Den Hartogh Logistics
Den Hartogh is one of the top logistics service providers in Europe in the petrochemical industry. Consideration for the wishes of the customer and continuous innovation in organization, material and processes are essential for this success. OnGuard ensures structure in the credit management process and a considerable reduction in outstanding items.
The transport business started around 1920 and is still run by the Den Hartogh family. The organization has meanwhile developed into an international player with a central administration in Rozenburg. The entire credit management (Cleaning, Liquid Logistics, Gas Logistics, Logistics Management and Storage Terminals) in the Netherlands and eight other countries is handled from this central administration.
Double waiting
Financial Manager Harry Schaeffer: “Keeping up with the transactions of at least 800 accounts with a staff of three is a challenge. A complaint or a lack of clarity often leads to delay in paying the invoice. If 10 per cent of the 1,000 journeys per week lead to a dispute, this means 100 per week. Extra costs are a very common cause for dispute in the transport world, a well-known example being “waiting time”, which we understand as the time that a driver has to wait for his truck to be loaded or offloaded. The extra time must be charged for if this is not completed within the agreed time. If the consignment note (CMR) does not contain the correct details and signatures, there is no proof that the agreed waiting times have been exceeded and these times will not be remunerated. OnGuard helps us to keep right up-to-date with the history enabling us to keep a sharper eye on things. This means we can continue to work on improvements.
Results at a glance…
- Structure in the accounts policy
- Sharp drop in outstanding items
- Outstanding item Cleaning more than halved
- Customer-oriented approach
- Customer registration and history ensures understanding
- Motivating and controlling staff
- Integrating credit management into the organization
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