“To better meet customer needs, we wanted a fleet management platform to enhance on-time performance, improve service in case of returns or customer concerns, and advance sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions,” Luis Mora, a director at Grupo Petrópolis, explained in a July statement describing the project. “The Descartes solution gives us a new level of control and visibility into our large distribution network. Across our 160 locations, routes are now smarter and more efficient, and we track all routes in real time. If a driver deviates from the planned route, the system immediately signals a diversion so our team can respond quickly, which is crucial to providing reliable service. And because we can act with greater precision and agility in Delivery, we have reduced fuel and maintenance costs, gained visibility into the idle state of vehicles, and overcome challenges with product and delivery traceability.
Provide savings
The partners implemented the Descartes routing and fleet management solution – part of the software company’s suite of routing, mobile and telematics solutions, which was developed to help retail food and beverage distribution companies “manage routes for optimal efficiency and minimize the impact of unexpected events on customer service levels, mileage and costs,” according to Descartes.
By constantly re-optimizing route plans based on real-time traffic data and other variables, the solution enhances customer service by improving on-time delivery performance, reduces mileage by routing drivers along shorter route routes, and reduces overall road time and costs by helping drivers navigate heavy traffic using alternate routes and stop sequences. The solution also monitors planned versus actual deliveries, route deviations, unplanned stops, and delays in departure or arrival.
The results have been game-changing: Grupo Petrópolis has achieved a 98% on-time delivery rate, reduced overtime by 9%, and reduced fuel consumption by 5% since it went live with the platform.
“Our collaboration with Grupo Petrópolis highlights how advanced routing solutions can help transform complex distribution environments into highly efficient, sustainable, and customer-focused logistics operations,” Douglas Alves, executive director of sales at Descartes, said in a July statement. “As food and beverage distributors look for opportunities to enhance last-mile performance, our suite of solutions can help rebalance distribution networks; improve route productivity, fulfillment and sustainability; respond more dynamically to demand; and accelerate cash flow by proving electronic delivery.”
