Together, we want to simplify logistics: Cloud4Log is a collaboration project of GS1 Germany and the Bundesvereinigung Logistik. In domestic freight transport, a delivery note often serves as letter of consignment and thus fulfils the receipt function in transport contract between shipper and carrier. Unfortunately, paper is still in use. We are changing that now with more than 100 partners. Join us too!
Time-saving
The digital delivery note finally creates the conditions for automation and real process efficiency.
Sustainable
The digital delivery note is your key to paperless logistics and is therefore central to resource efficiency.
Real-time
The digital delivery note is always and everywhere available. Naturally secure and compliant with data protection regulations.
The cooperation partners
GS1 standards are the global language for efficient and secure business processes that are valid across company boundaries and continents. As part of a global network, GS1 works with its customers and partners to develop market-driven and future-orientated solutions that directly contribute to the success of the company.
The German Logistics Association (BVL) is an open network of people who actively promote efficient cooperation in the globalised economy. Its core objective is to communicate the importance of supply chain management and logistics – and to promote their application and development.
How Cloud4Log works
Analogue Challenge
Digital Solution
Practical Implementation
User Statements
Download-Area
How does Cloud4Log work?
Shipper
In this video, you will learn about the functionalities of the shipper using the basic front end. Among other things, you will learn how the shipper can upload digital delivery notes including information on the load carrier exchange and how the handover to the driver takes place.
Carrier
In this video, you will learn about the functionalities of the carrier using the basic front end. You will learn how the carrier can view the digital delivery notes and how a new tour can be created.
Consignee
In this video, you will learn about the functionalities of the consignee using the basic front end. How are delivery notes checked in? How can deviations be recorded? How can damage images be added? These and other functions are shown in the video.
Admin Panel
In this video, you will learn about the functionalities of the Admin Panel using the Basic front end. The company administrator receives all the important information for creating company locations, for users or for setting up additional company administrators.
Your Questions – our Answers
GS1 Germany, in cooperation with German Logistics Association, has created Cloud4Log as central cloud platform in order to establish a digital substitute of paper delivery notes in practice.
Deliveries of goods from consumer goods manufacturers to retailers are still accompanied by paper delivery notes in 2022. Depending on the degree of digitization that has already been implemented, the handling of delivery notes and associated processes hold massive optimization potential that can be leveraged with a fully digital industry solution.
In October 2020, the „Digital Delivery Note“ project was launched as a cooperative project between BVL and GS1 Germany, initiated by BVL working group „Digitalization of Transport Logistics“. Participating company representatives have dealt intensively with ACTUAL paper-based processes in supply chain and developed a specific recommendation so that a digital delivery note can be used in practice.
The basis of the implementation concept is a central cloud platform called „Cloud4Log“, by which digital documents accompanying transport can be exchanged between those companies involved in the logistics chain. An open Cloud4Log API interface offers third-party systems (front-ends) the opportunity to connect to Cloud4Log platform integrating corresponding functionalities into the systems. In this way, users can use existing IT service providers and their systems as well as their own systems to exchange digital delivery notes.
In addition, users are offered a Cloud4Log Basic front-end, which does not require an interface connection and offers every company the opportunity to use Cloud4Log service.
Cloud4Log is a cloud-based platform. The platform has an open interface through which different applications can be connected to the platform.
As the operators of Cloud4Log, GS1 and BVL, offer a basic front-end that also uses this interface.
The Cloud4Log Basic front-end can be used via a web browser (e.g., Chrome or Firefox). You don’t need to download any extra software; instead, you can do everything online.
