The Co-operative Food is cutting delivery miles and carbon emissions as a result of introducing Paragon’s transport planning solution to its Logistics Service operation
The switch to a dynamic resource managed planning approach has already delivered a five per cent cut in delivery miles at a pilot depot and the company is expecting a CO2 saving of 5,000 tonnes a year across its entire distribution network comprising over 1,300 vehicles and 4,000 nationwide stores.
“Using Paragon routing and scheduling software with Resource Manager for dynamic planning gives our depot planners a great tool to produce efficient, compliant, delivery schedules that help us provide a better service for our stores. The pilot at our West Thurrock distribution centre resulted in a five per cent mileage saving. We expect to save 5,000 tonnes of CO2 per year along with significant cost savings when we roll out dynamic planning across the network,” says Graham Leggett, senior transport planner, food operations – Logistics Service.
As the business increased the number of stores and opened up new, larger depots, it became clear that it needed a sophisticated software tool to maximise the opportunities for efficiency gains.
“We service nearly 4,000 stores in all corners of the UK, making about 34,000 deliveries, on 9,500 routes using 1,300 vehicles, every week. Our fixed routes generally provide efficient schedules, but volume fluctuations make it a challenge to meet our stores expected delivery times while maximising our efficiency. Using Paragon route planning software with Paragon Resource Manager enables us to meet the challenge,” says Leggett.
Every night, the planners update driver availability within Paragon Resource Manager. This provides the planning software with all available drivers, their start times, the vehicles they can drive and their maximum shift length. Then they enter the actual store order volumes and apply the store delivery windows to each order. The system then creates the most efficient delivery schedule that meets the needs of the stores, while ensuring the driver and fleet resources are available to deliver the plan. The order information also updates the warehouse management system to enable the warehouses to pick the orders for the new schedule.
“We are implementing dynamic planning at all our composite distribution centres in Newhouse, Birtley, Lea Green, Andover and Huntingdon. We will also implement it from the start at our new depots, Avonmouth and Castlewood,” concludes Antony Jowsey, logistics service & scheduling manager, The Co-operative Food.
Gist Limited is using Paragon transport optimisation software to ensure efficient food deliveries to major retail stores across the UK. Using Paragon for both strategic fixed route and daily dynamic planning, Gist has been able to optimise the use of its fleet by modelling, and implementing, alternative cost-effective delivery scenarios. This has enabled the introduction of high-efficiency double-deck trailers, thereby reducing the size of the fleet and the number of delivery routes while maintaining the highest level of service.
Gist has a history of providing logistics operations and manages the storage and distribution of ambient, chilled and frozen food products directly to retail stores and wholesale customers. Gist plans its UK and Ireland delivery routes for its distribution centres (DCs) centrally at its HQ near Basingstoke using the software.
“Paragon performs consistently and gives us a clear view of the operation and that is how we’ve been able to bring in new vehicle technology to improve delivery efficiency and save on the number of routes, while maintaining our industry leading service levels,” says Jonathan Mahoney, transport & network consultant, Gist.
“We are able to use the software to spot opportunities 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 within any proposals to customers. For example, we use it for assigning stores to a DC; this is useful when considering stores that are located on the border between two regional DCs. The software helps guide our decision and proves to be reliable.”
Gist uses Paragon for a mixed fleet of about 600 temperature-controlled vehicles ranging from 7.5 tonne rigids to double-decker articulated trucks. The vehicles are fitted with vehicle tracking systems from Isotrak which runs in conjunction with the planning software, both working to help maintain a careful eye on service performance.
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