Challenge

Gebrüder Weiss (GW), a 550-year-old family-owned logistics provider with 185 global locations, faced significant operational challenges as they expanded their presence across North America, Europe, and Asia:

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• Time-consuming documentation processes were requiring excessive staff hours
• Resource constraints across different time zones were affecting customer service
• Manual data entry was preventing skilled staff from focusing on value-added tasks
• Difficulty scaling operations efficiently during 30% seasonal volume fluctuations
• High labor costs in Western Europe and North America markets

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We needed to try to automate a lot of the repetitive tasks that our operators are doing to really free them up to focus on the customer service element of their jobs.

— João Ribeiro, Supply Chain Program Manager at Gebrüder Weiss USA

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Solution

GW evaluated multiple technology providers and selected Expedock to implement a comprehensive solution after previous automation attempts with other vendors had stalled. Expedock's ability to demonstrate quick results was key to their decision.

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When Expedock came in and promised 'this is easy, we can do it, and we can do it in four weeks,' we decided to try it out. It was clear from the beginning that Expedock, as a partner, was really what we were looking for.

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Expedock implemented several complementary solutions:

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1. Document Automation

• Automated document extraction for commercial invoices and packing lists
• Proper document classification ensuring customer visibility
• Intelligent processing for shipment documentation
• Automated creation of shipment records in Cargowise
• Air Import Booking Registration

2. AP Invoice Processing

• Intelligent document processing for invoice reconciliation
• Streamlined workflows across multiple branches
• Integration with existing financial systems

3. eBPO Services

• Customer service support across multiple time zones
• Sales development representatives for business growth
• Operations support for peak periods

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Implementation: Rapid and Efficient

The implementation process required minimal time from GW's team:

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It was probably three weeks when we started testing, and then very quickly after that we went live.

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What made the implementation successful:

• Expedock's experience: "It was very seamless. You could see that it was not the first rollout for Expedock."
• Minimal GW resource commitment: "It was not something that I had to spend hours dedicated to. It was probably about eight hours total that it took me to go live with the shipment and consol creation."
• Adaptability: "Expedock was very quick at understanding when there were some outside-of-the-norm situations that needed to be accommodated."

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Results That Matter

Productivity & Time Savings

• 10% increase in jobs processed by operations staff
• 800+ hours saved in a single quarter through automation
• Staff productivity increased in both document processing and customer service
• 8 hours of implementation time recovered within the first month

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Data Quality & Visibility

• Improved document availability for customers through proper classification
• Enhanced customer visibility into shipment status through consistent document tagging
• Faster job creation leading to improved tracking capabilities

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Operational Efficiency

• 24/7 customer service coverage through strategic eBPO placement
• 3-week implementation versus nearly a year with previous provider
• Rapid adaptation to changing business requirements

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Cost Effectiveness

• Approximately 10-15% lower costs than comparable outsourcing solutions
• Reduced hiring needs in high-wage markets like Western Europe and North America
• Elimination of unnecessary overtime through better resource distribution

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800 hours of time savings & productivity gain in the span of three months.

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Employee Adoption

Unlike many technology implementations, GW found that staff acceptance of Expedock's solutions was surprisingly smooth:

We're not hiring them to replace our staff. It's just almost to be either their assistant or someone they can rely on to automate these repetitive tasks that they get no happiness or joy whatsoever from.

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Looking Forward

GW continues exploring additional opportunities with Expedock, including:

• AI agent for shared mailboxes to further improve efficiency
• Expansion of existing services to other GW regions

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Advice for Other Freight Forwarders

Just do it. It was a very painless experience, quick as well. Eight hours [of implementation time] were probably recovered within the first month. If you don't automate, if you don't innovate, you'll be obsolete. We need to really find the right partners to help us grow to the next level. Expedock has been that right partner for us.