“I will have someone check.”
Plant management asks about a vehicle. Two drivers go through the rows in a minibus. The person who asked waits.
For yard and logistics managers in plants, freight forwarding and transit operations
Your drivers search for vehicles instead of driving them.
We show you at any time where every vehicle, bus and trailer on your site is parked. First we work out your search time. Then we test on a partial site whether your people find them in seconds.
- No extra step for your drivers
- First the calculation, then the decision
- First a test on a partial site, then the rest
4 of 120 vehicles
The worked example in four numbers
12 hSearch time per day in the worked exampleestimated, scenario
€135,000Search costs per year in the worked exampleestimated, scenario
12 → 1 minper search: typical today, target value in the testtypical / target value
6 to 8 weeksDuration of the test on a partial siteassumption
All figures come from a typical scenario with example values, not from a measurement at a customer. Check them with your own values in the calculator.
The problem
If you do not know where a vehicle is parked, you lose time, revenue and reputation.
Five scenes from the yard that you probably know.
The vehicle is missing from the rotation.
The handover slips, the bus is missing from service, the trailer is not ready for its tour. Revenue moves back.
Search time is paid time.
Driving the rows, radio rounds, minibus shuttles. Usually nobody has measured it, yet it is paid for every day.
Moving cars to reach one.
To get to one, others are moved. That costs fuel and time and risks a scratch. Incomplete vehicles stand unnoticed among the finished ones.
The knowledge sits in one head.
The long-serving yard attendant knows where everything is. When he is on leave, retires or changes shift, the information is gone, at night and in the rain anyway.
Does this sound familiar?
- “I pay four people to look for cars.”
- “I never get to my actual work because I give directions all day.”
- “When my colleague retires, nobody here will know where anything is.”
Typical thoughts from everyday life on large sites, not customer quotes.
How many hours a day do your people spend searching?
Calculate search costsTypical scenario
Where is vehicle 4711? A plant yard does the maths for the first time.
Typical scenarioNot a customer resultNo pilot carried out
A vehicle plant with a sprawling outdoor site and several thousand vehicles. The head of vehicle logistics wants to show plant management a number instead of saying “I will look into it.”
AreaVehicle logistics, finished-vehicle yard
FlowFrom the line to the outdoor site, collection later
Control todayRow plan in spreadsheets, radio, knowledge of individual yard attendants
StatusScenario, anonymous, not a real customer
The calculation
60Searches per day
typical
×
typical
12 minper search
typical
÷ 60 ×
typical
€45Hourly rate
assumption
×
assumption
250Days per year
assumption
=
assumption
€135,000per year, estimated
That is 12 hours of search time and €540 per day. Not included are moving vehicles, damage, storage fees and delayed deliveries.
The workaround and its price
A row plan in a spreadsheet and the yard attendant. The plan is out of date by noon because nobody reports moved vehicles. When he is on leave, sick or changes shift, the information is gone, and the manager becomes the search engine.
What should change for the people
Manager: answers in seconds. Drivers: drive instead of search. Yard attendant and cover: knowledge is in the system. Dispatch: finds vehicles on their own. Management: gets a calculation in euros and a documented test.
The options the manager weighs
| Option | Approach | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| A Organisational | Stricter row plan, fixed parking slots | Cheap, but depends on discipline and individual people. |
| B Manual capture | Drivers scan or type every position | An extra step that gets forgotten under time pressure. |
| C Device per vehicle | Its own tracker on every vehicle | Accurate, but purchase, power and maintenance per vehicle. |
| D Automatic on parking | Position is captured without an extra step | Must be proven on your own site. That is what the test is for. |
The solution in five steps
- Choose a partial site. A defined area where a lot of searching happens today.
- Tag the vehicles. A small label with no power connection, no wiring on the vehicle.
- The position is captured on parking. Nobody scans or types.
- Everyone sees the map. Dispatch, yard attendant and manager, at night too.
- Incomplete vehicles at a glance. Vehicles with a missing part can be filtered out.
The target values of the scenario
| Metric | Today | Target value in the test |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes per search | 12 (typical) | 1 (target value) |
| Search time per day | 12 h (estimated) | 1 h (estimated, at target value) |
| Search costs per day | €540 (estimated) | €45 (estimated, at target value) |
| Possible savings per year | – | €123,750 (estimated, only if the target value is reached) |
Target values are not results. Nothing has been measured so far.
Run the same calculation with your numbers.
Request an intro callReferences
What customers have achieved with YardOps.
Statement from a customer on a tracking project at two depots of a public transport operator.
Grégoire Ramuz
★★★★★
Head of IT at TPF (Transports publics fribourgeois), Switzerland
November 2026
I had the pleasure of working with Jaouhar during my time as Head of IT at TPF. He delivered our RTLS and Industrial IoT project across two depots.
Jaouhar took full ownership of the project, from the initial specification through to commissioning at both sites. What set him apart was that he could cover the entire chain of expertise himself: he was as confident with our operations teams on the ground as he was in IT architecture and systems. This rare combination made him the natural link between both worlds and a key factor in the success of the project.
Read full recommendation
Another important part of his work was the integration with our depot management software. He implemented this interface carefully and with a clear understanding of how the teams actually work, ensuring that the system delivers real value in day-to-day use.
The rollout was completed on schedule and to a high standard. Commissioning went smoothly, a direct result of his careful preparation and his attention to detail.