Cloud4Log brings various process advantages for users:
- Accelerated delivery confirmation in real time
- Paperless transport & available departure time at the loading point in real time
- Transparent documentation of delivery deviations including damage images
- Improved quality during further processing of delivery note information
- Traceable documentation of exchange of loading equipment at the loading and unloading point
- Useful and necessary addition to EDI process with DESADV and RECADV
- Reduction of invoice corrections and credit notes
- Quick and easy identification of driver and load at the unloading point
- Legally compliant digital documentation of delivery process
- Simple and fast selection of delivery notes, including deviations
- Fast reaction to delivery deviations with subsequent deliveries
- Merging of digital goods receipt documents with digital delivery notes
- No scanning effort for archiving delivery documents & no loss of delivery notes
- Parallelization of processes without duplicating paper documents
Depending on functionality in supply chain, a commercial site uses one or more roles (shipper, forwarder, recipient) in the Cloud4Log system.
Role shipper:
A shipper is a commercial site at which an employee with the role of goods issue employee assembles the physical shipments, creates the delivery notes and physically places the goods on the market. The sender of goods has the option of storing digital delivery notes in a cloud and granting rights to involved supply chain partners with regard to further processing of digital delivery notes. He is also entitled to enrich digital delivery notes with information related to loading (e.g. load carrier exchange processes). In addition, he can call up digital delivery note documents at any time, download them and save them for his own purposes.
Role carrier:
A commercial site that is commissioned to transport shipments from a shipper to a consignee. An employee at this site has the role of freight forwarder. The logistics service provider commissioned with transport has the opportunity to see delivery notes assigned to him in full and can pass on access links to these delivery notes as desired (e.g. to a driver). In addition, he is entitled to call up digital delivery note documents at any time, download them and archive them for his purposes.
Consignee:
The consignee collects the goods delivered by the sender. This can be the person ordering goods or a commissioned logistics service provider.
An employee of the consignee’s incoming goods department has the opportunity to see all of the delivery notes assigned to him and is entitled to enrich digital delivery notes with information related to unloading (e.g. driver’s acknowledgment, comment on delivery deviations). This also includes the provision of additional information in other file formats such as goods receipt documents from third-party systems or damage images. In addition, he can access, download and save digital delivery note documents at any time for his own purposes.
In addition to these three registered roles, recipient, logistics service provider and recipient, there is also the actor driver:
Actor driver:
The driver is not a logged-in and registered role in the Cloud4Log system. This means that drivers are only granted viewing rights via an access link, however they are not granted any editing or download rights.
Depending on its functionalities in the supply chain, a commercial site can take on several roles (shipper, forwarder, consignee) in the Cloud4Log system.
For this purpose, an administrator can specify corresponding roles when creating a new site in the admin panel. Employees who are assigned to a location receive appropriate roles as Goods issue employee, Forwarder or Goods receipt employee in their user profiles.
In principle, all those involved in the process must be known to the Cloud4Log system and created with appropriate site. Only if all actors in a supply chain are known, the shipper can grant them viewing and editing rights and the digital delivery note process can be completed.
In a first step, Cloud4Log provides an open cloud platform making it possible to exchange delivery notes in digital form between all actors within Germany involved in value creation networks.
A legal assessment on admissibility of a digital delivery note was carried out as part of project phase and led to the conclusion that using digital delivery notes in Germany is permissible according to Güterkraftverkehrsgesetz (Road Goods Transport Act) and Handelsgesetzbuch (Commercial Code of Germany). The legal opinions prepared can be viewed here in the appendix to project documentation „The digital delivery note“.
An expansion of the service to other documents accompanying goods with cross-border traffic is aimed for the future, but must first be evaluated from a legal point of view.
As a not-for-profit company, GS1 Germany sees itself as an independent and neutral moderator, developer, consultant and trainer for optimization of cross-company business processes along the value chain.
The BVL also represents a neutral platform for managers in logistics. BVL is a non-profit organization and its self-image is objective and independent.
Neutrality of Cloud4Log service is guaranteed through cooperation between GS1 Germany and BVL. In addition, an open and standardized interface ensures the variety of providers and counteracts proprietary isolated solutions.
It only takes a few clicks to start using Cloud4Log service.
First, your company must register at https://www.gs1-germany.de/c4l-bestellung/ on order to participate in Cloud4Log. Registration only requires a main GLN of the company. You will receive a GLN if you are a GS1 Complete or SmartStarter10 customer with GS1. More information can be found here.
