NVD gains full control of end-to-end vehicle logistics with INFORM
NVD (National Vehicle Distribution) is Ireland’s largest finished vehicle logistics service provider, handling around 400,000 vehicle movements per year for automotive OEMs. To support continuous growth and maintain its market-leading position, NVD relies on INFORM Yard, Workshop, and Transport Management to fully digitize and optimize its end-to-end vehicle logistics operations.
Challenge
NVD’s competitive advantage lies in the tight integration of three core pillars: vehicle storage, preparation center operations, and transport. Operating close to Ireland’s main ports and serving a largely rural dealer network, the company must meet extremely short lead times - often just three to four days from instruction to dealer delivery.
By 2014, NVD’s legacy, home-grown IT system had become a limiting factor:
- It was not designed for end-to-end vehicle logistics
- Manual updates across multiple systems created inefficiencies
- Planning transport, yard, and workshop activities was increasingly complex
- Growth put pressure on operational staff and IT flexibility
NVD needed a single, integrated solution that could support all logistics processes across the entire value chain - without compromising speed, transparency, or service quality.
Solution
NVD partnered with INFORM to implement a fully integrated vehicle logistics solution, covering yard management, workshop management, and transport management in one system.
Key elements of the solution include:
- Real-time management of vehicle flows from factory or port through preparation and final delivery
- Paperless, fully digital processes across all operations
- Advanced planning and optimization for:
- truck loading and routing
- yard space and vehicle movements
- workshop scheduling and personnel deployment
- End-to-end transparency based on a single, shared database
- Mobile task delivery to workshop staff with real-time feedback
The implementation followed a phased and agile approach, allowing NVD to continue operations while gradually transitioning to the new system. Yard and workshop management went live first, followed by transport management developed specifically to meet NVD’s requirements.
Results
Since introducing INFORM’s solution, NVD has achieved significant operational improvements:
- Full end-to-end visibility across storage, preparation, and transport
- Yard productivity doubled
- 98% on-time delivery performance
- Real-time visibility and faster reaction for all stakeholders
- Ability to fast-track urgent vehicles without disrupting operations
- Significant time savings for planners through automation
- Reduced manual workload for yard and workshop managers
Planners now spend less time on routine coordination and more time on high-value decision-making, improving both business performance and employee satisfaction.
We’ve gone from quite a clunky way of doing business to one that’s genuinely fully automated and optimized. INFORM’s organization, scale and depth of expertise, particularly in operations research and optimization, is very impressive. You know you are working with a party that is world-class in this area. That gives you an added dimension alongside the software.
Future Outlook
With INFORM’s integrated vehicle logistics platform in place, NVD continues to expand its operations, including cross-border distribution in the UK. The company is well positioned to scale volumes, introduce new services, and respond flexibly to changing OEM requirements - without adding operational complexity.
Conclusion
The implementation of INFORM’s IT solution has revolutionized NVD’s vehicle logistics, providing comprehensive management, optimizing efficiency, and enhancing customer satisfaction. The integrated approach ensures that NVD can continue to meet the growing demands of the automotive market.
Lill Haase
Product Marketing Manager
Lill Haase has been part of INFORM since 2023. She has been focusing on Vehicle Logistics ever since – turning complex topics into clear, accessible messages. In her work, she puts strong emphasis on customer relevance, clarity, and trust.
