Case study

How Ewals Cargo Care took control of its European fleet operations

By Ellen Sowerby
12 January 2022

We helped a European transport solutions provider to centralize processes and integrate data.

 

Struggling with out-of-date technology and minimal support from its former software provider, Ewals Cargo Care asked us to replace its obsolete fleet management system to help manage its diverse fleet.

They asked us to help it streamline important processes within its fleet department, including:

  • Asset and contract management
  • Relationship management, at all levels
  • Damage registration and settlement
  • Modification registration
  • Repair and maintenance
  • Financial administration, both incoming and outgoing invoices
  • Reporting and KPIs
  • Claim settling

This was essential for Ewals as it provides flexible, efficient and sustainable transport solutions across Europe. Established more than a century ago, and now employing 2,200 staff members in 17 different countries – including Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom – it facilitates more than 5,000 daily transports, both in Europe and further afield.

The company operates a fleet of 3,000 trailers, and 550 trucks. Its modern Fleet Control department is made up of eight different positions and its professional, dedicated workforce manages large-scale, complex fleet operations. Despite Ewals Cargo Care’s huge operational scale, it is still family-owned and is now in its fourth-generation – with the headquarters in Tegelen, Netherlands.

 

Ewals Cargo Care’s Need for a Streamlined System

When we examined Ewals’ previous system, we found that it was not possible to link damage reporting with service assignments, and the software did not support claims. Meanwhile, system integrations were limited.

 

FleetWave’s Scalability Was the Best Fit For Ewals Cargo Care

Roger Hilberts, Business Process Engineer at Ewals Cargo Care, explained that after a lengthy procurement process in 2016, they decided that we best met their requirements.

“Chevin offered a highly structured, configurable system, with a range of modules that would provide in-depth oversight and specific management capabilities for the Company’s rapidly growing fleet,” he said.

At the start of the implementation project, for example, the company fielded 2,850 trailers – a number that has since risen by 60%, to 4,600 trailers. During the same period, the operational occupation within the Fleet Control department as increased by 20%.

Roger Hilberts
Business Process Engineer

Ewals Cargo Care’s Fleet Control department is now using our FleetWave product for the day-to-day management of numerous functions, including:

  • Assets
  • Contracts
  • Customer relationships
  • Supplier relationships
  • Damage registration and settlement
  • Modification registration and settling
  • Repair and maintenance
  • Financial administration
  • Reporting
  • Fines settlement
  • Internal communication with planning and financial departments

 

Ewals Cargo Care Consolidated Its Entire Fleet Process With One Central System

Using FleetWave, we gave Ewals the ability to customise our system’s modules to meet a range of company-specific fleet and asset management needs.

Ewals Cargo Care has been able to structure processes for high-level visibility of its entire fleet operation, and with access to the software at all of its workshops, the team can work more efficiently and has streamlined internal communication by eliminating emails and phone calls.

“The company has also found value in FleetWave’s extensive reporting capabilities and can now access universal data via a singular solution; a process that was particularly difficult prior to implementation” explained Hilberts.

And Ewals tells us that the benefits are already apparent – it has achieved enhanced productivity within the team and additional cost savings are expected as more modules and interfaces are added.

Hilberts added: “The biggest benefit of FleetWave is that we now have an integrated system – all internal and external processes in our Fleet Control department are managed in one place.

“Using the fully-integrated and customizable FleetWave software that meets our specific needs, we’ve eliminated disconnected systems and made it possible for all company employees of the Fleet Control department to work on the same platform.”

“FleetWave allows us to work more efficiently, and we believe that we have implemented a fleet and asset management system that perfectly meets our needs.”

 

Ewals Cargo Care’s Digital Future

But the story doesn’t end there, as Ewals’ Fleet Control department wants to use our vast global experience to further digitalize its global work order system, which includes managing flexible service processes.

Other plans include integration with external tyre suppliers via FleetWave’s Tyres’ tool and enabling links to the company’s digital service archives.

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