Plan vs actual boosts performance and lowers costs

April 7, 2014 - PRLog -- This was the mood at the recent end-to-end logistics seminar which brought together TruckStops routing and scheduling, VeriLocation’s tracking and telematics system and TranSend’s electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) system.

Optimised truck planning, tracking and proof of delivery are in themselves not new. However, being able to so easily integrate systems from different suppliers is a recent innovation. Now logistics professionals can measure and track real-world performance against the plan by integrating routing and scheduling optimisation with telematics and ePOD systems.

At the seminar, a mix of presentations, live demonstrations and discussion enabled delegates to see the possibilities for their own organisations.

John Lockett, logistics director at Agrovista commented: “It has been really helpful to see some of the new functionality in action, and it has definitely given us some fresh ideas to go forward with.”

Plan vs actual is particularly useful for analysis and making changes such as allocating drops to different depots, allowing extra time for certain deliveries and fine-tuning journey times in particularly congested areas. The optimised route schedules can then be uploaded directly to drivers’ handhelds or GPS systems, guiding them between call points and providing details on each stop.

Simon Mettrick, director of Jack Pennington said of the systems: “The joined-up demonstration of the three solutions is where we want to be as a business.”

This first seminar was exclusive to selected customers of each of the three suppliers (TruckStops, VeriLocation and TranSend). Given the positive feedback from the delegates, other similar events are definitely in the pipeline. Readers who would like to learn more about linking routing and scheduling with tracking and ePOD solutions should get in touch on +44 (0)20 8568 7000 or via info@mapmechanics.com.