Transportation management from a single source: Lorang S.A. handles logistics processes with WinSped
In a volatile market environment, the freight forwarder Lorang S.A., a subsidiary of the Luxembourg logistics service provider Luxport Group, is focusing on resilience. With combined forces and a total of 188 employees, Lorang S.A. and Lorang GmbH offer comprehensive logistics services – including warehouse and contract logistics on 20,000 square meters as well as third-party logistics (3PL). The focus is on international LTL and FTL transports: Specializing in steel transports with excess lengths of up to 33 metres and sensitive consumer goods transports, the company moves around 300 truckloads a day in Germany and the Benelux countries. With 120 tractor units and a partner network, Lorang handles around 83,500 transports a year. In order to be prepared for changes in the transport market at all times, Lorang uses digital tools to manage processes efficiently. Lorang has been using the WinSped transport management system (TMS) from LIS Logistische Informationssysteme GmbH since the beginning of the year. The software integrates all processes from order entry and scheduling to invoicing and enables the interface connection to customers. Increased efficiency is already becoming apparent: faster processes in scheduling, a clearer overview of shipments and improved customer service.
Founded in 1866 as a Luxembourg family business and part of the Luxport Group since 2006, Lorang S.A., a company steeped in tradition, is constantly innovating. The German subsidiary Lorang GmbH, based in Trier, was founded in 2009 in order to be able to respond to market requirements and offer efficient customer service at all times, even across the border.
Lorang is also at the cutting edge of transportation management. Managing Director Paul Winter emphasizes: “Whether it’s a pandemic, economic uncertainty or supply chain problems – it’s not enough to simply react to crises. Companies need to be prepared for unexpected events and be resilient.” The company relies on digital tools and has been using a TMS for over 20 years. However, this reached its limits in view of the large amount of information that Lorang deals with on a daily basis in scheduling: “In order to access telematics, time slot management and the scheduling plan, we had to switch back and forth between several program levels – or have three to four screens in view at the same time,” says Winter. 2022, it became clear that: “It’s time for a new, modern, intelligent system that we can tailor to the new market conditions.”
Requirement: Bundling of all processes and customer connection
The focus was on two aspects in particular: Leaving isolated solutions behind and implementing an efficient customer connection. While Lorang works with fixed interfaces in its key account business, the company also needed a fast and uncomplicated exchange of information with smaller customers: “Whether order entry, complaints or invoicing: our aim was to simplify processes, shorten response times and increase efficiency,” explains Winter.
Cooperation with LIS: Implementation hand in hand
Lorang found what he was looking for with the Greven-based software experts LIS: “WinSped met all the requirements of our specifications – in addition to bundling all logistics processes within one system, it also offered the option of making minor adjustments to the user interface in-house,” says Winter, explaining the decision: “As a company with a long tradition, it was also important for us to rely on an established provider like LIS.”
The collaboration began in spring 2023: In joint workshops with LIS, Lorang employees from scheduling, accounting and customer service contributed their requirements from their day-to-day work. This allowed the interfaces and modules to be adapted precisely to Lorang’s needs – and further optimization is still possible at any time in day-to-day operations. Lorang has been using WinSped in full since January 2025.
Modular design for needs-based configuration
With the online application WebSped and the mobile driver application AppSped, Lorang can exchange information from any location at the touch of a button and digitally integrate carriers. “A key advantage of WinSped is that we can continue to develop the future-oriented solution together and expand it on a modular basis at any time,” says Winter. Graphical scheduling is particularly important for Lorang – whether automatic route planning, vehicle deployment plan, time calculation or telematics integration, WinSped creates a transparent overview and integrates position data within a few seconds.
Lorang uses a large number of the available TMS modules. In addition to an overarching focus on graphical scheduling, this includes telematics integration, personnel deployment planning, fleet and loading equipment management, condition management and the data explorer. “What previously took place on separate platforms is now handled in a central system. Each user can customize certain views and filters,” says Winter, summarizing the positive experience.
Positive results after a short time: Efficiency and customer service
There are already signs of increased efficiency, particularly in graphic planning. Thanks to WinSped, document management is also on a “whole new level”: Information called up by customers can be made available to them at the touch of a button and Lorang can react immediately to changes or complaints.
Next steps: further automation and condition management
In day-to-day business after the go-live, Lorang gradually develops the processes further. This includes ongoing automation of order entry for smaller customers and, in the next step, a switch to the new condition management system, which enables Lorang to create a multidimensional tariff structure and speeds up route and freight evaluation. In the day-to-day use of WinSped, Winter and his team have identified potential for improvement in certain areas – such as the speed of the system or the user-friendliness of manual document archiving: “We work closely with LIS to achieve this and have dedicated contacts who support us with the ongoing configuration.”
Winter summarizes his initial experiences with the TMS as follows: “With WinSped, we have found an end-to-end software that is the key to our future success and enables us to meet customer requirements in a resilient manner at all times.”
