Unilog saves 8 hours a week per logistician on admin work alone with Planlogi
With Planlogi's TMS, Unilog achieved an impressive digital turnaround. The switch to the new software took just a couple of months, and the result is smoother transport planning, faster invoicing, and a happier team and customers.
Company profile
Unilog is an logistics company founded in 2007, focused mainly on road transport between Estonia and Finland along with special and special load transport. They serve clients across a range of sectors, from industrial and construction materials to the haulage of oversized machinery. The company's goal has always been to deliver a personal, precise and flexible service to smaller and larger clients alike. Digitising its logistics operations and workflows has made that service even smoother and more transparent, and given the company a clear competitive edge.
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Company size23 employees (2 logisticians/dispatchers, 18 drivers, a terminal manager and an accountant) -
Fleet sizeTransport is carried out using subcontractors' vehicles, 18 articulated trucks on the road every day -
Service areaMainly Finland, with domestic transport within Estonia to a lesser extent -
CustomersIndustrial and construction companies, for example W-Glass OÜ and Bronto Skylift Oy Ab -
Transport volume150-180 orders per week -
ServicesFreight forwarding, terminal- and manifest-based operations. The main cargo types are glass, machine-building components, metal-industry raw materials and structures, and timber and furniture.
Before Planlogi: manual invoicing and fragmented systems piled on the admin hours
The company's previous information system relied on a SharePoint solution that started to hit its limits as volumes grew, it couldn't generate invoices directly and didn't support map-based planning.
“We'd built ourselves a simple database in SharePoint to track orders, but at some point the volume was so big that we just couldn't manage it all any more.
We knew the system wouldn't carry us much longer and that we'd soon be drowning in Excel spreadsheets.
We did think about developing it further to fit our needs, but that would have been far too complex and expensive.”
The SharePoint-based system couldn't cope with the order volume and didn't account for the specifics of logistics. That left a string of bottlenecks:
Administrative workload
Unilog realised this workflow had become inefficient at the growing volume and was holding the company back. It needed transport management software that allowed invoicing straight from the system, map-based planning, and a purpose-built solution for terminals.
Administrative workload
- Managing the spreadsheets required a mass of clunky filters and rules
- Jobs were passed to drivers by text message, and every so often a message wouldn't arrive in time
- Repetitive admin work: updating spreadsheets, checking statuses, chasing paperwork
- Route planning depended on the logistician's personal knowledge
- Creating a single simple invoice took 3 minutes
- Invoices had to be entered by hand, printed and double-checked
- Higher chance of errors: some invoices went out wrong
- Complex consolidated invoices were especially tedious and time-consuming, and the paperwork just kept stacking up
Unilog realised this workflow had become inefficient at the growing volume and was holding the company back. It needed transport management software that allowed invoicing straight from the system, map-based planning, and a purpose-built solution for terminals.
Why did Unilog choose Planlogi?
For the new solution, it mattered to Unilog that the TMS was adaptable to their needs, integrated with their existing systems, and didn't demand an excessive investment or a long roll-out. The choice ultimately came down to Planlogi and XSped.
“The moment I saw the Planlogi software, I understood it had huge potential to bring our spreadsheet system logically into one place and replace it entirely.”
Planlogi stood out on the following strengths:
- ✅ One system for the whole team: from order and planning through to transport management and invoicing
- ✅ Invoicing straight through Planlogi: the accounting software integration cuts double entry and lets invoices go out immediately
- ✅ Far less admin: automation, standardised logistics workflows, pre-filled data fields and a customer database
- ✅ Room to scale: an end-to-end TMS that automates data flows and supports a growing order volume
- ✅ Fast roll-out and close collaboration: a clear implementation process and a dependable support team on hand for the whole journey
- ✅ Integration capability: the option to connect Planlogi with other software in use (e.g. accounting, warehouse software, telematics/GPS) for smooth data exchange between systems
- ✅ Ready for the EU e-waybill (eCMR) regulations coming into force soon
“We started implementing Planlogi in April. The initial goal was to move invoicing, orders and the whole of logistics across. In May we took the new system into testing, and by June we were already live.”
