Logistics

“I am very pleased with Call Collect. We were a little worried about exposing our workforce who are not IT specialists (especially our drivers) to the system but is has proved easy to deploy and use and the training has been very helpful. We are seeing clear customer benefits and cost savings.”.
                               John Abrahams – Transport Manager.

The Organisation
Peter Adams Transport and Logistics is a medium-sized company delivering mainly into the South West of England. They employ 68 staff and run 24 vehicles (a mixture of large lorries, trucks and vans) and operate from warehouse facilities just off the M5 which provides easy access to the regions main arterial routes. Essentially their core business is the transport, storage, delivery and collection of dry goods; they have a number of contracts with small grocery stores and CTN’s as well as performing routine one-off collections and deliveries where typically they will often act as a sub-contractor.

The Challenge
In fairness to the company, they were prepared to accept very early on that their delivery and process mechanisms were old-fashioned and very far from being cost-effective. A manual paper-based system of recording stock movements and delivery schedules was in operation and paper delivery notes were produced on an old system for use by their customers. A driver was typically returning back to base in the evenings with up to 45 separate forms (reflecting his day’s activities) which were then laboriously manually typed into their UNICORN database each evening, which in turn then generated reports. These reports were then used to manage stock movements within the warehouse, create invoices for customers and generate payment schedules for drivers. The company had been looking for an electronic solution which could be quickly and easily deployed for some time to automate their manual processes and after some initial meetings they were keen to deploy Call Collect.

The Solution
Our installation team sat down with Peter Adams Transport and Logistics and mapped out the requirements. A number of generic e-forms were created using Call Collect which could then be used as “Master” forms; each master form was capable of personalization within minutes. Over a transition week-end during the soft-launch period, all of the important customer and location details that were stored in UNICORN were migrated into Call Collect and 40 hand-held computers were loaded with the application programme. Each driver was assigned a unique number; this meant that drop-offs and schedules could be tailored right down to an existing staff-member and has the added benefit that the inbuilt GPS software in the devices could allow management visibility of their drivers movements at all times. Detailed product training was provided both to head-office staff and drivers before the system went live and in addition our staff were available on-site for the first few days of the new system to deal with any issues that may have arisen. When the system went live, all drivers routes and delivery schedules were handled using Call Collect, electronic delivery notes replaced the previous paper-based ones and data was instantly transferred at the touch of a button into the UNICORN system. In addition stock movements were also managed electronically and the warehouse operatives were able to access information via existing work-stations.

The Benefits
Since the system was launched, the company estimates that it has saved over 300 hours of manual clerical work each week. In addition, drivers do not have to return back to head office every evening to hand completed forms in and improved visibility has meant that stock management has been made easier and customer satisfaction has also improved. Cash-flow has also improved as invoices are dispatched earlier and not least there are clear environmental benefits; less paper used, better route planning etc.