mr Kai Wrede
mr Kai WredeActing General Manager Parts & Logistics
Suzuki International Europe GmbH
Suzuki has been with TNT Germany for over 15 years, with initial contracts signed as far back as 1989. More than ninety percent of business with the TNT Group is with Innight, TNT’s specialised service for late pick-up/next morning delivery. Working on just-on-time timetabling, TNT holds keys for Suzuki dealers around Germany, allowing them access to their premises. TNT staff collects late shipments, some as late as 9 p.m., for early delivery the next day by 8 a.m. TNT also takes away returns and supports the returnable box system. Suzuki’s next step with TNT Innight is rolling out the equivalent of the German service around Europe.
Kai Wrede: “In selecting TNT, our choice was driven by a number of factors, the most important of which were service levels, pricing and the fact that TNT offers highly specialised services. Late pickup is critical to our operations as we run on extremely tight schedules and need a mix of night and day services depending on dealer type. TNT’s track record and reputation in B2B also played a key role, with good past performance on the German market, a solid financial basis and the skills and willingness to support our pan-European activities for our future strategy”
“Between 2000 and 2004, costs considerations forced us to seek another solution. However, after issues with invoicing, the track-and-trace system and the associated unnecessary work with the alternative supplier, we returned our business to TNT. If there is anything I would still like to see improved, it lies in further harmonising all TNT products and systems. We would like to set up a communications pyramid with local TNT contacts for each Suzuki Distributor and Dealer in their respective country, supplemented by a single TNT Europe contact for all the services we use.”
“The coming time promises to be interesting and a test of TNT’s system. In a project that spans all our European dealerships, we plan to amalgamate our local logistics systems to form a single, virtual stock. I will be interested to see how TNT handles the challenge. So far though, as our service record with TNT in Germany shows, we have been highly satisfied. This is greatly due to the TNT staff who offer a great response for daily issues and are friendly, interested and always open to new ideas.”