How do 500 tonnes of food arrive daily from 800 suppliers in 90 refrigerated trucks to 2,500 customers? And while doing so, how can cold chains be maintained, flexible time windows be adhered to and environmental standards taken into account? With tailor-made route planning software!
That's why the BLF Gruppe from Velbert has been working with gts since 2010. This 300-employee, owner-managed traditional company is one of the leading specialists in the supply of food to industrial users, hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, corporate catering, hotels and restaurants.
From Apple to Zucchini
In the central warehouse, around 13,000 items are picked on 21,000 square metres and distributed to the routes. Here's where TransIT comes into play. The system supports dispatchers in both regular route planning (operating in day-to-day business) as well as in tactical, strategic planning. Orders are transmitted from the materials management system to TransIT via the company-specific interface. The software then calculates on the basis of the orders and framework routes the delivery tours for all vehicles. The tours are transmitted automatically to the terminal devices in the vehicles, the driver navigates accordingly and completes his orders.
Besides the planning of regular orders or grouping of orders for daily routes, it is primarily the up-to-the-minute orders that require a professional route planning software. Time windows promised at a moment's notice, spontaneous orders or a defective truck ... faced with these complex tasks, the BLF Group relies on TransIT, because it automatically solves these planning tasks. But this software can do much more.
Control and Controlling
For an efficient route planning, the company not only needs to know if the vehicles are en route, but also where exactly the vehicles are, whether the route has already been delivered, or if there are status changes. TransIT ensures this control by connecting to a telematics solution. With access to GPS coordinates and actual data, the dispatchers have all the information at a glance and get a direct target vs. actual comparison, without having to make phone calls with the driver. This transparency optimises the day-to-day business and the Controlling. The analysis of the as-is states provides the relevant data for a realistic planning, for recognising the need for optimisation or for the root causes of incorrect planning.
The Outcome
- Cost-optimised routes
- Better capacity utilisation of vehicles
- Easy re-planning in case of unforeseen events
- Establishment of the software in company-specific interfaces and processes
