Georg Fischer is transitioning the European central warehouse of its Building Flow Solutions division to digital yard management. The Haßfurt site accounts for approximately 50% of the division's revenue and supplies 9 European satellite warehouses.
The setup in Haßfurt
- Company: Georg Fischer AG, Schaffhausen, Building Flow Solutions division (formerly Uponor), approx. 4,000 employees, €1.2 billion in revenue
- Location: Haßfurt (Germany), European central warehouse, approx. 50% of divisional revenue
- Network: Central warehouse plus 9 European satellite warehouses
- In use: Time slot management & scheduling, yard management, digital driver check-in, license plate recognition
- Customer since: Contract signed October 2025, rollout starting July 2026
- Replaced: Previous time slot tool with booking functionality but no integration with yard processes
The challenge
The site currently handles around 60 trucks daily, with up to 12 vehicles arriving at the facility simultaneously during peak times. With the site's growth and the new expansion, traffic volume is expected to rise to approximately 80 trucks per day. Against this backdrop, existing processes for managing and documenting deliveries were analyzed.
At the same time, the integration into the Georg Fischer Group brought with it the requirement to provide all drivers with mandatory safety and conduct instructions before they even reach the factory premises.
The TradeLink platform significantly expands upon previous time slot management: in addition to scheduling, it enables seamless documentation of arrivals and the digital delivery of mandatory safety briefings. This substantially increases transparency in the delivery process and improves the traceability of vehicle movements.
The solution
- Time slots that take effect at the gate: Cameras and barriers link registration to site access. Pre-registered vehicles are identified by their license plates and drive straight through; unannounced trucks check in at the terminal and are registered for the first time.
- Digital safety briefings instead of paperwork: multilingual at the outdoor terminal, documented with a signature, replacing the need for security personnel.
- Realistic slots: 15-minute intervals, slot durations based on loading meters rather than number of packages, and transport rules with ramp assignments based on material flow and vehicle type.
- Self-service for freight forwarders: dedicated booking forms for inbound and outbound goods, document uploads, and recurring appointments. Everything via a single link, no license required. One interface for all parties instead of four different mailboxes.
With this implementation, GF is establishing the foundation to efficiently manage increasing transport volumes, simplify processes for freight forwarders and drivers, and simultaneously raise safety standards at the site.