In the Netherlands, Actemium is developing agile solutions based on digital data to optimise logistics and improve performance in breweries.
In the Dutch brewery sector, TankTelling, an innovative tool based on data intelligence, can significantly optimise the supply of draught beer from breweries to retail outlets. This example illustrates the advances being made in logistics: advances that translate into time savings and performance tuned as closely as possible to delivery needs.
In the Netherlands, Actemium, the VINCI Energies brand dedicated to optimising production tools, has been operating for 15 years in the tank-conditioned draught beer sector. Actemium staff realised that the beer’s journey from where it is brewed to where people drink it actually represents a complex logistical puzzle, further complicated by the fact that in many outlets, supply is organised day-to-day, with frequent emergencies due to a lack of anticipation.
Actemium’s tool is based on the collection of data from beer outlets
To overcome the weaknesses they found in the supply chain and to comply with the European directive (MID) on measurement standards for liquid products delivered to a customer by a supplier, Actemium and the pressurised tank equipment specialist FIB developed an innovative process. As Michiel van Vlijmen, Actemium’s Business Developer in the Netherlands, explains, “Based on Actemium’s TankTelling solution, this process allows optimisation of the supply chain while also complying with these new standards”.
Data in real time
Comprising control programs and applications, Actemium’s tool is based on the collection of data from the outlets selling the beer. Most of the time, managers do not know exactly when their beer will run dry due to empty tanks below, which is why they tend to call upon to the brewery for emergency restocking. Real-time data capture from a bar’s tanks provides the brewery’s delivery manager with this valuable information.
The TankTelling tool makes it possible to calculate the perfect time to deliver to each outlet within a given geographical area. The brewery can then organise its tanker delivery routes efficiently. This digitalisation of the entire logistics chain also involves supplying the drivers with tablets.
These provide a range of information: delivery client names and addresses, order descriptions, information on town centre delivery access periods, information about local parking restrictions, lists of permits that might be required, etc. “The tablet gives the driver a real-time direct connection to the planner at the brewery”, says Michiel van Vlijmen. “If there are any changes or an emergency arises, they can immediately alter their schedule and react”.
The solution is in constant development, and according to Actemium’s expert, the next step will incorporate new metadata to allow even more precise forecasting of beer consumption patterns and streamline the resupply process even further. This metadata will include crucial information such as the weather forecast!
17/12/2020
Learn more:
actemium.nl
