DB Schenker

Key Stats

• Over 750 warehouses across 50 countries
• 1,000,000 tons of air freight transported annually
• 60% reduction in resources spent on troubleshooting

Overview

With Cisco Meraki, everything is now centralized and can be configured and monitored from a single dashboard. The IT team can log in simply anytime, anywhere, on a computer or phone, via the Meraki app.

LIM HAN YONG

Global Infrastructure Services Country Head

Global logistics and supply chain management solutions provider DB Schenker was looking for a way to simplify and streamline network management. With their legacy systems, troubleshooting often proved a time-consuming process for the staff. This was particularly the case at their flagship Red Lion regional logistics hub, a key point of operations, located in Singapore.

Cisco Meraki helped improve DB Schenker’s networking visibility. Staff can now easily monitor freight movements and troubleshoot from the dashboard via the Meraki app.  DB Schenker has since been able to reallocate the time and resources they saved to enhance efficiency and productivity.

Challenge

DB Schenker is a third-party logistics service provider with over 750 warehouses across 50 countries, transporting over 1 million tons of air freight per year.  Their flagship Red Lion warehouse in Singapore is an integrated facility for contract logistics and office operations where cargo is directly transferred from the free trade zone of the Airport Logistics Park Singapore into the automated warehouse.

The large volume of air freight shipments that move through Red Lion require an accurate overview of location and movement at any particular point in time.  Further, the pandemic has underscored the need for closer monitoring to ensure that safe distancing measures are being adhered to in the warehouse.

The various legacy solutions in place, such as Wi-Fi access points and network switches, operated in silos in the past, making troubleshooting a time-consuming process that involved having to log in to a number of separate systems.

DB Schenker needed an integrated warehouse management solution that would streamline this process while being easy to use and maintain.

Solution

DB Schenker and Cisco are in fact mutual customers—DB Schenker provides logistics for Cisco while Cisco Meraki provides DB Schenker with a cloud-managed IT solution for warehouse management through the Meraki platform and data-powered products.

Centralizing the management of DB Schenker’s warehouse system was key. DB Schenker needed an integrated solution that would make monitoring and troubleshooting easier.

This involved implementing Meraki Wi-Fi access points (MR), switches (MS), and security appliances (MX) in 90% of DB Schenker’s Singapore warehouses, including the Red Lion.

With Cisco Meraki, everything is now centralized and can be configured and monitored from a single dashboard.  The IT team can simply log in anytime, anywhere, on a computer or phone, via the Meraki app,” said Lim Han Yong, the Global Infrastructure Services Country Head.

The Meraki solutions simplified warehouse communications monitoring and significantly reduced troubleshooting time.

We require 60% fewer resources, and we’ve been able to redivert all those extra resources to other areas of operations.

LIM HAN YONG

Global Infrastructure Services Country Head

The dashboard provides a single view of all statuses and easy management of equipment. Troubleshooting with Meraki now happens in a matter of minutes, compared to hours with the legacy systems.

For example, previously when there were problems with the wireless controller, all access points would be affected. This resulted in extended periods of downtime. The Meraki solution significantly reduces this impact, as each access point is independent of the other.

Results

DB Schenker rolled out Meraki solutions across its warehouses in Singapore.

We know that the faster we migrate, the sooner life will be made easier for our team. But most importantly, the ones who benefit the most are our customers. With a more stabilized and secure network, we can deliver on our service-level agreements (SLAs) without disruptions.

ANTHONY KWONG

Chief Information Officer

DB Schenker plans to incorporate more Meraki solutions in the future. For example, implementing Meraki smart cameras and sensors in warehouses like the Red Lion will help enhance the safety of their staff and the security of their warehouses. The team can utilize these technologies to keep track of social distancing as well as ensure that the right trucks are entering the warehouses.

DB Schenker sees Meraki as its global partner for network infrastructure, and as such, plans to implement its network in all its warehouses in Asia Pacific and globally in the future.