Oct/Nov 2006

Better data input and live wireless monitoring are helping to make routing and scheduling systems even smarter. Sharon Clancy reports

The key benefits of any scheduling system are the ability to maximise your assets by making use of the maximum payload on the vehicles in the fleet, and to minimise mileage by optimised route planning.

Two developments are helping to improve the rate of return from any investment in scheduling software. One is the ability to incorporate more data into the scheduling engine, and the other is the contribution of low-cost real-time vehicle tracking, which has transformed transport managers' ability to react proactively to changes in the actual schedule against planned.

Data crunching

 

Automating any task relies on accurate data input. The more data that can be factored in, the more reliable the computed result: hence the enduring truth of the garbage-in-garbage-out adage.

In the world of scheduling, the latest trend is to add as much data as possible before the scheduling programme begins - the object being to minimise the manual tweaking of schedules that's needed later.

"Maximum user configurability is essential if routeing and scheduling systems are to appeal to as many operations as possible," says Mary Short, managing director of MapMechanics which is the UK distributor for the TruckStops routing and scheduling application. With TruckStops, users can create and maintain fully-editable distance files - matrices that store times and distances between call points. These are consulted by the software during the route optimisation process, helping users ensure that their system reflects real-world experience in their own operations as accurately as possible.

Paragon's upgraded routing and scheduling application can now incorporate driver shift patterns, multi-shifted tractor units, and trailers that need to be reloaded between trips. It automatically creates routes and schedules that fit the available driver shifts, in order to minimise the number of shifts needed: and all the while it stays within the constraints of the available tractors and trailers.

"Until now, companies have planned schedules to a generic set of shift patterns, and have then manually allocated specific routes to specific drivers," says Paragon managing director William Salter. "The software now automatically builds trips and loads that make the best use of the specific drivers' shifts." It can even prioritise the use of a company's own drivers in relation to agency drivers.

Tracking progress

The importance of tracking to maximising the potential of any routing and scheduling system is demonstrated by the number of systems that now interface with tracking and telematics systems. If you are not checking what is happening to a schedule in real time against what is planned, the chances are that you are not maximising the information that the tracking or the scheduling applications can deliver to your operations. If vehicles are constantly late arriving at a particular delivery point, is there an identifiable reason? What changes might eliminate the problem or lessen its impact?

"Fleet Controller can work with more than one tracking system at the same time," points out Charles Nockold, Paragon's marketing and business development director. "This is invaluable if you are using more than one tracking supplier or are bringing in spot hire vehicles that may have a factory-fitted GPS unit provided by the vehicle manufacturer." Fleet Controller includes off-the-shelf certified interfaces with telematics systems from Navman Wireless, Masternaut, Tracker Network, Siemens VDO, Cybit and Minorplanet.

MapMechanics Mobile takes output from a routing and scheduling system and transmits it to a mobile device, which can be a phone, PDA, ruggedised handheld or hard-wired in-cab computer. The device is automatically loaded with destinations and expected arrival time, so drivers are also alerted if they are running late.

Options include integration with a navigation system to guide drivers to the delivery address. Real-time data capture at the point of delivery (such as electronic proof-of-delivery and time of delivery) is automatically transmitted back to base. That gives transport managers live information about delivery times and allows them to keep customers informed about delivery times, or to re-plan deliveries to reflect unforeseen delays.

MapMechanics Mobile is modular, so can be provided either as a complete package, including TruckStops routing and scheduling software, in-cab hardware and navigation software, or as separate modules. "Modularity saves companies having to ditch legacy applications," points out Short.

Drivers and mobile workers communicate with the commander unit via GPRS or by simply plugging the mobile unit into the commander unit at the start of each day. This monitors vehicles and can highlight vehicles that are running late.

Tracking companies themselves are recognising this benefit of deploying their systems. "In-cab mobile technology is a crucial area of improvement within the telematics and logistics industry at the moment," says Minorplanet Systems director Neil Kelly.

The company has recently introduced VMI Location link, a tool that provides a link from specific VMI map locations (such as depots and customer premises) to the TomTom Go navigation device. It enables key location information to be displayed and uploaded in-vehicle. Drivers can insert new locations en route using the TomTom device and add these to the locations already set up in the VMI software.

