Red Sofa Interview: VW logistics using rail and digital twins to boost sustainable operations in US and Mexico

Hartmann sits down on the Red Sofa at ALSC Mexico to speak to Christopher Ludwig, editor-in-chief, Automotive Logistics about the benefits of collaborating across the OEM.

He says that digitalising the supply chain in Europe, using tools like digital twins, has given the group a “tremendous advantage”.

“Now we’re really able to identify transports coming towards us, identifying what they have loaded, if they’re too late or not, and even give them the chance to automatically enter the plants once all the data is ready,” Hartmann says. “For a person like me who spent many years in inplant logistics, where in the middle of the night you’re waiting for a truck and manufacturing is breathing down your neck because in 30 minutes the line stops, this is a tremendous advantage, so we are really happy about this. We know what we need to see in order to conduct our business.”

He is taking the success from Europe and adapting it for the North America and Mexico region, as he says: “You cannot just use a standard that’s working in Europe and transfer it to another region without giving respect to what’s happening here with our forwarders, suppliers and systems in our plants. This needs some very thoughtful planning.”

Hartmann is also using a collaborative approach to improve sustainability in inbound logistics, through combining transports and increasing their efficiency.