Direktbelieferung

What is direct delivery?

Direct delivery describes a supply model in which goods are sent from the vendor directly to the end recipient without intermediate storage – that is, to the end customer, a branch, or a production facility. The company's own distribution or transfer warehouse is bypassed entirely. Synonyms include direct shipment, direct delivery, and, in an international context, drop shipment. The model should be distinguished from cross-docking, where goods pass through a transfer point but are not stored.

How does direct delivery work in practice?

In practice, a customer order or production requirement triggers a delivery call-off directly with the vendor. The vendor takes responsibility for packaging, labeling, and in many cases route planning as well. The ordering company coordinates the delivery without physically intervening in the flow of goods. This requires clearly defined interfaces between the ERP system, the vendor's system, and, where applicable, a logistics service provider.

For smooth processing, the following aspects must be agreed upon in advance:

• Transmission of dispatch advice messages (e.g., DESADV) and tracking information in real time
• Uniform packaging and labeling standards so that goods can be used directly upon receipt
• Clear responsibilities in the event of damage, returns, and mis-deliveries
• Contractual regulation of Incoterms, service level agreements, and liability issues
• Processes for quality inspection, since no in-house goods receipt check is interposed

A particular challenge is transparency: since goods never touch the company's own warehouse, status information along the entire supply chain is absent without suitable systems. Many companies rely on EDI connections or API-based platforms to receive delivery data automatically.

What matters when selecting this model?

Whether direct delivery makes sense depends heavily on product structure, vendor maturity, and recipient structure. Heavy or bulky goods with stable demand are often well suited, as handling and storage costs would otherwise be disproportionately high. Items with high return rates, variable quality, or special packaging requirements, on the other hand, require critical scrutiny.

On the vendor side, direct delivery requires that the vendor possesses the logistics capability to deliver shipments in a recipient-oriented manner. This covers packaging, documentation, labeling requirements, and adherence to delivery windows. If this is not the case, additional effort arises at the recipient's end that can quickly erode any efficiency gains. Integration with a TMS or carrier management system is in such scenarios often vendor-dependent and should be clarified at an early stage as part of the system integration process.