How CargoBeamer built a smarter document infrastructure in a period of growth

As a European pioneer in shifting road transport to rail, CargoBeamer is built around innovation. In addition to the company’s horizontal transshipment technology for semi-trailers and international rail connections, CargoBeamer is creating a best-in-class digital platform ecosystem to support colleagues in their daily tasks. As CargoBeamer has grown considerably in recent years, opening more locations, and adding new departments, the internal demands for a modern handling of information and documents have risen as well. That is why we invested in a company-wide Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) built on the SER Doxis platform. A shared digital foundation for faster and more reliable document processing - and a foundation for automation and AI as we continue to grow.

CargoBeamer is a logistics service provider specializing in the integration of road and rail transport. With our system, featuring intermodal routes, transshipment terminals, and uniquely designed railcars, we’re creating and scaling intermodal services for semi-trailers across Europe. As we grow, managing information well has become an increasingly important factor. There was a strong need for clearer structures, traceable approvals, and a search function that goes beyond exact filename matching. For our new ECMS we therefore defined five goals:

• One consistent, audit-ready, and scalable platform for our document work,
• Reliable compliance with German accounting and document archiving regulations (GoBD) as well as EU data protection regulations (GDPR),
• Coverage of the full document lifecycle from creation to compliant archiving,
• Deep Microsoft 365 integration (including SharePoint and Teams),
• Practical use of AI, e.g., for automated classification and content analysis.

To find a solution that meets our requirements, we conducted a fit-gap analysis to compare various providers in terms of functionality, integration, costs, and references in the logistics and transportation sector. In the end, our users voted for the SER Doxis system, which stood out for its functional fit, industry references, and high level of engagement throughout the selection process.

The ECMS rollout followed three phases: Analysis, Migration, and Optimization. In the first phase we analyzed requirements, ran workshops with key users, designed the new system architecture, and prepared the migration. Our second phase included a migration of existing documents, the integration with Microsoft 365 and other systems as well as offering training sessions with the implementation team. Today, we have successfully completed the first two phases, and have set up a structure that is already used by our teams.

Right now, we are in Phase 3, optimizing and customizing the system. We work closely with our teams on their real workflows, sharpen structures, and automate processes step by step. The five goals mentioned above have been completed. Even while the project continues, we have already noticed an efficiency increase due to:

• Smarter document access: By adding metadata and clear responsibilities, we replaced navigating folder structures with an intelligent search function. AI integration even allows teams to directly interact with documents, ask questions and generate summaries.
• Automated maintenance documentation: By directly linking our processes regarding our role as an Entity in Charge of Maintenance (“ECM”) with Doxis, maintenance records for railcars and wheelsets are stored automatically. This eliminates manual uploads and reduces the risk of missing documents.
• Safer and more structured collaboration: Tailored workspaces, role-based access management, and ad-hoc approval workflows ensure that the right people work on the right documents. This way, signoffs are obtained exactly when needed.

Markus Bayer, Head of IT at CargoBeamer comments: “As CargoBeamer grows, we need our document processes to scale with us. With the new ECMS, we have created a shared foundation that supports collaboration across teams and locations - without compromising on compliance. The new ECMS tool takes our information management to a new level and is one of the digital innovations that will help us in scaling the business.”

The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Free State of Saxony under the Digitalization Grant Program (EFRE-FP 21-27). The Program is part of the European cohesion policy which supports, among others, complex transformation projects in SMEs to reduce economic disparities and strengthen innovation.