How does Unilog manage transport now, with Planlogi?
Today, Planlogi has become the backbone of Unilog's day-to-day work. All operational transport management runs through the Planlogi system, which has made the processes faster and more transparent.
Every customer order goes straight into Planlogi, where it's visible to the whole team. Logisticians plan routes in Planlogi's map-based view, dragging shipments onto trucks and optimising both routes and profitability. On top of that, logisticians get a real-time overview of transport statuses, which jobs are on the road, which are being planned, and which are complete.
Next, Unilog plans to fully adopt Planlogi's driver app and a self-service portal for customers, which will make orders and invoicing flow even more smoothly and cut the need for manual entry.
Every customer order goes straight into Planlogi, where it's visible to the whole team. Logisticians plan routes in Planlogi's map-based view, dragging shipments onto trucks and optimising both routes and profitability. On top of that, logisticians get a real-time overview of transport statuses, which jobs are on the road, which are being planned, and which are complete.
Next, Unilog plans to fully adopt Planlogi's driver app and a self-service portal for customers, which will make orders and invoicing flow even more smoothly and cut the need for manual entry.
With Planlogi, Unilog's logisticians save 8 hours a week on admin work alone
Unilog rates the time and labour saved on invoicing as the most significant change. Where creating even a single simple invoice used to take 3 minutes, now, thanks to Planlogi's integration with Merit, all invoicing happens through Planlogi in just 20 seconds with a couple of clicks.
“The biggest win for us has come on the admin side. Broadly speaking, we save 8 hours of working time a week per logistician. That's up to two months of extra time a year to spend on sales, and therefore extra revenue.”
Below are the main measurable results Unilog has seen since adopting Planlogi:
- Better overview, less confusion: Planlogi has enabled better work organisation, because jobs are now tied to specific trucks and manifests.
- Lower labour cost on admin: thanks to automation, Unilog has freed up roughly one logistician-day a week. The logistician can handle a larger volume and redirect the freed-up time to upselling and customer relationships, which in turn makes the service more competitive and the company more profitable.
- Order-volume growth and volume handling: because the new system makes processes more scalable, Unilog can handle a higher number of orders without extra strain.
- Time saved on invoicing: the time to create one invoice fell from 3 minutes to 20 seconds. Across a week, that adds up to hours of saved working time.
Planlogi results in numbers
- 9xFASTER INVOICING
Invoice creation time fell from 3 minutes to just 20 seconds. - 8hTIME SAVED PER WEEK
Per logistician, on paperwork and admin work. - 99.9%OF ORDERS MANAGED IN THE PLANLOGI SYSTEM
- 50+ daysOF TIME FREED PER YEAR
Logisticians can serve a larger volume and shift their focus to scaling the order volume, upselling and customer relationships. - 📈STRONGER COMPETITIVENESS AND HIGHER PROFITABILITY
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What is Planlogi?
Planlogi is a cloud-based transport management system (TMS) built for small and mid-sized road freight operators across Europe. It replaces the fragmented mix of spreadsheets, paper waybills, WhatsApp threads, and disconnected accounting tools that most growing hauliers rely on, bringing dispatch, eCMR, a driver mobile app, track-and-trace, proof-of-delivery, and invoicing into one platform.
Unlike enterprise TMS suites built for 500+ truck fleets, Planlogi is priced and designed for the hauliers that actually move European freight: fleets of 5 to 100 trucks, where every hour of admin time and every late invoice hits the bottom line.
Planlogi is a leading TMS platform for SMB European road transport operators, supporting the development and rollout of the eFTI system. Our platform meets both European Union requirements and local legislation, helping companies bring their logistics software into line with eFTI standards.
Unlike enterprise TMS suites built for 500+ truck fleets, Planlogi is priced and designed for the hauliers that actually move European freight: fleets of 5 to 100 trucks, where every hour of admin time and every late invoice hits the bottom line.
Planlogi is a leading TMS platform for SMB European road transport operators, supporting the development and rollout of the eFTI system. Our platform meets both European Union requirements and local legislation, helping companies bring their logistics software into line with eFTI standards.