If a main GLN exists, the company administrator can easily register on the registration page.
The specified initial company administrator will receive access data for administrator account via e-mail no later than two working days after online registration has been completed and can act in Cloud4Log on behalf of their own employer. Only an administrator account is authorized to set up additional administrators’ access for the entire company.
The general terms and conditions for Cloud4Log can be found at: https://www.gs1-germany.de/c4l-bestellung/
When using Cloud4Log service, a transaction fee per transmitted file is due. The transaction fee is divided equally between parties involved in the distribution process (shipper, carrier and consignee). The transaction fee only applies once per file, even if one party accesses it multiple times. The transaction fee is EUR 0.90. As a rule, there are three parties involved in the distribution process (shipper, forwarder and consignee) and this results in a pro rata transaction fee of EUR 0.30 per party.
Further details on the cost model can be found in the General Terms and Conditions at: https://www.gs1-germany.de/c4l-bestellung/
The Cloud4Log Basic front-end can be used to enable a quick introduction to Cloud4Log service. As soon as all actors in a supply chain have registered online, piloting is easily possible. Unnecessary barriers to entry, such as a basic fee, were deliberately avoided. Instead, only one transaction fee is charged for each exchanged delivery note file.
Third-party systems (front-ends) can be connected to the Cloud4Log platform via an open Cloud4Log API interface.
The API documentation is publicly available on a Cloud4Log GitHub https://github.com/JR-2022/C4L and can be viewed at any time. All endpoints/methods of Cloud4Log application are listed and described there.
Certification is a basic requirement for this connection. The certification is carried out by the European EPC Competence Center. First, your company must register as an API user with Cloud4Log. To do this, contact the C4L team via the following email address: c4l-serviceanfrage-vertrag@gs1.de . After contacting us, you will receive relevant information and contract documents. You will also receive a document listing test cases that you must first carry out and document to be approved for certification.
Both human-readable data and machine-readable data can be exchanged via Cloud4Log.
The human-readable part of the digital delivery note is a digital image of paper-based physical delivery note and thus contains the same attributes and information. Since a paper delivery note is not standardized, attributes considered can differ depending on company involved.
The (optional) machine-readable XML attachment of a delivery note is standardized with a defined set of attributes. The PDF/A-3 format is selected for electronic implementation. GS1 Germany has created a separate C4L XML document for detailed XML specifications, which can be found in public Cloud4Log GitHub: https://github.com/JR-2022/C4L
Third-party systems (front-ends) can be connected to Cloud4Log platform via an open Cloud4Log API interface.
Technical documentation for Cloud4Log can be found in public Cloud4Log GitHub: https://github.com/JR-2022/C4L
Various materials for starting with Cloud4Log are available on Cloud4Log landing page. On www.cloud4log.de you will find following materials:
- Onboarding videos for shipper, logistics service provider and consignee, as well as a video about the admin panel
- The Cloud4Log service description, in which essential functionalities of basic front end are described.
- The link to public API documentation.
Do you have:
- Technical problems
- Change requests to company data
- Questions about the bill
- Questions about the contract
- Other questions
Please contact Cloud4Log service: Write us a message free of charge to: c4l-support@t-systems.com Or use our customer telephone: 069 – 689 702 813 (€25.00 per call)
Let’s talk to each other!
We will be happy to provide you with further information. Simply fill out the following form and you will receive documents with the latest information on Cloud4Log. If you have a question, please enter it below.
In our Cloud4Log Community Talk you will receive overview of Cloud4Log, the service for the digital delivery note.
Using a live demo of the Cloud4Log Basic front end, you will learn the functionalities of the service. Additionally, a use case will be presented and you can address your questions directly to the experts and users of the service.
Support
Do you have:
- Technical problems
- Change requests for company data
- Questions about the invoice
- Questions about the contract
- Other questions
Please contact the Cloud4Log Service:
Send us a message free of charge to: c4l-support@t-systems.com
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