Goes-based Smartbox Ltd. is the creator of the Smartbox. And this name did not come out of thin air. Actually, Smartbox has one of today’s most ingenious solutions for closed bodyworks in the transport market. Using environmental aspects as fundamental idea concerning product development, Smartbox is not only the lightest trailer body for transportation purposes, but also 100% recyclable. The low weight and clever construction method of the boxes allow for transportation of bigger loads of cargo, while at the same time drastically reducing use of fuel. Because of this, less carbon dioxide is emitted. Smartbox is a breath of fresh air in the world of transportation, Robert-Paul Frenken (Design Engineer at SmartBox) agrees: “At Smartbox a constant search for sustainability is conducted, and for that very reason we are looking for, among other things, the lightest and 100% recyclable composition for our trailer body. Our product’s smart construction eventually even leads to fewer vehicles on the road.”
Smartbox is member of Ford’s Qualified Vehicle Modifier program, and preferred supplier for Mercedes Benz, where trailers with a Smartbox are a definite part of the dealers’ catalog. But that is not all: in total, Smartbox supplies trailer bodies for 13 of the world’s biggest car brands. “We do not ship any trailer body that is not perfect in our eyes. This is because a trailer with our Smartbox is the billboard for our end users,“ Frenken explains.
“We offer multiple variants of our products, for example front- and rear wheel driven trailers. What’s more, every car brand differs in build guidelines and other frames. Lastly, all of Smartbox’s options have to be kept in mind: different heights, widths, placement of side doors, there is such an incredible amount of possibilities.”, Frenken explains. Because of the immense amount of configurations, it is almost impossible for dealers and salesmen to take the correct composition for an order without the assistance of configuration software. The amount of possible combinations is simply too big. Previously, orders were made through order forms. “The order form has never really been practical. It is too easy for a clerical error to slip in, which leads to longer contact between us and the dealer than necessary, and is prone to cause confusion. The configurator takes this confusion away, dealers can immediately see pricing when writing up the quotations, and as a result it can be composed together with the customer. In turn, revisions become a thing of the past.” Elfsquad has turned out to be the ultimate tool to eliminate aforementioned bottlenecks. When the end customer is satisfied with the model, a well-written quotation is printed right away. Always without error, always optimally filled in to the customer’s needs.
The optimisation on the sales side allows us to produce more efficiently, and with less waste. This reinforces our competitive market position, for the competition does not stand still.
By integrating Elfsquad with Exact Online, Smartbox’ ERP system, a tight workflow between Smartbox and its dealers is formed: The complete product is configured within Elfsquad. “Together with the end customer, the dealer configures all options within Elfsquad. It is impossible for errors to occur, because Guided Selling creates nothing but clarity and accessibility for the dealers. Afterwards, the complete component list of the subcompositions is redirected back to Exact Online, after which we can move onto the production phase.” As a result, Exact Online & Elfsquad create a lot of optimisation for Smartbox within the pre-production process.
The expansion of this project is largely because of the widespread use of Elfsquad among dealers. The market supply is not filled in completely, which opens up opportunities for Smartbox. Smartbox is clearly growing in capacity and Elfsquad has turned out to be the tool to give this rise a boost: “The optimisation on the sales side allows us to produce more efficiently, and with less waste. This reinforces our competitive market position, for the competition does not stand still. When striving for perfection, you have got to keep on innovating and optimising, because perfection does not actually exist. We have found our optimisation within the pre-production process, which is why we began using Elfsquad.”
The expansion to dealers is also welcomed with a lot of enthusiasm among the Smartbox dealers. “Because of our large amount of dealers this appears like a long-term project, but as a matter of fact we are quick to convince dealers, due to the clear benefits of configuration software. Marketing our product becomes very accessible.” And managing all of the dealers is in Smartbox’ own hands: “We determine which purchase discounts every specific dealer receives. Everything is directly included in the configurator, and as a result everyone immediately knows what they are dealing with.”
