About Van der Wal
The initial goals of this partnership included the need for multi-stop planning, waterfall tendering, carrier nomination, and capacity constraint functionalities, alongside a high level of automation to reduce manual work for the planning and customer service teams. The ability to onboard new customers and carriers swiftly was also critical.
In 2008, they founded SmartWay Logistics to focus on all 4PL activities. van der Wal and SmartWay Logistics operate in the same offices, providing much interaction between the brands, thus ensuring an optimal exchange of knowledge and skills.
Van der Wal’s core mission is to leave the world better than they found it. They achieve this by driving some of the cleanest equipment available and implementing smart solutions to minimize empty truck runs, significantly reducing CO2 emissions. Their dedication to sustainability has earned them four Lean & Green Stars with their last coming at the beginning of 2024 for reducing CO2 per loading meter by 55%. In fact, Van der Wal achieved this milestone in 2008, greatly beating the EU Green Deal target date of 2030!
Business Situation
As van der Wal’s business grew, they became even more ambition about being more innovative, making transportation planning more intelligent, and creating a “transport planning machine” for efficient and sustainable transportation. That is when they knew they had a need for a state-of-the-art Transportation Management System (TMS) to enhance operational efficiency and support their sustainability goals. In 2018, Van der Wal partnered with 3G to leverage its high automation capabilities and co-develop planning software tailored to the European logistics market.
The initial goals of this partnership included the need for multi-stop planning, waterfall tendering, carrier nomination, and capacity constraint functionalities, alongside a high level of automation to reduce manual work for the planning and customer service teams. The ability to onboard new customers and carriers swiftly was also critical.
Van der Wal faced significant challenges in implementing new customers with specific requirements. The TMS needed to be flexible, quick to set up, and capable of supporting advanced automation. 3G met these needs by providing a system that could be configured by van der Wal’s experts to accommodate various customer demands efficiently.
Additionally, the partnership extended to sustainability reporting. van der Wal required clear, actionable reports to comply with current and upcoming sustainability legislation and to provide their customers with detailed, real-time performance data on CO2 emissions. 3G and Van der Wal partnered together to develop new functionality to deliver these reports, adhering to ISO14083, CSRD, and the GLEC framework.
Sustainability Impact
Sustainability has always been at the core of van der Wal’s strategy. Under the leadership of Henk van der Wal, the company has focused on reducing their CO2 footprint by 65% by 2030. The “Kill Empty Running” program, initiated in 2019, aims to minimize empty truck runs, reduce partially empty truck runs by optimizing load factors, use less half-empty packaging, and encourages the use of LHVs. 3G
Transportation Management, part of the 3G Transportation Suite, supports these goals by providing real-time reporting and automation, helping van der Wal and their customers understand and reduce their environmental impact.
Henk explains Kill Empty Running this way: “Making transport more sustainable now is essential to stay below the 2°C temperature rise by 2050. Why wait for others if a huge difference can be made now? Far too many trucks are driving around partly or completely empty. Eliminate empty kilometers; everyone can do that right now!”
The Outcome
The implementation of 3G Transportation Management has resulted in a significant shift from administrative tasks to proactive customer support. Automation of manual tasks has improved overall efficiency by over 20%, enabling better integration with customers and carriers, and reducing manual order entry and status updates.
Additionally, the 3G Transportation Management planning functionality has resulted in a lower cost per pallet from to the capabilities in rate and capacity management in combination with the tendering options. Reducing the cost per pallet is key for their customers in their ongoing search for cost efficiencies.
Future Outlook
Van der Wal plans to continue focusing on sustainability by providing real-time feedback to customers about their order patterns and CO2 emissions. This transparency helps customers understand how they can contribute to reducing their carbon footprint. 3G’s solutions will play a crucial role in these efforts by optimizing routing, increasing truck fill rates, and minimizing empty kilometers.
“With the new Greenhouse Gas Reporting capabilities offered by 3G, Van der Wal is poised to take a significant step forward in our sustainability journey. We are eager to leverage this enhancement to deliver eco-friendly logistics solutions across Europe.”
