The development of logistics is continuous collaboration and ongoing improvement. At HUB, we are committed to a customer-centric approach, where customer cooperation plays a central role. Our mission is to transform logistics with new service innovations, which means we want to develop our customers’ logistics step by step, year by year. Achieving this requires active communication, idea exchange, and a methodical approach to work.
The annual cycle of companies and the budgeting schedule also guide the development process. Autumn is a favorable and appropriate time to plan for the coming year. It involves reflecting on the past, assessing what we’ve done, where we’ve succeeded, and what we can do better. Then, we turn our focus to the future: deciding on what to prioritize and where to allocate funds.
Workshops for ideas and innovations
An effective way to develop logistics together with our customers is to organize idea-generating workshop days. For these sessions, we invite a broader team from the client company, which allows us to gather multiple perspectives and diverse ideas.
During the workshop days, ideas are freely exchanged back and forth. We review old concepts to see if they can be strengthened and advanced, while also introducing entirely new ideas. The goal is to find new opportunities and solutions that we can develop together. The outcome of the workshop days is several project proposals that are refined further.
Ideas don’t always have to be big and grand; small ideas work too. Even minor changes have their place and always support a larger whole. In our workshops, we’ve brainstormed the use of IoT sensors in production environments, developed new reporting models to enhance transparency, and revised packaging instructions and labels. And let’s not forget the system side: even changes to integration messages have been a development idea from one of our workshop days. Over time, these small ideas grow into significant and impactful changes.
What is the recipe for a successful workshop day? It consists of Post-it notes, group work, lively discussion, and mind-blowing development ideas. When at the end of the day, your fingers are stained with marker ink, and Post-it notes are everywhere, we know we’ve had an effective and creative day.
During workshop days, we also visit the production facilities on-site. This is an essential part of the development process because it allows us to see operations up close and understand their unique characteristics. It gives employees the chance to share the challenges they’ve faced and the observations they’ve made. On-site observation is the spice of development work.
Collaborating towards success
The next step is to consider the methods we will use to work on the selected themes. By combining our customers’ expertise with our logistics knowledge, we can develop even better and more efficient solutions that serve the needs of both parties.
Workshops and customer collaboration are not just tools for us—they are part of our DNA. We believe that the best way to develop logistics is to do it together, step by step, constantly learning and adapting. This way, we can achieve great things together and ensure that logistics works in the best possible way now and in the future.
Yesterday, we spent a fruitful day with our customer Marioff. We toured the logistics center’s production and filled it with dozens of Post-it notes. I can say that some pretty amazing things are coming up for this customer as well.
Anssi Tura
An innovative and creative development director who develops based on data and looks to the future.
