Meet the Promet Logistics team
Making the world smaller. We distribute the materials needed in the agricultural, engineering, energy and chemical industries across Europe. Each of our drivers drives 110,000 km a year and needs round-the-clock support on the road. This is handled by a dispatch team that has recently been renewed.
PROMET LOGISTICS offices are located on the ground floor of the PROMET GROUP headquarters in the centre of Ostrava. The main area is an open space office, which functions as a headquarters. Dispatchers work at monitors and telephones. They are communicative, well equipped in language and resistant to stress.
The current team was chosen by Michal Večeřa, who has been in charge of the company for three years. "The turnover in some positions came about naturally. I call it oxygenation of the team because I see it as a progression. Three years ago, the selection of a dispatcher was very complicated. There weren't enough of them on the market and they were often not well equipped with the language. But that has changed. The quality of dispatchers is generally higher today and we have been able to choose really good quality reinforcements."
The morning shift comes to work at 6am, with the other part of the dispatchers staying at the control room until 5pm. But they are on call 24/7 to help drivers with unexpected problems at night and on weekends. Each dispatcher looks after his or her own group of drivers.
At PROMET LOGISTICS, we make sure they know each other personally. "I think that this way they build up a better trust between each other. Once a year, we organize a training session for drivers and dispatchers, where everyone sees each other and the dispatchers also go to our bases in Petřvald and Kopřivnice from time to time, where they also meet the drivers," says Michal Večeřa.
Planning, communication, economics
As early as Wednesday, dispatchers start planning the schedule for the next week so that drivers know what to expect in the coming days by Friday at the latest. During the following week, dispatchers then coordinate their route, which they monitor around the clock. And they deal promptly with any deviations from the set plan. Delays can occur due to weather, road problems or waiting at a customer's site. It's up to the dispatcher to handle everything remotely, communicate and update the plan if necessary. For example, while it is important to maintain a professional attitude at all times, it is also important that the dispatcher maintains a professional attitude at all times.
"All communication is up to him. If the customer's requirements are impossible to meet, he must also be able to explain to them correctly why certain things are not possible with reference to legislation. We don't require drivers to know a foreign language because the dispatcher is the link between him and the customer. And every driver will tell you that a good dispatcher is the most important thing for him on the road," says the head of PROMET LOGISTICS.
Besides negotiating transport and planning journeys, a dispatcher must also be able to think economically and calculate well. "His job is to make sure that the vehicle shows an operating profit."
Kristýna Ohainková, who has gained extensive experience in the UK, is now in charge of the dispatching team. "She worked there as a dispatcher for eight years and in her relatively short time with us she convinced me that she would be the right fit," says Michal Večeřa, who realises that the work of dispatchers is often stressful and therefore values his team. The new team also includes a systems engineer, whose main task is to prepare the system and documents for successful ISO 9001 certification within this year.
"Sometimes you accumulate several requirements at once and they are all important. At that point you have to evaluate them, choose priorities and address them one by one. There are plenty of dispatchers on the market, but only the best ones can coordinate everything to the satisfaction of all parties, including the driver, who has to rest for a given number of hours. Our dispatchers can do that," says Michal Večeřa, praising his colleagues.
Interesting facts:
- 26 drivers drive for Promet Logistics, 4 dispatchers take care of them
- Our drivers drive a total of 2.8 million km a year across Europe
- The most distant destinations are southern Spain and Greece
- The most frequent destinations are the Czech Republic and Germany
- They transport automotive components, palletised goods, pig iron, ferroalloys, scrap iron and agri-commodities - from grain to fertiliser granules
PROMET LOGISTICS also takes care of the management fleet of the PROMET GROUP, which consists of 140 vehicles. But more about that next time. :)
