"Telematics means we can save costs and increase our efficiency."

"Telematics technology has become an integral part of our business," says Thomas Scheunemann, Head of Pharmaceutical Transport and Shuttle at GRIESHABER Logistik GmbH. The internationally active transport company based in Weingarten, Baden-Württemberg, is characterised by its broad expertise in supporting a wide range of industries. Here, one of the most important industries is the pharmaceutical industry. GRIESHABER transports items such as human medical products, medical devices, production and freezer tanks, hazardous substances and laboratory samples at temperatures from -95 to +25 degrees Celsius. "End-to-end traceability is essential in order to meet the high demands of our customers in the pharmaceutical sector and to guarantee the integrity of the goods," says Scheunemann, explaining why the company uses this technology. The transport company has opted for products from leading European telematics partner idem telematics GmbH, a subsidiary of BPW Bergische Achsen KG. GRIESHABER Logistik operates 18 tractor units as well as the associated refrigerated trailers and swap trailers, which are equipped with telematics devices. These send data to the cargofleet 3 telematics portal of idem telematics. The company is also testing the new cargofleet Driver SL app – a tablet with logistics software from idem telematics.

The team at GRIESHABER Logistik uses the telematics in its vehicles for certified monitoring: it knows the location of the trucks at all times and therefore also knows where the loaded goods can be found. Among other things, the telematics units also monitor temperatures, the status of the refrigeration units, entries and exits from predefined geofences, door openings, idle times, tyre pressures, the routes checked and defined in advance and the set points on the refrigeration units. "All of this key data is proactively monitored and any deviations are immediately reported to a defined distribution group by email and text message," says Thomas Scheunemann. The system ensures that adherence to temperature specifications for pharmaceutical products is fully monitored and documented and that both legal requirements and customer requirements are reliably fulfilled.

A maintenance calendar is also integrated: an innovative tool which provides a complete overview of completed, upcoming and due maintenance work on the vehicles and refrigeration units and reminds users accordingly about upcoming appointments. "This facilitates efficient planning and therefore better utilisation of the vehicles and reduced downtime. This means we can save costs and increase our efficiency. The maintenance calendar is playing an increasingly important role in our everyday work: it makes it much easier to organise vehicle maintenance."

Since its establishment in 1951, GRIESHABER Logistik has continued to develop and today offers tailor-made transport and logistics solutions – with over 820 employees, 14 logistics centres and a fleet of 125 tractor units. In addition to the robust and high-quality products, Scheunemann particularly appreciates the team's professional and committed approach to him as a customer: "We always have the feeling that we are on equal footing. Our open, honest communication and the associated transparency as well as the fast and efficient problem solving speak for themselves."

With partners, he believes it is very important that suggestions are taken seriously and reviewed and that there is direct contact on site: "idem telematics fulfils these requirements to a particularly high degree." The user-friendliness and clarity of the manufacturer's telematics are also outstanding. "The technology effectively supports the daily work of our teams and contributes towards process optimisation in the field of transport monitoring." Above all, it provides reliability: "Process deviations are displayed and reported immediately - then we can intervene directly. The reporting function enables us to document and track loading and unloading times, which is particularly important in the temperature-controlled sector." Telematics also provides support in analysing the fleet: it enables comprehensive monitoring and traceability of all transport steps and data relating to the integrity of the goods, the driver and the vehicle.

The new cargofleet Driver SL app gives drivers direct access to order, vehicle and temperature data. The logistics software is installed on a tablet on which the driver can see the logistics processes, workflows and also the temperatures, alarms and technical data. It can also communicate with the control centre via the app. GRIESHABER Logistik has recently started testing the application. "We expect that this application will be easy to use and will offer the greatest possible safety for our drivers. The idea is to minimise distractions caused by the app as much as possible," says Thomas Scheunemann. Based on its positive experience with the solutions from idem telematics, GRIESHABER Logistik is also planning to equip all the vehicles it uses in the pharmaceutical sector with telematics. The collaboration with idem telematics will be further expanded, as Thomas Scheunemann explains: "We are also aiming to implement further telematics services, for example for electric vehicles or battery packs on cargofleet 3."