In operation, the system gave our teams real-time visibility of the vehicles in the depots, significantly reduced search times and enabled more efficient deployment planning.
Beyond his technical skills, Jaouhar is highly professional and a pleasure to work with. Our collaboration was excellent throughout: open, constructive and always solution-oriented.
I recommend Jaouhar without reservation to any organization looking for someone who can bring a complex industrial IT project to success from start to finish.
Your benefit
What should change in your yard.
Today
Radio rounds and driving around until someone finds the vehicle.
Radio rounds and driving around until someone finds the vehicle.
With us
Anyone finds any vehicle in seconds. That is the target value in the test.
Anyone finds any vehicle in seconds. That is the target value in the test.
Today
Drivers search instead of delivering.
Drivers search instead of delivering.
With us
Search time becomes delivery, deployment and shunting time. You put the hours gained into euros.
Search time becomes delivery, deployment and shunting time. You put the hours gained into euros.
Today
The knowledge sits in the yard attendant’s head.
The knowledge sits in the yard attendant’s head.
With us
The knowledge is in the system. Leave and retirement leave no gap.
The knowledge is in the system. Leave and retirement leave no gap.
Today
Incomplete vehicles stand unnoticed among the finished ones.
Incomplete vehicles stand unnoticed among the finished ones.
With us
You see immediately which vehicles are missing or blocked.
You see immediately which vehicles are missing or blocked.
Stage 2, if the test convinces (all target values)
- Inventory check without a walk-around
- Less shuffling, because it is clear what is parked behind what
- Analysis of how long vehicles stand and where congestion builds up
- More throughput on the existing area
What we find
Everything that stands on your site.
Vehicles
Finished vehicles, pool and rental vehicles, vehicles awaiting rework.
Buses
Vehicles in the depot, ready for service or in the workshop.
Trailers and swap bodies
In the freight yard and at the terminal, ready for the next tour.
Assets
Load carriers, containers and equipment spread across the site.
Low-risk start
First calculate, then test, then decide.
You only commit once you have seen the result on your own site.
1. Intro call (30 minutes)
We work through your search time with your numbers and check whether your site is suitable for a test.
2. Test on a partial site (6 to 8 weeks, assumption)
Week 1: define the partial site and metrics. Weeks 2 to 3: set-up. Weeks 4 to 8: operation and comparison with the baseline.
3. Decision
Joint evaluation at the end of the test. Only then do you decide on an expansion, not before.
Success criterion, defined in advance: At least 90% of searches on the partial site end in under one minute. This is an example target value that we set together with you. We clarify the terms of the test in the intro call.
Which partial site would you test first?
Request an intro callSearch cost calculator
What does searching cost you on your site?
The starting values come from the scenario above. Replace them with your own estimates.
- Search time per day
- 12 h
- Search costs per year
- €135,000
- Search costs per year at the target value
- €11,250
- Possible savings per year (target value, no commitment)
- €123,750
Calculation: searches × minutes ÷ 60 × hourly rate × working days. Not included are moving vehicles, damage, storage fees and delayed deliveries.
Request an intro call with my calculationTechnology
Chosen by measurement, not from a catalogue.
Which technology suits your site is decided by measurements on site. Four approaches compared:
| Approach | How the position is captured | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Row plan | Maintained by hand | No purchase needed | Gets outdated quickly, depends on people |
| Manual scanning | Drivers capture on parking | Quick to introduce | Gets forgotten under time pressure |
| Device per vehicle | Own powered tracker | Very accurate | Purchase and maintenance per vehicle |
| Automatic on parking | Radio tag (Bluetooth Low Energy) on the vehicle, the driver’s smartphone captures the position, transmitted via mobile network or LoRaWAN | No powered device on the vehicle, no extra step | Must be proven on your site, data protection to be clarified with the works council |
FAQ
What yard and logistics managers ask us.
“That is another extra step the drivers will forget.”
No. The position is captured automatically on parking, nobody scans or types. Whether that works reliably on your site, we check in the test before you commit.
“That will not work on our large site.”
You can judge that after the test, not before. We start on a partial site with a success criterion that we define together in advance. Only when it is reached do we expand.
“Who will maintain it then?”
Nothing is captured by hand. We put in writing before the test what effort remains in operation, so that no further system is created that nobody maintains after three months.
“The works council will not go along with it.”
We involve the works council before the start. Capture uses the driver’s smartphone, which is why the data protection concept is part of the preparation. We provide the documents for it.
“We have solved this organisationally.”
A row plan depends on people and is out of date by noon. It breaks down when someone is on leave or retires. Work out the search time in the calculator and compare it with the effort your yard attendant carries today.
“Too expensive for our problem.”
That can be calculated: searches per day × minutes × hourly rate × working days. The calculator shows your figure in euros. We discuss the terms of the test in the intro call.
“What will our IT say?”
We suggest running the test separately from your systems. We only clarify an integration once the benefit is proven. We are happy to answer IT questions already in the intro call.
Intro call
How many hours a day do your people spend searching?
30 minutes, free and without obligation. What you take away:
- Your search time in euros, calculated with your numbers
- An assessment of whether your site is suitable for a test
- A proposal for the partial site and success criterion
For comparison: In the scenario above, searching costs 12 hours a day, around €135,000 per year (worked example, estimated, not a customer result).
Your contact: Jaouhar Jemai, Inovianet.