DDS Shipper handles the shipping of 250 000 package per year to 30 different countries.

After a market study done with12 players of the TMS sector in France, Germany, Italy, and Belgium, UGINE & ALZ, subsidiary of Arcelor-Mittal, has retained DDS Logistics and its software DDS Shipper to handle departing transportation from its 4 European factories.

Subsidiary of the group Arcelor-Mittal, UGINE & ALZ specializes in the production of stainless steel for use in industry, construction, cars, and home appliances. Its production is distributed among 4 plants: 2 in France (Isbergues and Gueugnon) and 2 in Belgium (Genk and Charleroi).The plants at Isbergues, Gueugnon and Genk ship each year around 1.2 million tons of steel in 55 000 trucks which represents about 250 000 packages containing 500 kg at 24 t, on destination to 30 countries.

A successful logistics reorganization

“In 2002, when the Administration of UGINE & ALZ gave me this post, each of our plants used a different transportation management system that no longer responded to our actual problems, notably traceability. Within the scope of our project of reorganizing logistics, “Log4all,” we looked for a complete product that would assure truck loading, delivery tracing, shipping management and pre-billing. Only DDS Shipper met all our criteria,” explains Daniel Werion Coordinator Transport Supply Chain Management, Ugine & Alz

A large functional perimeter

The software covers 4 important sectors:

1. the loading of trucks according to clients and delivery areas
2. automatic charting via the shipping web, easy to consult by the users
3. the tracing
4. pre-billing and control over the final bill

The advantages gained

“DDS Shipper has allowed us 4 kinds of advantages. The first concerns the average truckload rate established at 21.5t, in the past, against 22.5t today with a short term objective of 23t. Then we lowered our needs on working capital, since we were able to cut 24 hours from our shipping time, therefore, delivery and billing for a third of our shipping. Once the charting is automated we will save on administrative personnel, who will then be assigned tasks of grater value for our client. Finally, tracing allows us to give an added service to our clients and to our sales representatives who can follow the progress of deliveries by Internet,” concluded Daniel Werion.