Freshly brewed efficiency
We have been the logistics partner of the coffee machine manufacturer Thermoplan since 2022. We have worked with them to launch intelligent procurement logistics – a kind of sustainable supplier management system. By doing so, we are helping Thermoplan to achieve its ambitious sustainability targets, ensuring demonstrably lower CO2 emissions and highly efficient logistics processes – from one family business to another.
Thermoplan develops and produces fully automatic coffee machines of the highest Swiss quality for professional use in the catering industry and other sectors. The family business is globally active and supplies customers in 80 countries. At its headquarters in Weggis, in the canton of Lucerne, it em-ploys over 500 people. The Thermoplan network includes over 200 certified sales and service part-ners worldwide.
Intelligent indulgence
What makes the difference between a good coffee and an excellent coffee? The type of bean, cultivation and roasting – definitely. The grinding process, lime content and water temperature – certainly. The barista’s smile – undoubtedly. The coffee machine that produces the drink – more than anything else. Drinking exquisite coffee is a privilege that brings people together and creates unique experiences. The Swiss innovation company Thermoplan aims to ensure that future generations will also be able to enjoy this luxury, while safeguarding jobs in Switzerland. By manufacturing premium fully automatic coffee machines. By respecting people and the environment. And by pursuing a future-oriented vision for its procurement and supply chain.
Committed to sustainability
The Lucerne-based family business has set itself a sustainability target. By 2050, it aims to achieve net zero emissions along its entire value chain. This approach includes a clear focus on long-term regional supplier partnerships and sustainable procurement. This is where Planzer comes in. Together with Thermoplan, we developed a clever procurement logistics concept and have been putting this into practice since 2022.
Guided by glocalisation
Thermoplan coffee machines are popular around the globe. They are manufactured from hundreds of individual parts in its Weggis plant. Four-fifths of the components used come from manufacturing firms in Switzerland. As Thermoplan’s new logistics partner, we collect components for the assembly of the fully automatic coffee machines from around 25 suppliers throughout Switzerland and transport these to the nearest transshipment centre with a rail connection. From there, the goods are taken by overnight train to our railway hub in Seewen, where they are transshipped, bundled and then delivered to Thermoplan, just in time. This regional concept shortens transport routes, thereby improving the response time of everyone involved.
The facts speak for themselves
Efficiently bundling goods flows in our rail network allows us to avoid empty containers, which are costly and carbon-intensive. The truck distance per pallet has fallen from 100 to 50 kilometres. Combined with the partial shift from road to rail transport, our logistics concept saves a massive amount of CO2 from entering the environment. And what’s more, instead of around 50 deliveries from different suppliers per week, there is just one grouped delivery per day from Seewen using a fully loaded truck.
The reduction in delivery frequency at Thermoplan in Weggis lowers the company’s HR and administrative handling costs, while easing congestion in the town as there are fewer trucks on the road.
Lucrative three-way partnership
Managers at Thermoplan and its component suppliers enter transport orders around the clock directly in our web-based customer portal. Thermoplan can track these orders online. For example, the company has a single point of contact for its entire transport and storage logistics process. This means Planzer drivers avoid traffic jams and waiting times, while Thermoplan’s suppliers spend less time on logistics tasks.
In terms of order management, Thermoplan’s suppliers can enter their orders in our web-based customer portal themselves and label the goods. Once a transport order has been entered, the transport process starts when we collect the goods from the supplier. Thermoplan can then consolidate its orders using a sophisticated authorisation logic in our customer portal and transparently track them until the goods arrive at its unloading bay in Weggis.
