Optimized Beverage Logistics & Digital Returnable Tracking at Ensinger

Since 2022, the beverage producer Ensinger has been using a mobile driver solution in its delivery logistics. The industry solution OntegoGL supports digital documentation of full-goods deliveries and electronic capture of returnable empties by drivers. As a result, the company has established a fully digital process chain—from picking to delivery, all the way through to invoicing.

Ensinger Mineral-Heilquellen—the company’s very name reflects its roots. Founded in 1952 in Ensingen, a district of the Swabian town of Vaihingen, the family-owned spring has remained in family hands to this day. A total of nine family members are active in management or operational roles. With around 170 employees, the company bottles up to 120 million liters annually. Its product range includes mineral water, isotonic beverages, spritzers, and soft drinks.

Ensinger continuously invests in its competitiveness. As early as 1999, the company constructed a central logistics center just a few hundred meters from its original site.

• The logistics center spans approximately 9,000 square meters,
• with a block warehouse offering around 12,000 pallet spaces,
• providing room for around 6 million bottles.

All loading and unloading of Ensinger’s own trucks, as well as freight forwarders and pickup vehicles, takes place entirely inside the hall.

Ensinger has taken a unique approach when it comes to software. Unlike many companies in the beverage industry that rely on specialized industry ERP systems, the team around IT manager Andreas Reinisch developed its own software.

“We have a classic ERP system, but as an in-house development,” Reinisch emphasizes. “From production planning to procurement, from analytics to logistics processes including batch tracking. Standard applications such as an online shop system, laboratory programs, a field service tool—and, not least, the mobile OntegoGL driver solution—are all integrated into the ERP.”

In 2020, the digital delivery note or “electronic returnable tracking,” as the informal project title went was placed on Ensinger’s roadmap. Then as now, one requirement remained essential: the solution needed to allow printing paper documents at the customer site.“I still find it risky if there is no written document,” Reinisch notes.The industry solution OntegoGL offered this feature—along with many others—and was already known within the company. After visiting a friendly spring company in the Black Forest, the decision was made.

Implementation then began, followed by integration into the in-house ERP system. While many industry ERPs offer standard interfaces to driver solutions, Ensinger required a custom-built interface. This posed certain challenges especially regarding the logic for container types.

In standard systems, the driver simply records a crate in the delivery app, and the software knows it contains a specific number of bottles. Ensinger follows the same principle but takes it further for example, linking the crate with both the bottles and the pallet. Distinguishing between 36 piece and 27 piece pallets adds further complexity to the data model. Ultimately, Reinisch found a solution within the ERP “and then it all worked perfectly.”

Interestingly, Ensinger used the introduction of the digital delivery note to thoroughly evaluate and optimize its entire logistics processes. Reinisch illustrates this with an example:

“Previously, dispatchers could only return one tour at a time from tour planning back into the ERP. They then had to generate the delivery notes, print tour sheets, etc.”

Automation continues at the end of each tour: As soon as delivery notes are stored in the DMS, an automated notification is sent to the ERP, triggering invoicing. “No accountant has to chase after any delivery notes anymore,” Reinisch explains.

Reinisch also highlights the benefits for return processing. Internally, reasons for returns must be clarified. Until clarification, the delivery note is blocked. Today, this invoice block is automatically applied based on OntegoGL data. The same applies to breakage reporting. Photos taken by the driver are reviewed and used to make transparent decisions regarding the delivery note. Disruption times are also reported via the driver solution and can be analyzed afterward.

Physical processes have also become more efficient thanks to the driver solution—especially returnable sorting when drivers return. Ensinger uses a total of nine different container types. In the days of paper delivery notes, hall supervisors had to manually add up handwritten returnable counts and compare them with the physical inventory on the truck—time-consuming and error-prone, particularly during peak periods.

This entire process was completely replaced with the introduction of OntegoGL.“The moment the driver closes the tour, all tours are automatically posted back with all changes included,” Reinisch explains. As soon as a truck enters the hall, supervisors already know the returnable quantities for that tour. The data is fully aggregated, making returnable checks significantly faster and easier.

If discrepancies arise, hall supervisors or dispatch check the delivery notes or the tour in a separate workflow. The transfer of the delivery notes to the DMS is halted.“This gives us a fully closed loop,” the IT manager notes.

How did drivers respond to the new solution? Ensinger operates its own fleet of seven trucks, supplemented by freight company drivers. In summer, up to 18 vehicles are in use each day.

Both in-house and external drivers document their tours using OntegoGL, with Ensinger treating both groups equally. All drivers received comprehensive training. Reinisch describes the onboarding process: “We created several training videos right at the beginning.” Drivers watched the screencasts and then simulated tour workflows using their own smartphones connected to the test system. “They picked it up incredibly fast,” Reinisch recalls.

Training topics included:

• Loading a tour
• View for key accounts
• Handling customer interactions
• Dealing with returns or breakages
• … and more

All drivers are equipped with Ensinger-provided mobile devices, managed centrally via Mobile Device Management. Reinisch is pleased with their reliability—only two losses in three years: one defective smartphone and one lost mobile printer.

Driver feedback was consistently positive—not least because their workload decreased. The rollout was conducted in parallel operation, allowing drivers to use paper delivery notes at first if needed. It quickly became clear that the digital workflow had clear advantages:

• No more follow-up questions from back-office staff about handwritten notes
• No need to hand over physical delivery notes at the warehouse office

In short, the driver solution simplifies yard processes and enables drivers to finish their day faster.

Reinisch sees the greatest benefit of the driver solution in reduced process costs:

• Fully digital processing of tour and delivery note data
• Elimination of media discontinuities (no printing or scanning)
• Capture of additional information such as photos and notes
• Elimination of printing more than 20,000 delivery notes annually

“The entire delivery process from the driver’s side and downstream has become far, far more efficient,” says the IT manager. Overall, Reinisch estimates annual savings of around EUR 25,000. Previously, manual entry per delivery note took about 2 minutes, plus route recording. With 50 delivery notes per day, one employee spent around 2 hours daily on this alone—corresponding to nearly EUR 20,000 annually, not including reduced process costs.

For Ensinger Mineral-Heilquellen, introducing the electronic delivery note was a logical step. The company continuously invests in modern structures and processes. With its now largely automated warehouse and distribution logistics as well as downstream workflows the company has become faster and more flexible. The mobile driver solution for digitizing the last mile has been a key building block in this development.