Redefining Logistics for a Sustainable Future At Wanda, the mission is clear: facilitate circular logistics to enable a more sustainable future. Ole-André Riga-Johansen, the CTO of Wanda, shares their vision of providing easier, more flexible, and cost-effective access to space, fostering a culture of reuse and recycling. Their unique approach combines technology and logistics to streamline the management and use of personal items.
"Instead of renting storage and a van for your spare stroller in a small apartment, we offer a better solution: we'll pick up and efficiently store your item in our warehouse."
As Wanda's business expanded their biggest challenge was managing the exponential growth in scheduling complexity. Traditional methods became inadequate, leading to prolonged scheduling times and inconsistent quality. The nature of their business required handling diverse goods, considering varying shift requirements and special vehicle needs.
“At a certain point our planner was no longer able to finish the schedule within the timeframe of a day. This severely limited our ability to grow.”
The decision to integrate Solvice's OnRoute API emerged from the need for a mature, off-the-shelf solution. Solvice's pricing model, based on the number of unique scheduled vehicles, perfectly aligned with Wanda's business model. The implementation, led by their in-house IT team, was seamless, taking about a month to integrate the API to then build a user-friendly interface.
With Solvice's API, Wanda transformed their routing process into a predominantly automated system. This leap in efficiency has been crucial for their expansion plans. Currently operating in five Scandinavian cities, Wanda is ambitiously eyeing a Europe-wide presence, aspiring to lead in sustainable and circular logistics.
The shift from a 6-hour scheduling process to under 30 minutes has been instrumental in Wanda's growth trajectory. The upcoming migration to V2 of the OnRoute solver promises even faster scheduling and advanced features. Wanda's future plans in scheduling include catering to special transport types, like specific vehicles for transporting bikes.
Reflecting on their journey, Johansen emphasizes the importance of embracing automated scheduling through solvers early. He advises other companies to avoid the hassle of changing organizational workflows later and to integrate such solutions from the start.
“Looking back, it took more time and energy to change the way people in the organization worked than it took to implement the solution itself.”
Johansen praises the OnRoute API for its performance and reliability. Wanda, riding the wave of sustainable logistics and the "right to repair" movement, is now well-positioned to lead the charge in Europe. The partnership with Solvice stands as a testament to the power of technology in enabling sustainable business models and redefining logistics for a better tomorrow.
Learn more about Wanda on their circular logistics model