How do you remotely manage the maintenance and cleaning of dozens of warehouses spread throughout the port? How do you ensure that reports of dangerous situations in and around the depots can be quickly passed on and followed up? That is the question Katoen Natie wanted an answer to, and in their search they arrived at the Check.connects software of All-Connects.
Katoen Natie develops and delivers smarter logistics and engineering solutions, tailored to the specific situation of each customer. The company operates 150 port terminals, logistics terminals and on-site terminals for the loading and unloading of general cargo, breakbulk, cars and forest products. They employ 10,000 people. Their customers are mainly shipping companies specialising in petrochemicals, specialty chemicals and consumer goods.
In order to steer this enormous logistical operation in the right direction, Katoen Natie built gigantic platforms: these are logistical 'hubs' on the customer's site, in or behind large ports, in industrial centres or close to large consumers. These platforms have a large land area with approximately 50% covered warehouse space.
The maintenance and cleaning of these hubs, scattered in and around the port, proved to be a huge logistical challenge. In addition, there was no efficient system for quickly reporting unsafe situations, such as incorrectly placed equipment, waste left lying around, dangerous situations, etc. Employees reported this via e-mail, whatsapp, mobile phone, or verbally ... Employees would pass on reports via e-mail, whatsapp, mobile phone or verbally ... and they would be resolved, but not reported. and they were resolved, but because the reports were not recorded, it was impossible to check whether and when a reported problem had been resolved and where possible bottlenecks formed.
Katoen Natie now uses the CHECK.connects management application to manage the maintenance staff & to pass on urgent notifications from the various platform locations in a 'smart' way .
The facility manager creates the checklists on the management platform with a list of tasks to be performed for the daily cleaning in the different locations. The cleaning employee opens this checklist in the CHECK.connects app on his smartphone and starts his job. When he finishes his tasks, he checks in the app if he indeed performed all tasks. The system then asks if everything was OK. If the answer is negative, an error report is opened and the employee can indicate the possible problems, and possibly add a picture as proof. This report can be consulted by the facility manager, who can take the necessary actions and assign follow-up tasks.
Our QR code application turned out to be ideal for the requested functionality: Everyone, both an in-house employee and an external port worker who does not have access to the management application, can scan a QR code - linked to a device or room - with their own smartphone and open a 'guest page' on the CHECK app, without login details or compulsory registration. Via a handy form with targeted, relevant questions, the person can quickly pass on a report, and even add a photo to illustrate a defect, damage or unhygienic situation, for example. The responsible facility manager receives an instant notification and can immediately launch a follow-up task. All notifications are registered in a handy overview, which can be used to map out possible danger areas or frequently recurring problem situations. For Matthias De Smedt, general manager commodities at Katoen Natie, the new working method has already proved its worth:
"The combination of the app and the QR codes in our warehouses throughout the port represents more than just a digitalisation of our housekeeping. The most important asset is that all employees and visitors can report a housekeeping or safety problem in a structured way, without technical limitations. In this way we involve everyone in our 'continuous improvement' philosophy to make our warehouses a safer and better place to work and store goods."
Request a demo now to discover all the features, or calculate for yourself how much the monthly investment is to manage your business materials and equipment through our online platform.
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