularly successful in the corona year 2020: It makes us independent of face-to-face meetings – without sacrificing efficiency or transparency.
Volatility needs flexibility
Intralogistics in e-commerce must be able to adapt quickly to seasonal fluctuations, social trends and political developments. Only in this way can it become a competitive advantage. That’s why we rely on modular, combinable software modules that we continuously update and customize for each of our project partners. Through our guiding principle “Software follows function” and the Clean Architecture principle, we create an antipole to standardized suite solutions, which often only receive new features or adaptations after widely divergent version updates. Our focus on business processes and software modules enables our project partners to react quickly, flexibly and above all reliably to changing conditions in their respective markets, whether in the fashion, automotive or pharmaceutical sectors.
“In order to ensure a high level of future security in intralogistics, it is important to support each other. Only by combining the skills of experts on both sides can complex or extensive tasks of the present and future be solved”. – Mathias Thomas, CEO
Sustainability is an underestimated form of efficiency
As a family owned and operated company, we feel committed to the well-being of our employees and their personal development. We appreciate the value of long-term personal relationships with customers, suppliers and, of course, our employees. Instead of open-plan offices and hot desks, we continue to rely on individual retreats and regular exchange of knowledge. Under these conditions, well-rehearsed teams of experts are formed that can switch from presence to remote work at any time. Commissioning and international cooperation in large district centers can thus be carried out in any case and without transition losses. The well-functioning virtual working method even has certain advantages – but only if everyone pulls together and invests in good conference hardware. The flexibility that we create through tools and room design is converted by our teams into effectiveness – and thus profitability.
Our outlook to the future
Now is the opportunity to launch new projects: Many companies are evaluating their business processes to be prepared for the e-commerce events of the future. The goal is to react to developments in an economical way. As a software manufacturer, we are the ideal partner to support you with consulting and customized solutions for your intralogistic processes.
No matter whether you have a green or brownfield project, no matter how complex, we are there to help you.
“TUP stands for quality, speed and unique customer solutions. We achieve this through our highly motivated consulting and IT team”. – Simon Thomas, CEO
