Harbourline Freight
Contract logistics operator, 22 depots, parcel and pallet
- Engagement
- 18 weeks
- Office
- Rotterdam
- Lead partner
- Pieter van Dam
The challenge
Cost per parcel had drifted 11 percent above the winning bid assumptions of the largest contract, and the two biggest hubs ran on shift patterns designed for half the current volume.
What we did
Pieter van Dam's team re-modeled hub flow at peak, redesigned the sort patterns, and moved eleven depot shift structures to volume-banded rosters. A daily cost-per-parcel number, built from scan data, went live in week three and never left the wall.
The two largest hubs piloted first; the roster redesign shipped with the depot managers' own edits.
The outcome
Cost per parcel fell 11 percent against the contract baseline. Hub throughput rose 18 percent at peak without new buildings, and the daily number is now how depot managers run the business.
Cost per parcel −11 % vs contract baseline
Peak hub throughput +18 % vs baseline
Depots on volume-banded rosters +11 count
Bars are scaled per metric against its own maximum. Direction of improvement: Cost per parcel, Peak hub throughput, Depots on volume-banded rosters — see each metric.
| Metric | Before | After | Change | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per parcel | 100 % vs contract baseline | 89 % vs contract baseline | −11 % vs contract baseline | Lower is better |
| Peak hub throughput | 100 % vs baseline | 118 % vs baseline | +18 % vs baseline | Higher is better |
| Depots on volume-banded rosters | 0 count | 11 count | +11 count | Higher is better |
Expertise behind this program
Facing something similar?
Describe your baseline and target. If we have run it, we will say so — and show you the number.