Trailer scheduling

Many fleets operate a ratio of two trailers for every tractor unit. It maximises tractor utilisation and speeds turnround times, as the expensive asset is not kept waiting while an empty trailer is loaded. However, keeping track of trailer assets can be a problem, especially for multi-depot fleets, as trailers may be unhitched somewhere other than where they were picked up. Yet if you do not know where all the trailers in the fleet are, how can you maximise utilisation?

Trailer tracking specialist Axscend, points out that the arrival of independently-powered low-cost trailer tracking systems, should enhance trailer utilisation. Once you have data about where trailers are, it will also tell you when they were last moved. The data can be fed into the routing and scheduling system for further analysis. Should trailers used infrequently be moved to another depot or sold? Can their utilisation be improved? If they are there just to cover for busy periods, would it be cheaper to hire in trailers at peak times?

Job scheduling

Generally any discussion on routing and scheduling focuses on logistics operations, but increasingly they are also being used to maximise the efficiency of field service teams, whether they are sales people or engineers. MapMechanics is one company that is using its geospatial and scheduling experience to target markets that have been served until now by companies specialising in job scheduling.

"A scheduling system can take account of the number of calls, the available engineers and the appropriate skill levels," points out Mary Short, managing director of MapMechanics. Meter-reading company Lowri Beck, for example, has incorporated TruckStops scheduling application into its own in-house software. "Other resource allocation systems tended to be all-embracing suites that included work management as well," comments Bob Vernon, managing director. "We wanted a flexible system that would integrate effectively with our in-house software."

If your field staff or delivery drivers make regular calls to customers at specific intervals (for routine inspections, or weekly deliveries, for example) MapMechanics has a program called Frequency Scheduler, which uses a genetic algorithm in combination with established routing and territory optimisation software.

The schedule is created on the basis of call data in an Access database. The scheduler automatically generates HTML reports which can be printed out, put on the web or imported into Excel or Access. Client preferences can be taken into account, so clients can be visited on the same day of the week each time. It can also accommodate mobile workers who, for example, might always be in the office on a Friday, and not schedule deliveries or visits that day.

Dynamic scheduling

The days when buyers were prepared to wait patiently all morning or afternoon to receive a delivery are fast disappearing. Two-hour time slots are now the bare minimum acceptable in the food home delivery market, with one-hour delivery windows increasingly common.

Dynamic real-time scheduling is playing a key role in enabling these high levels of customer service to be achieved without costs going through the roof. Rather than take a database of planned deliveries and schedule them the night before, dynamic scheduling software allows retailers to allocate a delivery slot at the point the order is taken. The scheduling software is programmed only to offer the customer a delivery slot that meets predetermined parameters. For some customers, it may be possible to offer a choice of delivery times while remaining within those all-important parameters.

Sidewinder made its name in the UK as the supplier of the RealTIME Scheduler behind the Sainsbury's to You home delivery service, which offers one-hour delivery slots. The scheduler balances customer demand against the available resource at the customer's local store.

Now part of the SPL group, Sidewinder has just announced a major contract with Comet, the electrical retailer. Comet is deploying Sidewinder's RealTIME Scheduler (now called SPL Enterprise Scheduling Solution) to improve its operational efficiencies and enhance customer service in home delivery and after-sales service operations. The initial deployment will optimise the scheduling and routing of both home delivery vehicles and engineering teams.

Pay-as-you-go

Pay-as-you-go scheduling is still in its infancy, but companies report growing interest. VSc Solutions, for example, says it has over 220 users procuring their software on this pay-per-use basis, which it is calling SaaS (software-as-a-service). All but one of them are new customers.

The SaaS kit is offered as part of the company's online Dispatch Dynamic supply-chain management suite. Users pay on a cost per order or cost per route basis, and while this may sound an expensive solution, Anthony Munro-Martin, head of its mobile division, says savings are typically between half and two thirds of the cost of selecting, installing and running a routing application package in-house with IT overheads.

The company has teamed up with 7global to provide the network performance and security side of the service. "Working with 7global means we can offer enterprise-class software to businesses with just five to ten users at a very affordable entry point," says Munro-Martin.

On-line services are also offered by Descartes, 121 solutions and DPS.

What next?

More in/more out is becoming easier to achieve with scheduling systems able to accept more complex data into their engines. As well as data on driver hours and assets, incorporating as much data about actual schedule performance against planned is critical. And for that, you must track vehicles in real time.