Head west and keep going straight: Werdau, where our partner Spedition Vogtland is based, and the OSL central hub (ZUB) in Schlitz are almost on the same latitude, but 250 kilometres apart.
The seven-strong Vogtland team, led by managing director Jörg Neef, was curious and decided to make the trip anyway. They wanted to find out, for example, how the workflows are timed when around 200 trucks arrive at the ZUB from all directions. Can the goods handling be structured at all, or does the structure break down during peak periods?
After the tour of the ZUB at night, the three industrial and four commercial ‘Vogtlanders’ were deeply impressed: goods handling is hectic and busy, everything is in motion – and yet the employees seem relaxed, and a concentrated calm is palpable. Every hand grip is precise, shipments are transferred from one truck to another without damage, and the accident rate among ZUB staff is well below average.
Damian Voß, site manager at ZUB, explains: ‘We have a clear division of tasks, the team is well-coordinated and experienced, and one of the coordinators is always in earshot to answer questions. And last but not least, the employees enjoy what they do.’ Two HUB drivers even insisted on being included in the group photo.
Should OSL partners nevertheless have any complaints about a ZUB shipment, the procedure for dealing with these ‘quality reports’ is clearly defined: the coordinator who was in charge of the night shift in question talks to the employee concerned, each incident is documented, and all cases are reviewed in a training session at least once every six months.
The Vogtland Group’s conclusion: one visit is not enough to fully understand the processes and delve deeper into the central hub’s system. But the ZUB employees have already earned the respect of their colleagues.