Improving Cross-Department Communication Process

Abstract

The objective of this thesis was identified as to improve container fleet turnover and utilization at the case company, logistics operator Bertschi AG by redesigning and refining cross-departmental communication processes and recommending a structured digital integration and IT infrastructure migration approach. The case company Bertschi AG is experiencing low container utilization rates, which as first investigations revealed were primarily caused by misaligned communication between several main departments: Business Development, Operations, Procurement, Quotations, Finance and Extra Costs departments. A fragmented use of three different Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, consequently inconsistent and often delayed information flows between departments contributed to significant operational obstacles and inefficiencies. The research approach chosen for this study is a development project, the main target of which is to improve internal communication and digital shipments processing system alignment within the Headquarters and Subsidiaries of Bertschi AG. The study employs qualitative research methods which include structured and semi-structured interviews, the analysis of internal operational documents, guidelines and practices, and multiple participant observations during a controlled single ERP testing phase. The data for this thesis was gathered in three stages: the first stage, collecting Data 1, was focused on the current state analysis and employed personal interviews and official internal documents: the second stage, collecting Data 2, gathered internal feedback and development suggestions for a preliminary proposal; finally, the third stage, collecting Data 3, validated the initial proposal through a practical short-term testing phase of three weeks. The theoretical part of this thesis was concentrated on information system integration, logistics digitalization trends in the industry of multimodal containers, and cross-functional communication alignment. The thesis produced a final validated and credible proposal, recommending the sprint-based implementation of a holistic ERP or IS system and standardized communication.