We Can Handle More per Employee
The stacks of paperwork are gone, and so are the heavy manual tasks. Freight forwarding company East Logistics has digitized a wide range of work processes.
"Everything is now gathered in one place, and we can feel the difference," says Natacha Koch, CEO of East Logistics.
Entering Data Only Once
"Digitalization is new for us. We previously worked with an outdated version of a C5 accounting system that wasn’t designed to handle transport and dispatching. So, everything related to transport had to be managed separately.
For example, orders for carriers, customer confirmations, and communication with partners were handled via email, Word documents, and Excel. It involved a lot of manual work," explains Natacha Koch, who has been CEO of East Logistics since 2019 after taking over from her father, Jan Koch, the company’s founder.
East Logistics specializes in freight transport between Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, primarily working with subcontracted carriers. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the company successfully implemented a new ASPECT4 Transport system, optimizing its dispatching and accounting operations while significantly boosting profitability.
We are clearly able to handle more with the number of employees we have.
All Functions in One Seamless Flow
"The biggest advantage is that everything is gathered in one place. Once we enter data, we don’t have to do it again," says Koch.
"Now, we can create sales orders, carrier instructions, and invoices instantly—all in one seamless flow.
"Previously, we relied on multiple Excel sheets to track fleet information and dispatching details. Now, everything is integrated into ASPECT4, minimizing manual data entry. We can clearly handle more with the same number of employees," she adds.
Digital & Personal at the Same Time
"A big part of our business is personal service. Even though we’ve digitized our processes, we still maintain direct customer contact—it’s not just an email they receive," says Koch.
"You can have both: digital efficiency and personal relationships. Customers still interact with the same people and receive the same high level of service."
Training & Super Users for Smooth Implementation
East Logistics made digital transformation a priority as early as 2018. Despite challenges posed by COVID-19, the company stayed committed to its go-live date for ASPECT4 Transport in mid-2020.
"We used April and May for system setup and online training of our employees. This was managed effectively by Nicolai Smet Andersen from ASPECT4 Transport."
Our strategy was to reduce manual processes as much as possible.
Building Custom Workflows
East Logistics serves many foreign customers, especially from Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria, where paper-based documentation is still the norm.
"Some customers still require printed transport documents or original invoices, which created manual challenges for us—especially in month-end closings and period closures. To address this, we’ve built a workflow where scanned Proof of Delivery (POD) documents are automatically stored in an online archive fully integrated with ASPECT4."
Future-Proofing & Making the Business More Attractive
Beyond improving operational efficiency, Koch sees digital transformation as a competitive advantage in attracting talent:
"A modern IT system is a key factor for future employees. They want to work in a company where manual processes have been minimized."
"At first, we focused on ‘need-to-have’ features. Now, we are adding ‘nice-to-have’ functionalities, such as automating POD workflows. This reduces manual processing when releasing carrier invoices and handling POD submissions from subcontractors."
I'm glad that we've chosen a system that continues to be updated.
Advice for Other Businesses Going Digital
Natacha Koch shares her insights for companies considering digital transformation:
Involve employees early in the process—those who use the system daily have valuable input on settings and workflows.
Train super users—they help onboard colleagues and document internal processes.
Stick to the go-live date—delays create setbacks, so staying committed ensures progress.
Don’t underestimate financial configurations—things like VAT laws and compliance settings take time.
Be open-minded—a system implementation takes time, but having the right support from ASPECT4 made all the difference for East Logistics.
"’m glad we chose a system that continues to evolve and allows us to refine our processes.
