David Shaw, manager of strategic projects at Aptean, explains how advanced routing and scheduling can help operators meet unpredictable demands.
Routing and scheduling software has provided the agility many operators needed to pivot effectively to changing circumstances, while being integral to understanding cost implications.
As pubs, restaurants, hotels and corporate buildings closed, the decision by some food wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers to switch to a direct-to-consumer model meant they faced a totally different distribution profile during the lockdown.
The targeting of this alternative revenue stream resulted in a higher volume of smaller deliveries to unfamiliar urban locations, creating a whole new set of transport planning requirements and parameters to consider.
We have seen many food companies move from fixed to dynamic route planning for the first time to handle the unpredictable order volumes and customer make-up associated with home deliveries. Without having a flexible transport planning system in place, it would have been almost impossible to meet customer requirements effectively and affordably.
Routing and scheduling software allows new plans to be created daily, with high accuracy and in a timely manner. With fluctuating demand, transport resources need to be efficiently scaled up and down to ensure the most appropriate temperature-controlled vehicle is used to maximise capacity and account for access restrictions. Considering driver and vehicle availability on an individual basis also ensures that plans are achievable in the real-world and resources are being operated compliantly.
Meanwhile, the strategic use of a transport planning tool enables food companies to make better informed business decisions and guarantee they are well-positioned to deal with changing requirements quickly. By modelling what-if scenarios, it is possible to determine the impact of any proposed changes on the business and have complete confidence that they are also sustainable.
The proliferation of telematics in recent years has created opportunities for integrated technology solutions that the cold chain sector is now taking advantage of. The combining of routing and scheduling, vehicle tracking and electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) into an end-to-end solution optimises every step of the delivery process and helps companies achieve the best transport operation.
Through integrating solutions, it is possible to gain complete visibility during the execution of a plan, to easily compare the progress of drivers against it and minimise any discrepancies, while alerting customers to any potential delays or issues. Using real-time data from the vehicle and driver, companies can automatically update estimated time of arrival (ETA), feed fulfilment data back into the system, and even monitor temperature ranges for added peace of mind.
Food wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers must continue being highly responsive to react quickly to unexpected changes and future uncertainty. Routing and scheduling software can play a vital role in this, helping businesses to operate nimbly and move at the necessary speed to meet and create demand.
Earlier this year, Aptean bought Paragon Software Systems, boosting its presence in Europe with purpose-built software. Aptean’s enterprise resource planning and supply chain management systems are used by more than 5,000 organisations in over 20 industries and 54 countries.
