Outbound Logistics for Mining Vehicles

bridgingIT supported its customer Liebherr with the implementation of a smart goods‑tracking system.

For more than 30 years, Liebherr has been manufacturing mining excavators at its Colmar site in Alsace. After partial commissioning, each excavator is disassembled and packed for transport by truck or ship to the end customer. Around 2,000 excavators leave the plant every year, and with operating weights of up to 800 tons per unit, this process involves a large number of crates and pallets.

To ensure full transparency throughout transport and reassembly, bridgingIT—together with Flowcate and SICK AG—developed a location‑based tracking solution. By combining GPS (Global Positioning System) and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technologies, the system enables precise tracking of every crate and pallet within a mining excavator shipment.

The introduction of this tracking system at Liebherr offered significant potential. Shipping components of varying sizes, weights, and non‑standardized shapes is highly complex, and errors in shipment composition can lead to considerable costs. Furthermore, many of the components are stored outdoors, where they must be securely and quickly prepared for dispatch.

Following an in‑depth analysis of Liebherr’s processes, bridgingIT’s experts developed and evaluated several solution approaches. The preferred concept was prototyped at the Technology Experience Center (T.E.C.) in Heidelberg, using RFID technology, the omlox™ hub, hardware from SICK, and a cloud service with strong authentication via Amazon Web Services.

After a successful field trial, the system was rolled out at the Liebherr plant in Colmar. Today, it ensures that all components in outbound logistics can be located and shipped quickly, efficiently, and with maximum reliability.

Contact: 
Markus Wirtz 
markus.wirtz@bridging-it.de

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