Safe and efficient: OeTTINGER logistics

Safely from the brewery to the shelf It has long been part of the OeTTINGER philosophy to transport its beers, beer-mix drinks and soft drinks to the points of sale in German food retailers and drinks wholesalers in its own fleet of truck. Naturally safety and efficiency have top priority – in line with its corporate culture. It therefore represents a particular success for the company that loading losses, as well as loading and unloading damage to vehicles, have been further reduced: they have fallen by 50% compared to the previous year. This reduction is clearly thanks to a working group of truck drivers who have been developing suggestions to improve loading safety in regular meetings since 2013. “The OeTTINGER brewery is exemplary in terms of damage prevention,” comments Michael Meißner, who advises the OeTTINGER Brauerei GmbH as an insurance expert. “In my opinion, the project is so successful because the improvement measures are developed together with the employees, who are experts in their own departments.” 

A number of different measures have already been implemented by the working group of OeTTINGER drivers: There are now clearly visible labels attached to trucks, which remind drivers of key safety handles – an extremely simple but hugely effective idea. The lighting on trailers has also been improved to facilitate loading and unloading in difficult lighting conditions. The use of highly visible traffic cones to cordon off the requisite area on supermarket car parks is also based on an idea put forward by the drivers’ working group. The adjustment of mirrors on vehicles has also been improved in collaboration with the DEKRA vehicle inspection company. In future special markings will painted on the sites that drivers can use to correctly adjust their mirrors for perfect all-round visibility. The use of sensors on trucks to ensure that the cargo area is properly locked is currently still being tested. Furthermore, from the coming year driving simulators will be installed at all sites to train drivers. “All these measures aim to provide drivers with the best possible support in their responsible work”, explains Dr. Karl Liebl, CEO of OeTTINGER Brauerei. “Our achievements in the past year have already impressively shown that we are heading in the right direction.”