Before the new digital system was developed, drivers bringing their trucks to the sawmills had all administration related to the registration of their load and routes done manually with paperwork. Now Norra Timber has invested in check-in and check-out booths where drivers can digitally process the required documentation themselves.
“We are streamlining the process, minimizing the amount of paperwork needed and reducing the dependence on location and people”, says Per Boman.
The entire process, from the customer placing their order until it is picked up at the sawmill and shipped to the customer has had to be carefully documented, together with working procedures at the sawmills themselves. A new digital system was then developed in a collaboration between Norra Timber and Datapolarna, a software solutions consulting firm based in Skellefteå.
When a driver now arrives at the sawmill, they enter the check-in area and provide their registration and order number. They are then directed to a loading location while a Norra Timber machine operator or truck driver simultaneously receives a notification about the load being collected. The load, which has already been picked, is then driven out by the machine operator to the waiting truck and loaded. The driver then proceeds to the check-out booth, enters their registration number and order number and signs all the required documentation digitally, before shipping documents are printed out and automatically sent to them via e-mail.
“Many sawmills have digital check-ins, but we are among the first to digitize check-outs. It's a huge efficiency improvement! In addition, all goods are now stored digitally instead of on paper, which makes it much easier if something happens to a load on the way to the customer and we need to provide documentation to insurance companies”, says Per Boman.
“I remember when I started at the sawmill in 1990. Back then you cycled around with a pad and pencil to see what we had in stock, and orders came in the mail. A lot has happened since then”, he says, laughing.
The new digital check-in and check-out system is currently being beta-tested in Norra Timber’s Kåge and Sävar sawmills. The system will be fully operational after the summer of 2024.