The technology, which was jointly developed in the Dachser Enterprise Lab and implemented in two pilot branches, automatically creates an up-to-date, digital image of all packages, assets and processes in the transshipment warehouse. Employees can view this information clearly on mobile devices and displays. The @ILO digital twin thus increases transparency in goods handling. The individual work steps are optimized and accelerated. The application benefits commercial employees, drivers and also customers, who will be able to obtain more precise information about their consignments in future.

@ILO is a key result of more than six years of joint research work in the Dachser Enterprise Lab. There, experts from the logistics service provider and researchers from Fraunhofer IML are working together in small, agile teams on innovations for the European groupage network and the associated handling terminals.

"We are investing in joint research with Fraunhofer IML to drive forward the digitalization of logistics and to further improve the quality of our services for our customers," explained Burkhard Eling, CEO of Dachser, at the award ceremony in Berlin. "We are thus securing the long-term future viability of the Dachser family business. The fact that our joint work has resulted in a practical innovation that has also convinced the jury of the German Logistics Award confirms our approach and gives us additional motivation."

Dachser has announced that it will now take the next step in its innovation development. The roll-out of the new technology is to begin in 2024 as a first step and then gradually take place in the European branches. "The @ILO digital twin is an important milestone in our digital transformation and a quantum leap in general cargo logistics," says Eling.

AI and automation

Special AI-based algorithms in the @ILO software interpret the data collected every second by hundreds of optical scanning units on the warehouse ceiling in order to automatically and immediately identify, localize and, in future, measure all packages. This creates a digital twin, i.e. a complete, up-to-date image of the warehouse and its processes at all times.

Integrated into the practical processes, the technological innovation has already proven itself in the @ILO pilot warehouses at the branches in Unterschleißheim near Munich and Öhringen near Heilbronn. Individual processes between incoming and outgoing goods have been accelerated there by between 15 and 35%. For example, the manual scanning of barcodes or the daily manual inventory of packages is no longer necessary. Local transport vehicles can now start delivering goods more quickly in the morning, saving drivers valuable time during rush hour.

"Artificial intelligence and automation technologies in general cargo handling help us to meet complex customer requirements with high quality and at the same time tackle the challenges of limited space and the shortage of skilled workers," explains Alexander Tonn, COO Road Logistics at Dachser.

AI-supported loading

Stefan Hohm, Chief Development Officer at Dachser, is already looking at the future potential of @ILO: "The fully automated and permanent measurement of all packages will be the next innovative step towards Logistics 4.0, which we are realizing as part of the research partnership with Fraunhofer IML." In pilot operation, the system can already determine the length, height and width of the packages with high accuracy and display them in real time without having to travel to measuring stations. As soon as the system is fully operational, the volume data obtained can be used by intelligent algorithms to support loading and route planning and further increase the utilization of swap bodies, trailers and local transport vehicles. This reduces transport kilometers and cuts CO2 emissions. In addition, Dachser and Fraunhofer IML are currently developing a simplified @ILO system that customers can also use to equip their outgoing goods zone and thus increase transparency in shipping. "However, there is still a lot of research work to be done here," says Hohm.