NP Nilsson: Modernising 119 Years of Logistics Excellence

About NP Nilsson

Company size: 180 employees

Branches: 9

Company: Family owned builders’ merchant

Founded: 1907

Headquarters: Förslöv, Skåne, Sweden

The Challenge

NP Nilsson is a powerhouse of excellence, WMS, telematics, and a state-of-the-art logistics center, transport was the final part of the puzzle posing several operational challenges:

• Limited transport visibility: No real-time tracking of deliveries or ability to provide customers with accurate ETAs
• Manual planning processes: Transport coordinators worked with ERP, paper lists and phone calls, making route planning time-consuming and inefficient
• Reactive customer service: High call volumes from customers asking, "Where is my delivery?" consumed significant staff time
• Lack of delivery proof: No systematic way to document deliveries, creating potential disputes
• Poor cost allocation: Unable to track transport costs at order level, only at branch level, making it impossible to understand true delivery costs per customer or order

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The Solution: Alrik 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:

1. Speed of Implementation

"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.” 

2. Personal Partnership Approach

"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."

3. Data-Driven Insights

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.

Key integration features include:

• Automatic order sync from ERP to Alrik carrying all the information across systems without previous phone calls or emails 
• Bidirectional communication for order updates and status changes
• Automated notifications for stakeholders when key events occur

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Results & Impact

Transport Planning Efficiency

Before Alrik: Transport manager Oskar Henriksson would manually review orders in ERP, trying to identify which orders could be combined, calling external carriers when internal capacity was full.

After Alrik:

• Visual map-based planning shows all deliveries geographically, making route optimisation intuitive
• Color-coding and filtering allows instant identification of priority deliveries (express, first-class)
• Cluster-based planning 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

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"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."

“The system is really intuitive and user friendly,” adds Daniel Hellgren. "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”, he adds.  

Customer Service Transformation

Reduced call volume: Implementation of 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.

Proof of delivery: 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.

Cost Visibility & Internal Billing

One of the most significant impacts has been the ability to track transport costs at the order level.

"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."

This granular cost visibility enables:

• Fair internal invoicing based on actual transport costs generated
• Better pricing decisions for customers
• Identification of optimisation opportunities

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Driver Experience

Before: Drivers received paper lists, had to ask where to load, and relied on memory or notes for delivery sequences.

After:

• Mobile app provides complete delivery information including cargo content details
• Turn-by-turn navigation in the app
• ETA notifications automatically sent to customers (pilot phase)
• Digital POD with photo capture and signature
• Real-time communication with transport coordinator via notifications 

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“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.

Fleet Management

Alrik's vehicle management features allow NP Nilsson to:

• Track vehicle dimensions and capabilities to ensure proper load matching
• Manage both internal fleet and external carriers in one system
• Optimise vehicle utilisation by seeing which vehicles are available and where

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The upcoming volume calculation feature will further optimise loading by ensuring weight AND volume constraints are considered.

Future Roadmap

Like any true partnership, NP Nilsson is actively working with Alrik on several enhancements:

1. Service Buttons for Drivers

Enabling drivers to register additional services (crane time, waiting time, extra lifting help) directly in the app, which will automatically flow through to invoicing.

2. Enhanced Route Optimisation

Testing Alrik's route optimisation function that considers not just distance but also time windows and delivery constraints to suggest optimal routes.

3. Customer-Facing Track & Trace

Full rollout of customer delivery tracking and ETA notifications after successful pilot program.

4. Advanced Automation Rules

Using Alrik's automation engine to set up custom rules for order handling, notifications, and exception management.

Key Success Factors

Several factors contributed to NP Nilsson's successful implementation:

1. Decision-Making Speed

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.

2. Clean Data Foundation

Their investment in WMS and structured processes meant data quality was high, enabling smooth integration with Alrik. AI address enhancement further exemplifies this. 

3. Phased Rollout

Starting with internal use before rolling out customer-facing features allowed the team to build confidence and train staff properly.

4. Strong Partnership

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

"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."

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.

About Alrik

Alrik is a modern transport delivery system designed for distributors and logistics providers who want to optimise their operations while maintaining excellent customer service. With features including route optimisation, real-time tracking, proof of delivery, and comprehensive analytics, Alrik helps companies transform their transport operations from reactive to proactive.

Ready to transform your transport operations?