INFORM Announced as Food Logistics’ 2020 FL 100+ Recipient

INFORM has been selected as one of Food Logistics’ 2020 FL 100+ award recipients for its software solutions for Swiss retailer Migros and INTERSEROH as Pool Manager for German retailer ALDI.

INFORM specializes in AI and optimization software to improve operational decision making. Based in Aachen, Germany and with regional offices in the US and Australia, the company has been in the optimization business for 50 years. It serves a wide span of industries including the food and beverage and the broader supply chain and logistics industries.

Dr. Eva Savelsberg, SVP of INFORM’s Logistic Division said, “It is always an honor to be recognized for the work you’re doing in an industry, particularly around food logistics given its current global significance in ensuring the efficient flow of food and beverage products to meet our regular needs during the pandemic.”

The FL100+ is Food Logistics’ annual list honouring the market leading software and technology providers that ensure a safe, efficient, and reliable global food and beverage supply chain.

A major application area of algorithmic decision-making is in the management of Returnable Transport Packaging (RTPs). Whether they are made of plastic, wood, or metal RTPs like pallets, boxes, crates, or containers are an integral part of many food supply chains. Compared to traditional single-trip packaging, RTPs often provide significant long-term savings and have a positive impact on companies environmental footprint.

However, moving the right RTP, the right number of RTP, at the right time to the right place can become a real-brain teaser. Operators of a larger pool require planning software that is powered by algorithms to keep costs low and service levels high.

Thomas Bergmans, SVP of INFORM’s Logistics Divisions said, “INTERSEROH as the Pool Manager for ALDI uses our software solution to manage their continent-wide pool of RTP for almost 10 years to ensure the reliability and availability of reusable assets across their European network. It is great to see that a project and software solution like this is featured among the best in the world.” The software manages and optimizes the exchange of RTP between various locations and stakeholders along their supply chain.

As part of Migros’s “mYard” project, INFORM delivered its Syncrosupply Time Slot and Yard Management system to logistics operator Migros Verteilzentrum Suhr AG (MVS) in Suhr, Switzerland as part of Migros’s broader state-of-the-art, fully automated logistics system transition.

Dr. Savelsberg, added, “The gate to any logistics facility is a natural choke point between the broader transport network and the yard or distribution facility. As such, efficient and optimized operations is crucial to streamlining the movement of goods.”

INFORM’s Syncrosupply Time Slot and Yard Management system is comprised of management app, a time slot booking portal, self check-in software for gate automation, real-time optimization for yard and ramp management, as well as the optimization of time slot bookings for various stakeholders.

INFORM leverages cutting edge AI techniques, including machine learning, to enhance our solution range. Machine learning enables them to learn from the past to better inform decision making about the future with tools like demand planning. INFORM operates in a broad scope of industries beyond the food and beverage industry often applying what they learn from both peripheral industries like parcel logistics and manufacturing and non-peripheral industries such as aviation and finance to enrich their service offerings.