Kuehne + Nagel: Service innovation for general cargo shipments
In the Cross Innovation Class, a team of students worked with Kühne + Nagel to develop a service portal for general cargo deliveries.
The challenge
We all know the complexity of parcel deliveries when we are not at home. Either the parcel is with the neighbours or it has been delivered to a branch. Or you have left a deposit order, in which case your parcel may end up in the garden.
The system and the associated online portals work for normal parcels. But what happens when furniture, washing machines and televisions are delivered? These cannot be dropped off at a neighbour's house or taken to the nearest branch for collection. A drop-off order for weather-sensitive and valuable consignments is probably also difficult.
Kuehne + Nagel, which is a major logistics provider for general cargo transport, repeatedly encounters a wide variety of challenges when delivering large consignments to private individuals.
The team therefore asked itself how the rate of first deliveries could be increased in order to relieve customer service, save CO2 and prevent long waiting times for shipments in the terminal.
Output
The result is the Kühnected prototype, a fully functional web app that independently supports the customer in the delivery process and proactively solves known delivery problems.
Kühnected incorporates many features that we are already familiar with from parcel delivery. For example, the portal proactively asks whether the recipient is present during the delivery period. If someone is present but cannot accept the bulky parcel on their own, the portal offers the option of booking additional help.
If no one is present, a cancellation order can be placed. The delivery can also be cancelled. Before this is possible, however, the customer is informed about the additional CO2 impact of a second delivery, which is intended to encourage a change in behaviour. Transparency is a top priority at Kühnected.
The portal is a real novelty for private delivery in the general cargo sector, as the parcel delivery portals we are familiar with do not yet exist in this area.
Try out the WebApp for yourself
WebApp: https: //kuehnected.web.app/
Order: https: //kuehnected.web.app/newDelivery
Updates: https: //kuehnected.web.app/updateDelivery
Students: Leonie Arp (Urban Planning, HCU), Tobias Ramm (Business Informatics, FH Wedel), Marten Christophersen (Smart Technology, FH Wedel), Jonas Kurt (Logistics & Mobility, TUHH), Josina Lammert (Interior Design, AMD), Christopher von Schrenck (Product Design, AMD)
Company: Nicholas Minde, Tatjana Scheuring
"The collaboration with an interdisciplinary team consisting of representatives from different degree programmes was particularly valuable."
Format & method
In the Cross Innovation Class, students from three to six different universities work in interdisciplinary teams on the practical challenges of the project partners.
- The process follows the logic of design thinking: in iterative feedback loops with the partners, the teams approach a solution step by step.
- The entire process is managed by the Cross Innovation Hub team and supported by trained facilitators.
- Prototypes can be created and tested in the workshops of the partner universities.
Cross Innovation Class #3 took place in the summer semester 2021 on the topic of Urban Tech/Smart City Solutions.
Our partner: Kühne + Nagel
Kuehne + Nagel is a global logistics service provider in the fields of sea and airfreight, contract logistics and overland transport. At over 130 locations worldwide, more than 74,000 employees and supply chain experts ensure the smooth transport of goods.
