Thanks to the impetus of the pandemic, in 2020 and 2021, LS implemented innovative digital tools in both business and support operations.
Digitization, along with the automation of logistics centers, helped optimize processes, minimize costs, and reduce the carbon footprint.
Paper-based processes, telephone calls, and other analog methods are a thing of the past for Luís Simões. Following a strong focus on automating its logistics centers, LS is accelerating the digital transformation of its business and support operations.
“The years 2020 and 2021, marked by the pandemic and the widespread and ongoing adoption of teleworking, created the ideal scenario for us to strengthen our digitization,” highlights Pedro Ventura, Director of Processes and Compliance at Luís Simões. “We integrated new digital capabilities into our operations, customer service, and internal processes.”
Traditional logistics operators face challenges such as underutilization of assets, inefficient manual processes, and outdated customer interfaces, which increase response times. In contrast, digital logistics ensures optimization, visibility, and collaboration across all links in the supply chain.
Methodology, technologies, and resources
To achieve these objectives, LS selected a set of processes with potential and a team of managers who have led various projects, both in external entities (suppliers and customers) and internal departments. Among them, the following stand out:
• Centralized mailboxes to manage external requests. In order to optimize communication flow with customers and suppliers, the Softexpert tool redirects emails to a first front office group that can resolve the issue or forward it to different back-office areas while always maintaining control over the response. The processes allow, for example, real-time tracking of the entire history of a request and the responses sent. Daily evaluations of customers and suppliers resulted in a response quality rating exceeding 4 on a scale of up to 5, and in one year, it was possible to respond to an average of 400 daily requests (emails, calls, and other analog processes) through automated processes that will soon allow an increase to 2,000 daily requests.
• Digital waybills. The process digitizes in a digital format all waybills issued by LS customers in various formats, allowing for tracking of goods from the moment they are loaded onto a vehicle at any of Luís Simões’ operation centers. Stored in a digital repository on the company’s network, the waybill can be printed and automatically stapled anywhere in Luís Simões’ Iberian distribution network to accompany the delivery. The process eliminates unnecessary paper use, prevents document loss, reduces costs, and maximizes productivity and control. With this system, more than 80 hours of daily work were saved.
• e-CMR. Still in the implementation phase, the process allows for the issuance of the CMR in digital format, which can be done by the logistics operator, the carrier, the customer, and the driver. The digital tool, which will be mandatory in the EU in the coming years, eliminates paper and allows for access to all information related to a cargo in just one click, including documents, photos, incidents, and traceability of all loading operations, with date/time and location.
The digital transformation of the logistics sector allows for process optimization, increased productivity, and risk reduction, with the ultimate goal of delivering the product to customers with the appropriate quality and cost.
“At Luís Simões, we believe that digitization should happen from within and continuously, by conceiving and internally adopting a digital culture capable of transforming the company, so that it can achieve global results and evolve the objectives established by the defined strategy,” concludes Pedro Ventura.