Logistikbude GmbH

Software infrastructure for reusable systems

Have you ever thought about reuse in the B2B sector? Almost every company uses reusable objects such as pallets, containers, or racks. Even when visiting a supermarket, you might see green crates used for produce, blue pallets for the promotional racks at the ends of aisles, or red meat crates. For most companies, these objects are a means to an end apart from their core business, so they give rise to additional costs in the form of personnel expenses while tying up capital and requiring replenishment purchases. Logistikbude’s software is dedicated to automating these processes, thereby making reuse just as easy as using disposables.

A spin-off forms the perfect interface between the research sector and the market

Making managing and tracking reusable load carriers just as easy as a quick run to the corner store was the vision for four young scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML in Dortmund when they founded Logistikbude, a Fraunhofer spin-off that aims to turn the billions of pallets, containers and specialized load carriers currently in circulation around the world into an intelligent industrial cycle, saving money and conserving resources. The Fraunhofer researchers’ smart spin-off has evolved into a project of the future that has garnered high regard industry-wide for resolving many of the challenges involved in logistics these days.

The pallet of the future: sustainability through intelligent technology 

Logistikbude’s signature solution is plug-and-play software for management of all reusable objects in production and logistics. It consists of a web interface, an app, and various other interfaces. Along with generating data, the software also prepares information on aspects such as stock levels, balances and shrinkage locations in real time and handles coordination with customers and suppliers. There is thus no need to address data a second time once they have been generated. This marks the first time that all different kinds of reusable items can be managed in a single solution. This includes: 

• Standard load carriers (such as standard European pallets and crates) 
  
• Special load carriers (such as racks and IBCs) 
• High-value items (such as tanks and swap bodies)  

State-of-the-art technologies give companies the ability to automate their management of reusable objects, thereby minimizing personnel expenses and utilizing existing capital more cost-effectively. At the same time, this also helps the environment, as fewer reusable objects need to be produced and trips are reduced.