largest cross-regional specialist. People with reduced physical and mental capabilities are being enabled to participate in daily life through door-to-door transportation to schools and workshops.

Kohler enters into long-term contracts with establishments that focus on the promotion and integration of disabled people. Essentially, this comprises sheltered workshops, day support facilities and schools for disabled people, the contractual partners mainly being public bodies (state welfare, administrative districts and towns) and charitable associations or clubs (German Caritas Association, Diakonie (social and welfare arm of the Protestant Church in Germany), Workers’ Welfare Association).

The in-house route planning software tailored to the business processes contributes to optimizing cost and capacity utilization as well as increasing efficiency. The in-house software and database are used to handle the operational and logistical business areas as well as customer billing, personnel planning and payroll accounting. The efficiency of the service provider in relation to transportation for the disabled constitutes an essential success factor in public tenders.

A further success factor is the company’s own vehicle fleet, which complies with current DIN and ECA standards and whose age structure is no more than 6 to 8 years. Using vehicles that comply with current standards and requirements is a basic prerequisite in the context of public tenders.

Apart from the appropriately equipped transport vehicles, the employees on permanent contracts with, and trained by, Kohler are the main success factor. Day-to-day activities give rise to close bonds between the employees and the people in need of transport which not only enrich the professional approach to disabled people, but, in particular, facilitate the necessary interpersonal interactions.