Modernising 119 Years of Logistics Excellence
NP Nilsson is a 119-year-old, family-owned building materials supplier based in southern Sweden. With approximately 180 employees across multiple locations, including their newest facility ‘‘MOLOC‘‘ (Morgondagens Logistikcenter) which is more accurately described as a logistics centre of tomorrow, NP Nilsson has built its reputation on quality products, personal service, and deep customer relationships spanning multiple generations of builders.
The Challange
NP Nilsson is a powerhouse of excellence in WMS, telematics, and a state-of-the-art logistics center; transport was the final part of the puzzle posing several operational challenges:
No real-time tracking of deliveries or ability to provide customers with accurate ETAs.
Transport coordinators worked with ERP, paper lists and phone calls, making route planning time-consuming and inefficient.
High call volumes from customers asking, "Where is my
delivery?" consumed significant staff time.
No systematic way to document deliveries, creating potential
disputes.
Unable to track transport costs at order level, only at branch level, making it impossible to understand true delivery costs per customer or order.
The Solution: Our delivery platform
NP Nilsson selected Alrik as their transport platform after evaluating multiple options. Backing on their initial choice when Alrik came along. The decision came down to three key factors:
"We could be operational within the same week we decided to go ahead," explains Martin, Supply Chain Manager at NP Nilsson. "Compared to other solutions that would take months of setup with countless tables and menus to configure, which we’ve already experienced with other systems, Alrik was intuitive and quick to deploy. We didn’t stand still for one single day when we implemented Alrik.”
"We can have a quick Teams meeting with Fredrik directly, Developer at Alrik, rather than submitting tickets that go through multiple translation layers," notes Martin. "For a company like ours, having that personal contact with developers is invaluable, and matches well with our own values at NP Nilsson."
With a strong focus on sustainability and digitalisation, NP Nilsson valued Alrik's emphasis on providing climate data, route patterns, and comprehensive analytics. Transport cost on order level was always impossible to get, which we now have easily with Alrik.
Implementation & Integration
The implementation process was remarkably smooth, with NP Nilsson operational within days of the decision. The integration between their two ERP systems (Trygg 2000 and Monitor) and Alrik was handled primarily by Alrik's team owning the relationship, creating seamless data flow across systems.
From ERP to Alrik carrying all the information across systems without previous phone calls or emails
For order updates and status changes
To stakeholders when key events occur
Results & Impact
Before Alrik, transport manager Oskar Henriksson would manually review orders in the ERP, trying to identify which orders could be combined, calling external carriers when internal capacity was full.
shows all deliveries geographically, making route optimisation intuitive
allow instant identification of priority deliveries (express, first-class)
enables efficient multi-drop routes, increasing orders per vehicle
The upcoming route optimisation function will automatically suggest optimal routes based on time windows, distances, and vehicle constraints
"The map is really excellent," says Oscar. "When I have a rule or constraint – like an express tag or weight requirement – I can see on the map if there's something nearby that I can combine. I like to mix deliveries, which is why we've set it up to show everything, so you can blend strategically."
Implementation of the Track & Trace functionality (currently in pilot phase with select customers) is expected to dramatically reduce the "Where is my delivery?" calls that previously dominated transport coordinators' phone statistics.
Drivers now photograph all deliveries, providing concrete evidence of delivery completion and condition. Combined with barcode scanning at every step, NP Nilsson can trace any package through the entire supply chain.
"Now we can stand with a straight back and say Yes, we delivered it. Here's the package shown in the picture, here are the 15 scans throughout the journey, and what it contained" explains Daniel Hellgren, Warehouse Manager.
"Before retiring, our former CFO often said his biggest wish was to finally track freight costs accurately at the order level — a task that had long been one of our toughest." recalls Martin. "Now we finally have a system that lets us measure transport costs down to the order level instead of just spreading them across branches. We can analyse which sellers create orders requiring high transport costs and allocate costs accordingly."
Before Alrik, drivers received paper lists, had to ask where to load, and relied on memory or notes for delivery sequences.
Provides complete delivery information including cargo content details
in the GPS of their choice directly populated by Alrik Drive
automatically sent to customers to let them know when the delivery will arrive and what will be delivered
with photo capture and signature
with transport coordinator via notifications
“Our vision is to operate like an F1 pit crew — where drivers signal exactly when they’ll arrive, enabling us to prepare and deliver faster, fully tracked loading times” says Martin Erming Nilsson.
to ensure proper load matching
in one system
by seeing which vehicles are available and where
The upcoming volume calculation feature will further optimise loading by ensuring weight AND volume constraints are considered.
“The system is really intuitive and user friendly. Before, you managed everything via the ERP and maps, Alrik makes it very easy to jump in and plan the deliveries when needed, even when you don’t know the area by experience”
"The map is really excellent. When I have a rule or constraint – like an express tag or weight requirement – I can see on the map if there's something nearby that I can combine. I like to mix deliveries, which is why we've set it up to show everything, so you can blend strategically."
"Before retiring, our former CFO often said his biggest wish was to finally track freight costs accurately at the order level — a task that had long been one of our toughest. Now we finally have a system that lets us measure transport costs down to the order level.”
"We could be operational within the same week we decided to go ahead. Compared to other solutions that would take months of setup with countless tables and menus to configure, which we’ve already experienced with other system, Alrik was intuitive and quick to deploy. We didn’t stand still for one single day when we implemented Alrik.”
"We can have a quick Teams meeting with Fredrik directly rather than submitting tickets that go through multiple translation layers. For a company like ours, having that personal contact with developers is invaluable, and matches well with our own values at NP Nilsson."
Key Success Factors
Several factors contributed to NP Nilsson's successful implementation:
As a family-owned business, NP Nilsson could make quick decisions without lengthy approval chains. "That's a huge competitive advantage – we can decide and act fast," notes Martin.
Starting with internal use before rolling out customer-facing features allowed the team to build confidence and train staff properly.
The close working relationship with Alrik's development team enabled and still does enable quick resolution of integration challenges and rapid customisation when needed.
Looking Ahead
For NP Nilsson, Alrik represents more than just a transport platform – it's a critical component of their digital transformation journey, enabling them to scale their operations while preserving the personal touch and service quality that has defined the company for over a century.
"Our goal is ambitious – one billion SEK in revenue within a few years," says Martin. "To get there while maintaining our service standards, we need to work more like a larger enterprise. Technology like Alrik empowers our people to deliver better service more efficiently, rather than replacing them."
About Alrik
Alrik is a modern transport delivery system designed for distributors and logistics providers who want to control their operations and deliver excellent customer service. With features including AI route optimisation, real-time tracking, proof of delivery and comprehensive analytics, Alrik helps companies transform their transport operations from reactive to proactive.
