Planzer Article

«Ordered today, delivered tomorrow» starts in a place where up to 6,500 pallets and more than 100 trucks move through every day, while thousands of scans keep operations running: Planzer’s distribution centre in Pratteln. Logistics on this scale requires seamless connectivity and a telecom partner that works as a partner at eye level– like Salt Business.»

Scanning, checking, sorting, packing: at Planzer’s distribution centre in Pratteln near Basel, every step has to run smoothly. Goods arrive throughout the day, many by rail. They are sorted and, shortly afterwards, prepared for the next stage of their journey. What may look from the outside like an endless flow of parcels and pallets follows a precise and carefully coordinated system inside the distribution centre.

At the heart of it all is logistics specialist Sabrina T., helping to keep operations running smoothly. She skilfully manoeuvres her electric pallet truck between countless pallets and busy conveyor belts with speed and confidence. But her most important tool is her scanner. It not only identifies the item in her hands, but also tells her exactly where it needs to go. Without digital connectivity, the entire process comes to a standstill: every item must be scanned and correctly assigned.

«Without the scanner, nothing would work here, » says the logistics specialist. Reliable connectivity is essential among conveyor belts, roller conveyors and pallets stacked with parcels. Even the shortest interruption could have a major impact: the entire logistics chain could come to a standstill, causing significant delays that would ultimately also affect recipients.

*Sabrina, a logistics specialist, scans every parcel at the distribution centre, ensuring each one is correctly assigned.

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The working day starts with a message on the phone.

While the next deliveries are being prepared at the distribution centre, Ricardo makes sure they reach their final destination. His working day usually starts at 7:00 a.m. with a message from the operations centre. He receives the go-ahead to set off directly on his phone – and then his delivery round begins.

For Ricardo, reliable connectivity is particularly important while he is on the road. With every delivery, receipt or safe drop-off of the parcel must be digitally confirmed before he can complete the delivery process. This often requires the recipient’s digital signature, and every completed delivery must be transmitted back to the system. A reliable mobile network is therefore essential, especially on routes through remote mountain regions, where winter can bring heavy snow, narrow roads and elevations of more than 1,500 metres above sea level.

For Ricardo, working at Planzer is more than just a job. To mark his five-year anniversary with the company, he received five grams of gold, as does every Planzer employee reaching this milestone. It was a gesture he greatly appreciated and one that makes him proud. It reflects the appreciation and long-term relationships at the heart of the family-owned company. And with Salt Business, companies and their outstanding employees can rely on a network that has itself received multiple awards.

The most important device on the road

The «OBU», or On-Board Unit, is the digital brain in every delivery vehicle. Equipped with a Salt SIM card, it sends and receives data via the mobile network. The OBU displays assignments, delivery addresses and schedules for drivers and reliably navigates them to their destinations. In this way, it directly connects dispatch planning with operations on the road.

Pietro is one of the people responsible for ensuring that this interaction runs smoothly. As Head of Logistics, he manages around 60 drivers and ten logistics specialists. Information from across the operation comes together with him. He keeps track of the bigger picture, coordinates activities and responds whenever a route changes or a delivery needs to be rescheduled.

Seamless connectivity is essential.

For Pietro, however, it is the people who ultimately make the difference. He proudly explains that Planzer has a particularly high number of long-serving logistics professionals. Many of them have been with the company for years. Their experience is especially valuable in the fast-paced world of logistics, where time pressure and unexpected challenges are part of everyday operations.

Although many processes are digitally managed, smooth operations ultimately depend on people who can keep an overview even under pressure, think ahead, take responsibility and quickly find the right solution – people like Pietro Attardo, whose pride in the company comes through in every sentence.

*Pietro manages 60 drivers and 10 logistics specialists – there’s never a dull moment.

IT solutions developed in-house

It is no coincidence that Planzer’s digital systems are precisely tailored to the company’s needs. Planzer develops the IT solutions it requires in-house. Around 90 IT specialists work on the applications and systems that make its day-to-day logistics operations possible.

One of them is Sven Frei, Head of IT Services & Operations. He has been with Planzer since 2008 and has witnessed the technological evolution of the Swiss family-owned company first-hand. With IT and software development managed entirely in-house, his team can respond directly to new requirements and develop solutions tailored specifically to Planzer’s operations.

His team also initiated the partnership with Salt Business. Planzer was not simply looking for a company to provide a defined service and send invoices. It was looking for a partner on equal footing – one that understands the demands of day-to-day logistics and works together with Planzer to continuously improve. Salt Business delivers on this by providing Planzer with a dedicated expert who offers ongoing guidance and helps the company prepare for the future.

A migration that went almost unnoticed

For a company whose daily operations depend on thousands of digital connections, a migration is a significant challenge, and changing telecommunications providers is a complex undertaking. Scanners, OBUs, smartphones and other mobile devices all need to function reliably and without interruption. At the same time, day-to-day operations must continue unaffected.

According to Sven Frei, the transition to Salt Business went almost unnoticed by the drivers – for him, one of the clearest signs that the migration was a success.

This is exactly the kind of partnership Sven Frei values: «Salt Business works with Planzer as an equal partner, and that is something we greatly appreciate.» Challenges are addressed openly and solutions are developed together. «Our telecommunications partner doesn’t just provide us with products and services; they also contribute wherever there is potential to further improve our processes,» says Sven Frei. «And when it comes to value for money, Salt is, of course, unbeatable,» adds the Head of IT Services & Operations with a satisfied smile.

*Sven has been with Planzer since 2008. His IT team successfully implemented Salt Business.

For Max Nunziata, CEO of Salt, a strong and collaborative partnership is key:

«The fact that we were able to convince Planzer with our quality, flexibility, personal support and comprehensive service reinforces our position as a strong B2B telecommunications partner. We ensured a seamless transition to Salt Business for Planzer.»

For a company of this size operating across Switzerland, comprehensive and reliable connectivity is essential. «We are proud that our network is more than capable of meeting these high demands,» says Nunziata.

Looking ahead, the focus remains on further strengthening the partnership: «With flexible and scalable solutions, we stand alongside Planzer and support the company as it continues to grow.»

Connected from start to finish

Planzer transports goods not only throughout Switzerland but also to destinations around the world. Whether a shipment travels just a few kilometres or crosses national borders, every journey relies on a precisely coordinated process that simply cannot function without continuous connectivity.

In Pratteln, that process might begin with a scan by Sabrina. Pietro and his team turn countless individual orders into smoothly coordinated delivery routes. Ricardo ensures the goods reach their destination safely and digitally records the handover. And behind the scenes, Sven and his team make sure the technology that enables it all works reliably.

Sabrina, Ricardo, Pietro and Sven may have very different roles, but they all have one thing in common: without the reliable exchange of data and information, modern logistics simply cannot keep moving. Salt Business keeps them connected – from the first scan at the distribution centre to the confirmed handover at the final destination. Helping ensure that the parcels we look forward to arrive as quickly as possible.