Heppner relies on DCbrain’s AI to boost its transport plans

Laetitia Bocquet

Paris, February 7, 2023 – The Heppner group has chosen DCbrain to meet its strategic challenges of digital transformation, to optimize its traction plans and to simplify transport flow planning operations. A look back at a fruitful and innovative collaboration.

Artificial Intelligence to improve service quality

In order to achieve its objectives of excellence and improve the quality of service for its customers, Heppner is digitalising its groupage network using an innovative planning tool. The independent leader in international trade to and from France has chosen DCbrain’s Artificial Intelligence. Thanks to an efficient methodology and successful tests, the added value of this solution convinced Heppner, which decided to extend its use of the tool to the group level to optimise the kilometres travelled and limit its CO2 emissions. By choosing AI with DCbrain, Heppner aims to manage its transport plan in an agile, reliable and efficient way, thus enabling the group’s resources to be allocated to high value-added tasks.

‘Combining our data with the algorithms of an AI expert will help our teams to provide better service to our customers and to improve operational excellence.’ – François Thibault, Director of Operational Excellence at Heppner

Optimisation results in gains

Heppner, a long-standing player in the transport and logistics sector, is convinced of the merits of this fundamental change for its employees, both in terms of taking into account the various constraints and the tangible and rapid gains brought about by DCbrain. This optimisation project is part of the group’s digital transformation. The branch managers are fully involved, determined to simplify planning and make the management of transport flows more fluid.

‘Digital transformation is a strategic pillar for the Heppner Group. We have chosen to surround ourselves with expert and innovative partners, such as DCbrain, to help us optimise our increasingly important and complex flows. This will also enable us to meet our CSR challenges by reducing the number of kilometres travelled and improving operational performance!’ – Cédric Frachet, Chief Operating Offcer at Heppner

Adopting the tool for better performance

DCbrain and Heppner pay particular attention to user adoption of the AI tool. The teams were able to move forward together thanks to individual workshops to demonstrate the tool, thus facilitating its adoption. The aim was to validate together the consistency of the optimisation of the traction plan.

DCbrain’s ambition is to become a strategic partner of the leading Heppner group, to support it in its international expansion and its challenges to improve service quality. The company continues to work with the operational staff through dedicated support. The commitment of the Heppner teams is the key factor in the success of this collaboration.

‘We are convinced of the benefits of AI to simplify the day-to-day work of logistics planning. The key to success with Heppner lies in the integration of the various decision-making and user stakeholders from the start of the project.’ – Benjamin de Buttet, COO at DCbrain

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About

DCbrain is the specialist in AI applied to flow networks, designed for Supply Chain actors. DCbrain offers them a cutting-edge real-time planning and optimisation platform, using AI and hybrid AI algorithms that far surpass the capabilities of existing network planning tools available on the market, especially when faced with complex network configurations. Today, the company employs 45 people.

Heppner is the specialist and independent leader in international trade to and from France. These strong and powerful overland transport networks connect more than 40 European countries, with 24/72 hour deliveries to major European cities. Strongly connected to the international market, these exclusive partnership agreements also enable it to offer the organisation of sea and air transport to and from 157 countries worldwide. https://heppner-group.com

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