Up on the cloud
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Transport management systems aren’t just for the big boys – specialist packages can reduce paperwork, help find customers and even let operators work seamlessly together
Words: Toby Clark Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software was once the province of large-scale firms, which needed a way to tie together order taking, resource management and accounting functions. Now these packages are becoming ever more accessible for mediumsized and even small businesses – promising better efficiency and easier collaboration between firms. Specialist WMS (warehouse management systems) and TMS (transport management systems) have plenty to offer smaller transport firms and their customers. And some packages can even deal with retail customers’ orders directly via the internet.
Web-based computing
One thing that is driving resource-planning software into the mainstream is the use of web-based computing – often called cloud computing. Here, a service is offered through a conventional web link: the servers doing the computing are located at a remote data centre. The advantages are security (all data is continuously backed up), scaleability (if you need more computing power, you just rent more server space) and reduced need for technical support (the servers always run the latest version of the software).
NetDespatch is one firm offering cloud-based management software specifically for transport firms and their customers. Its web shipping system is used by Carmarthenshire-based parcels operator Celtic Couriers, part of the APC network. The NetDespatch Velocity eTrader system gives operators a web-based interface with retail customers, cutting down on paperwork and increasing the pool of potential customers. NetDespatch also offers tools to integrate its systems with other services such as eBay; Swansea-based Polyfast sells polythene sheeting and fabrics for weed control to retail customers through its eBay shop and used the Velocity Connector to connect this directly to Celtic Couriers’ NetDespatch system. Customers can now order from eBay and delivery will be arranged automatically.
Installation advice
Polyfast manager Alun Williams says the process of joining the system was easy. “NetDespatch was able to guide me through the installation by telephone and we were soon using it – it was that easy. Anyone with an eBay store struggling to fulfil orders should use this method.
“It means we can concentrate on picking the orders and packaging them ready for collection, rather than spending time on data entry. It’s given me back two hours a day, which I can put to good use elsewhere in the business.” The system is now handling about 10,000 consignments a year from the Polyfast eBay store.
Another firm offering a cloud-based management system is Balloon One, which says its NetSuite business management package can reduce IT costs by at least 50%, thanks to being accessible via any web browser or mobile device. The NetSuite package can be used in conjunction with software from other suppliers or, for example, with Balloon One’s Accellos One Warehouse WMS.
One customer using both systems is toy manufacturer JellyCat. The firm says it has eliminated duplicated data and paper documentation and made stock management more accurate, reducing administration time to such a degree that the systems paid for themselves within a year.
Audit trail
Proteo is another firm offering specialist enterprise software for transport firms, although not for small fleets. Sales director Alistair Atkinson says: “The company’s HaulierEnterprise product is potentially an ERP product, but we describe it as a transport management solution. It’s about turning an order into cash as quickly as possible, and providing an audit trail all the way through.
“You could look at it as an integrated solution from driver behaviour to back office.” Atkinson says the return on investment for such a system is better for a bigger fleet. “In an ideal world, it would be fleets of 50-plus, but we have put it into a fleet of 35 vehicles.” That fleet was Chiltern Cold Storage, whose MD Paul Jackson says: “It’s a one-stop solution that satisfies our requirements. The system provides detailed online tracking of vehicles and loads, reports on driver and vehicle performance, as well as business information to help us maintain controls and efficiencies. It manages every aspect of the business, including directly entering orders on to the system and generating the paperwork, helping us to work efficiently.” HaulierEnterprise can be cloud-based or hosted on a client’s own server – but most customers go for the cloud-based solution.
The driver behaviour aspect of HaulierEnterprise comes from the firm’s Fleet Metrik device, which is connected to a truck’s CANbus. An optional in-cab driver performance indicator (DPI) unit gives a traffic light display of feedback on driving style. Alternatively, the system can use Proteo’s hand-held ToughTouch tablet for GPS-based driver behaviour monitoring. The ToughTouch uses the Windows CE operating system, which Atkinson says is a logical choice. “It’s a proven platform and it is well established.” Atkinson says the clients he wants include traditional haulage operators. “We’re seeking family haulage businesses where perhaps the second generation is looking at how they can take the operation forward.” n
CASE STUDY PARAGON AND GIST
Gist is using Paragon’s transport optimisation software to model and implement alternative delivery scenarios for its food deliveries across the country. The operator has used Paragon for daily dynamic planning and to optimise strategic fixed routes, allowing it to reduce fleet size by introducing double-deck trailers.
Gist transport and network consultant Jonathan Mahoney says: “We use the software to make efficiency and service improvements; you wouldn’t be able to get such an instant view with manual planning methods. We also use it strategically to run ‘what if’ scenarios and use the reports in proposals to customers. For example, we use it for assigning stores to a DC – this is particularly useful when considering stores that are located on the border between two regional DCs. The software helps guide our decision and proves reliable.”
CASE STUDY JACK RICHARDS & SON
Proteo has a long-established relationship with Norfolk haulier Jack Richards & Son, which was the first user of HaulierEnterprise. Now Wisbech Roadways, a joint venture established in 1998 by Jack Richards & Son along with Knowles Transport and Garn Transport, uses Proteo’s ConsortiaEnterprise system to co-ordinate its combined fleet of more than 300 vehicles and five operating centres. The system connects the consortium’s members with each other and with clients and can cope with contract logistics, full load, groupage, distribution and pallet network business. It undertakes processes from order to payment receipt and allocates work to consortium members according to postcode zones, using rules that can be configured via a web-based dashboard.