Exchanging orders flexibly, utilising capacities intelligently

BoxHub is the name of the new digital platform that JH Holding has developed exclusively for Progroup customers. It is a virtual network that helps the around 500 companies from the packaging industry to pool knowledge, utilise synergies and overcome challenges together.

The order is again more complicated than expected, time is pressing – and it will be almost impossible to accomplish without support. It is in these very moments that the power of a functioning network becomes evident. This is where BoxHub comes in. The platform opens up new possibilities for collaboration and order processing: it brings suppliers and buyers together digitally. The underlying principle is as simple as it is effective: BoxHub works like a digital marketplace, comparable to eBay – only with one crucial difference. Instead of used furniture or toys, here you will find custom-made corrugated board packaging – brand new, in all shapes and sizes, ready for immediate delivery.

“It’s all about coordinating orders with each other so that the strengths in the network can be exploited in the best possible way,” explains Niclas Frank, Business Development Manager at JH Holding. “BoxHub makes it possible to actually utilise the potential of the community – pragmatic, in partnership and future-oriented.”

Let’s imagine the following scenario: A packaging manufacturer receives a customer request for a specific type of corrugated board packaging that it does not yet have in its portfolio. It lacks both the appropriate machine capacities and the necessary product-specific know-how to be able to implement this request.

This is precisely where BoxHub comes in. Instead of rejecting the order and losing the customer, the manufacturer can make the network aware of the order via BoxHub. This gives other partners within the network the opportunity to apply to carry out the production of the order. If an order is placed successfully, it is then produced by a qualified partner in the network.

The result is that the requesting manufacturer remains able to deliver and reliable – even beyond the limits of its own production capacities. At the same time, the network partners benefit from additional orders and improved utilisation of their production facilities. This is a classic win-win situation that specifically promotes efficiency, cooperation and competitiveness within the network, supported by transparent and structured processes.

The producer provides a description of its order request on the platform. First of all, it clicks on one of the FEFCO codes that have already been stored. These are internationally standardised codes for identifying corrugated board packaging. They have been defined by the Fédération Européenne des Fabricants de Carton Ondulé and facilitate communication between manufacturers, customers and suppliers. In addition, the producer indicates the quantity as well as its price expectations and, if necessary, other desired specifications. It does not have to formulate almost anything itself; the platform asks for all the relevant details. This order entry can be viewed by any registered company within the BoxHub network.

The application by a company in response to the order request is only visible to the company that advertises this request. “The other participants in the network can’t track who is communicating and negotiating with whom in relation to this order,” explains Niclas Frank. JH Holding also does not see what price was actually paid in the end. “We only find out whether a contract has been concluded, but we don’t check whether it has actually been implemented. So from our point of view, we act purely as an intermediary.”

The platform will initially be rolled out to a small group of users. BoxHub is intended primarily to be functional and easy to access: Users are automatically sent all the information about new order entries by e-mail. In the future, a connection to their ERP systems should make the platform even easier to use.

JH Holding does not charge a brokerage fee – the platform is accessible via a subscription model. For us, the focus is clearly on strengthening our network, very much embracing the motto: “Better together”, adds Niclas Frank, who developed the project together with Philipp Blank from the Professionals Academy and the IT -consulting firm Krallmann AG.

The next stage of expansion is set to make the platform international so that all Progroup customers can access it. There are also already plans for reverse brokerage: instead of publishing a specific order, it should soon be possible to offer free machine capacities via the platform. In addition, the intention is then also to add tracking and tracing, which will make it possible to track orders seamlessly and at any time.

In the long term, the team plans to expand BoxHub by adding a central building block for the exchange of knowledge. This should enable a systematic exchange of packaging solutions, development ideas and market knowledge.

“Our business model presents a great opportunity: through targeted cooperation and the systematic exchange of knowledge, we can leverage synergies that extend far beyond the options that each party has on its own. If we manage to network this knowledge intelligently, Progroup and its customers will be able to play an active role in shaping the future of the market – and overall they will be much greater than the sum of their parts,” says Niclas Frank in summary.

„JUST ASK PiA!“

Technology can be accessible and really help you in your daily work at any time. This is demonstrated by the chatbot PiA, which the experts at Prosystems are developing and training together with employees from a range of departments.

Which of our plants have a high-bay warehouse? What is the EBITDA? And how exactly do I bill a business trip? Employees ask themselves questions that they can’t get an answer to quickly every single day. Experts from Prosystems, Progroup’s internal division for digitisation and process optimisation, are working hard to ensure that generative AI can fill this gap for all employees in the future – at any time of the day. “Just ask PiA” may become a common saying in the ­company, explains Alexander Göttel, head of the Prosystems division. The chatbot knows the answer to many questions within the world of Progroup or can at least tell you where you can find it.

In addition, the plan is to build up a knowledge database. The employees working in the individual divisions are called upon to share their expert knowledge, some of which they have amassed over many years of working at the company. This means identifying the relevant questions and feeding them to the chatbot together with the relevant answers. Only the company’s own data is used. The onboarding process in particular can be enhanced and made easier using this AI, says Göttel. “The AI summarises complex questions in a nutshell and the questions can be asked anonymously,” explains the head of IT, adding: “New employees in particular often stumble over hurdles that no one foresees – internal abbreviations, unwritten rules, the little peculiar features of daily life at the company. If you ask a question, you may unintentionally reveal what you don’t know. If you stay silent, you’ll remain in the dark. PiA changes all this. It’s AI that not only provides answers, but also dispels any uncertainty. This creates vital knowledge.”

To ensure that PiA does not give incorrect answers, the data needs to be updated continuously. The digital assistant is currently being tested by a number of teams. For example, they want to answer questions about the production of corrugated board or identify logistics processes. Experts from each of the individual areas will review the answers and provide their feedback to Prosystems. “The more this AI is used, the more ideas come up about which other use cases could also be trained. Each bit of feedback from the organisation is an important input for PiA,” says Göttel. It provides an insight into a possible future, when PiA might not only provide internal support, but also be used externally. For example, it could provide round-the-clock support to customers who have questions about products or deliveries. This is a subtle, but clear indication of what the next step might be. But for the time being, the key message at Progroup is still: Just ask PiA. And train, train, train.

Learning Nuggets: Learning units served in a bite-sized portion

The Progroup Learning Nuggets whet the appetite to acquire knowledge. These small learning units are available to all employees in a compact, practical format.

In a world in which attention has become a real currency, learning formats also need to be reimagined. Today they are served in small portions – bite-sized, innovative and often with a play button. Instead of long days of training and unwieldy documents, Julia Kluck and Sarah Köhler are embracing a different approach with the Progroup Learning Nuggets. The pair jointly run the Corporate Communications and Marketing (CCM) department at Progroup and have set themselves the goal of making knowledge as accessible as a good snack: compact and easy to digest. They are well aware of the particular challenge of presenting complex relationships in a brief, concise way.

That’s because, the pair say, knowledge is only really valuable if it is shared. And it needs to be shared where it is needed: accessible and concise between two appointments, on the go on a mobile phone, or as a brief nugget. What used to be a multi-page PDF is now a clip that is no more than five minutes long with a clear message: you don’t have to know everything, but when you do need some information, it’s available immediately and at any time. Just grab a quick nugget. Without any calories, but always with substance.