Time slot management is the digital planning of delivery and collection times at a location.

Freight forwarders and suppliers book a free time slot for their arrival in advance. In this way, traffic jams, waiting times and overloads in incoming or shipping goods can be avoided.

With digital time slot management, everyone involved knows exactly when which truck is coming. This enables better personnel and resource planning as well as smooth processes at the factory gate.

Digital time slot management brings transparency, predictability and efficiency to the yard and incoming goods process. Compared to manual coordination via telephone, e-mail or Excel, companies benefit from:
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Fewer waiting times & traffic jams: Trucks come in stages and not all at the same time.
Better personnel planning: Shifts can be adapted to actual requirements.
More transparency: All participants can see in real time who is coming and when.
Automated communication: Fewer inquiries, as suppliers and carriers book themselves.
Data-based optimization: Analyze utilization, punctuality, and throughput for continuous improvement.

Manual processes are error-prone, time-consuming and often confusing — digital tools such as TradeLink provide clarity and efficiency here.

TradeLink measurably improves logistics processes at the factory gate — with benefits for all parties involved:
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Fewer waiting times & downtimes
Digital time slot planning and yard management avoid traffic jams and idle times.
Relief for the logistics team
Fewer inquiries, clear processes, less stress — a real advantage, especially when there is a shortage of staff.
More transparency & controllability
All information about deliveries, delays and throughput in real time — for better decisions.
Better collaboration with partners
Suppliers, carriers and internal teams work together on one platform — without email chaos.
Sustainable process improvement
With data analyses, bottlenecks can be identified, processes optimized and KPIs sustainably improved.

Manual logistics processes are often based on phone calls, emails and Excel lists. Time slots are coordinated individually, information is scattered and changes quickly lead to misunderstandings.

The result: a lack of transparency, unpredictable arrivals, traffic jams at the yard and high coordination efforts within the logistics team.

TradeLink replaces these manual processes with a digital platform on which all parties involved — from suppliers to incoming goods — work together. Time slots are booked online, arrivals are transparently visible to everyone and communication is automated. This enables better planning, fewer waiting times and higher process reliability.

In addition, TradeLink provides real-time data and evaluations with which companies can continuously improve their logistics processes — something that is hardly possible with manual processes.

Every logistics setup is different, which is why we tailor our pricing to meet your requirements.

We are happy to provide you with a non-binding offer — flexible and tailored to your needs. Just sign up here.

With TradeLink, all parties involved are informed of discrepancies in real time. This allows locations to react flexibly:
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- Early arrival: If possible, the truck is allocated to a ramp directly — if there is still capacity available. Otherwise, they wait until the booked time slot.
- Delay: The time slot remains valid for now. The location sees the delay and can adjust personnel and processes. The time slot can also be adjusted directly.

TradeLink ensures that such discrepancies are transparent — for fewer surprises and easier planning.

The digital driver check-in makes arriving at the gate/ramp easy and quick:
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1. Arrival at the gate: On arrival, the driver checks-in in one of 21 possible languages using a QR code — without any paper or long waiting times.
2. Automatic ramp allocation: The driver is directly assigned the correct ramp digitally.
3. Information in real time: The team immediately sees in the system that the truck has arrived and can plan the next steps.

The result: Fewer waiting times, less manual entry and a smooth process from gate to ramp.

TradeLink Driver check-in currently supports 21 languages — so drivers can simply check-in in their native language.

TradeLink is based on easy collaboration and high acceptance by all partners — from suppliers to incoming goods.

The most important differences:
- Focus on collaboration: TradeLink brings all participants — suppliers, carriers, internal teams — together on one platform, instead of just optimizing processes internally.
- High partner acceptance: Suppliers and carriers use TradeLink free of charge and without much effort. This promotes widespread use and avoids parallel reconciliation via e-mail or telephone.
- Easy to implement & use: TradeLink is intuitive to use and ready to go quickly — without complicated training or IT projects.
- Holistic approach: In addition to booking time slots, TradeLink covers the entire process at the yard  — from yard management to incoming goods inspection.
- Transparency for everyone: All participants have access to relevant information and status at any time — in real time and understandable to everyone.

In this way, TradeLink creates smooth processes with less coordination effort, better planning and happier partners.

With TradeLink, you bring all partners along the supply chain together on one platform — no new silos, but real collaboration.

Quick start, GDPR compliance, and continuous development make for a solution that adapts to your needs.

In addition, we work closely with our customers to continuously develop the platform.

TradeLink bundles all communication centrally on one platform.

- Invitations & time slot booking: Suppliers and freight forwarders automatically receive invitations and book their time slots themselves.
- Automatic notifications: Changes, delays, or check-in information are automatically shared in real time, without extra emails or phone calls.
- Open platform: Partners do not need their own account and use TradeLink free of charge — this is why acceptance is particularly high.

The result: Clear processes, less coordination effort and transparent processes for all parties involved.