Truck Fleet Dispatch
Transport needs to be timely and cost-efficient since price and service quality are crucial factors in logistics operations. When the fleet dispatcher can systematically influence this it will improve cost-effectiveness and customer retention.
Optimized loading, agile transport plans, and flexibility payoff when driving truck fleet logistics during the planning stage and on day of delivery.
During the planning stage, numerous objectives, inputs, variables and constraints must be considered: different truck characteristics, alternative production and storage locations, loading queues, "ex-works" or "Franco" orders, and frequent delivery location changes.
On the day of delivery, unpredictable events must be accounted for, such as vehicle breakdowns, traffic holdups, and ad hoc orders or requests - none of these things should be allowed to breach service level agreements (SLAs). In this context, agile optimization and flexibility offer distinct competitive advantages.
Syncrotess, for truck fleet dispatch, optimizes transport scheduling and time slot management. INFORM's software offers any truck fleet dispatcher the capability to have the price and service quality factors work in their favor by providing effective support in the following areas:
- Preliminary tactical planning
- Availability checks
- Time slot management
- Real-time scheduling
- Real-time optimization.
In each case, the system uses the best optimization algorithms available for the area concerned. The system benefits from INFORM's experience gathered over 25 successful years in truck fleet logistics.
Contact
Matthew Wittemeier
Consultant
Tel: +49 (0) 2408 / 9456 - 6000 M.Wittemeier@informinform-software.com
Jennifer Stead
Consultant
Tel: +49 (0) 2408 / 9456 - 6000 J.Stead@informinform-software.com
Dirk Schlemper
Consultant
Tel: +49 (0) 2408 / 9456 - 6000 D.Schlemper@informinform-software.com
Solution for Truck Fleet Dispatch Features
INFORM's software for truck fleet dispatch logistics effectively supports transport scheduling, from simulation and preliminary tactical planning, through to delivery.
- Availability checks during order entry
Even as orders are entered, the system takes demand and the availability of loading slots and transport capacities into account. The plans, updated in real-time, enable schedulers to negotiate a suitable delivery time while speaking to the customer.
- Preliminary transport capacity planning
Based on the known availability of drivers and vehicles, as well as existing orders, the software calculates an optimized delivery plan for the following days. Planners can make changes, assign priorities to orders, and choose whether the emphasis is to be on cost efficiency or service quality.
As soon as an order is entered, the system automatically identifies if the order needs to be broken down into partial deliveries.
- Real-time order process management
The optimization system continuously reschedules order processing in real-time. This enables controllers to resolve bottlenecks and discrepancies successfully and respond rapidly to unforeseeable events.
The tracking and tracing system monitors the progress of both orders and transportation providing a real-time view of the full order process.
- Map-based overviews
Schedulers always have a visual overview as the software displays the latest data about vehicles and orders in real-time, clearly, on a map. They can easily make changes within the map overview by using drag and drop functionalities.
- Automated communication
The use of GPS telematics systems enables automated, efficient communication between drivers and the system. Pressure on the scheduler is significantly reduced.
- Integration into IT and the web
The software can easily be integrated into any existing IT environment and thus linked to enterprise resource planning (ERP) or warehouse management systems (WMS). Processed data can be presented in Internet portals so that they are accessible anywhere, anytime.
- Simulations and advanced analytics
INFORM's software for transport scheduling makes it easy to generate “what-if” scenarios. The wide range of Syncrotess data analysis options provides informative key figures and reports, giving management a sound basis for decision making.
- Time slot management and gate management
When loading capacity is limited, the combination of "ex-works" and "Franco" orders is optimized by the system, both in preliminary planning and on the day of delivery.
Benefits
INFORM's agile optimization software for truck fleet dispatch enables compliance with service level agreements (SLAs) while reducing costs. It quickly brings long-term improvements to the company's balance sheet.
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Flexibility and speed
The system updates transport plans for current operations and subsequent days – automatically and in real-time. It takes all known information about orders and transport resources into account. As a result, users benefit from stable transport plans allowing them to respond quickly and flexibly to unforeseeable events.
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Cost and service quality control
When planning, and during transport operations, the user can decide whether the focus is on the transport price or service quality.
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Deliveries on time and in full
Deliveries that are on time and complete improve customer retention.
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Material replenishment in real-time
Because the system is embedded in the existing IT structure and data is processed continuously, the resources required can be secured automatically and in real-time.
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Transparency
Operational workflows are transparent because of the volumes of data that the system processes, and prepares for the user. The scenario planning function quickly delivers a basis for making decisions so that future changes can be efficiently managed.
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Cost reduction
Optimization in assigning orders and transport resources forms the basis for increasing transport efficiency and reducing associated costs.
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Accessible from anywhere
Processed data can be presented in Internet portals so that they are accessible anywhere, anytime.
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Time slot management improves loading efficiency
The optimized time slot management system, working with the real-time yard logistics management system, enables truck waiting and throughput times to be minimized and loading resources to be used more productively.
Time slot management
Time slot management
In truck logistics, trucks arrive at loading points unsystematically. There they encounter limited resources, such as personnel, load availability, loading points, and loading equipment. Maintaining an overview of this and making loading efficient is a key challenge.
INFORM’s agile optimization software for truck fleet dispatch optimizes loading point management, both in preliminary planning and real-time processing. When assigning time slots, and during ongoing operations, it takes into account:
- The availability of personne
- Load availability
- Loading technology and equipment capacity restrictions
- Product-related restrictions (e.g., product A may not be loaded at the same time as product B).
When loading points are used efficiently they provide for the best possible delivery capacity allowing users to benefit from:
- Maximized real loading capacity
- Minimized waiting and throughput times for supplies and collections
- Bottleneck avoidance within the facility, on congested roadways, and at entrances
- Maximized use of available products and storage capacity.
Strengthening one's own network
Strengthening one's network
INFORM’s agile optimization software enables the truck fleet dispatchers, to network their locations and vehicles allowing them to exploit synergies within their network. Based on real-time data, the system optimizes and manages the use of transport resources – with the objective of maximizing vehicle utilization and minimizing delays. At the same time, the software supports a demand-based material replenishment system which responds to demand in real-time continuously optimizing transport operations within the network.
As a result, truck fleet dispatchers work more cost-efficiently and their customers SLAs can be improved. By strengthening one’s network with Syncrotess, the software delivers two competitive advantages in one system.
Leading optimization algorithms
Leading optimization algorithms
Experience shows that a transport plan is never entirely finished; changes are constantly required. These changes are handled very quickly with INFORM’s agile optimization software using leading optimization algorithms. As a result, the objective of reducing transport costs and improving service quality can be achieved efficiently.
In its optimization core, the software includes algorithms that lead the scientific benchmarking for solving planning tasks. These algorithms enable extremely large, complex transport planning tasks to be resolved more quickly and efficiently than ever before. Developed by INFORM, the algorithms are the result of over 20 years of experience in truck dispatch logistics optimization.
Contact
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