Benchmark TransSped

Austrian freight transport and forwarding companies are currently collecting a large amount of data generated by business management and (commercial) vehicles. Although this data is evaluated internally, industry benchmarks (i.e. the ability to compare with other companies in the same industry, region etc.) are missing. With the project Benchmark TransSped the basics for the creation of an online platform to make this data usable was developed and prepared.

Client: bmvit, mobility of the future 5th call for tenders

Duration: April 2016 to March 2017 (12 months)

Project partners: Manova GesmbH, Fachhochschule des bfi Wien GesmbH, Federal Division Transport and Traffic, WKO, Fachverband für das Güterbeförderungsgewerbe, WKO, Fachverband der Speditionsunternehmen, WKO

LOI partners: Statistik Austria, Transport Division (Bundesanstalt), Berner Consulting (Consulting), dwif consulting (Consulting), Eurotrans Speditions GesmbH (Transportwirtschaft), Fahrschule Alpenland (Transportwirtschaft), Förster Transporte und HandelsgesmbH (Transportwirtschaft), Hödlmayr International (Transportwirtschaft), Hofmann & Neffe GmbH (Transportwirtschaft), Klacska Mineralöltransporte GmbH (Transportwirtschaft), Schenker & Co AG (Transportwirtschaft), Schneckenreither GesmbH (Transportwirtschaft), STAG Staubgut-Transport (Transportwirtschaft)

Project description: The Austrian freight transport and forwarding companies are currently confronted with a situation in which they have to supply data to Statistik Austria on specified dates, binding, with a high expenditure of time and without directly ascertainable benefits. They do not know their own business situation or know it only insufficiently and are not able to objectively assess the industry situation.

In addition, data is currently being generated and collected automatically on the (utility) vehicle side but not made usable (in the sense of the enumeration points mentioned above).

Business comparisons, often subsumed under the English term “benchmarking”, are a frequently used instrument for controlling and quality management both in business administration and in other disciplines. Since the organised comparison of cost, performance or impact factors is the basic principle of benchmarking, formal comparability of the values used in the sense of uniform recording, evaluation and analysis is a fundamental prerequisite.

Online benchmarking platforms allow entrepreneurs to enter their data – often anonymously – and to obtain benchmarks or best-practice examples immediately. Through the use of highly developed benchmarking instruments, high-quality comparative data and knowledge gains can be generated. Intelligent benchmarking systems allow data collection via interfaces and automated data preparation as well as data input via various participants with very specific rights with regard to input and report level. On the one hand, the homogeneity of the partners and thus comparability play a role here, but on the other hand, data protection issues also play a role.

In the project Benchmark TransSped, an online benchmark platform was developed, which makes it possible to collect data generated on the (commercial) vehicle side as well as business management data and thus offers an ideal basis to increase the data quality of the currently available industry data and to enable freight transport and forwarding companies to better assess their own business situation and compare it with the industry, regional or other benchmarks.

Contact: Alex Schubert