Bidvest Waltons delivers on its promise after subscribing to Picup’s TMS solution – Intelligent CIO Africa

Bystreamlining its entire logistics and last-mile delivery process, BidvestWaltonscan deliver on its promise and improve the overall customerexperience. The stationerhas subscribed to Picups Transport ManagementSystem (TMS) to deliver a reliable logistics solution.

Thepartnership was born when Bidvest Waltons encountered Picup through an ongoingproject to improve service delivery and efficiencies from its main distributioncentre in the Western Cape.

Picupthen came to Bidvest Waltons aid during a strike, in a dire situation, whereexisting delivery methods were strained causing a massive backlog indeliveries. Thereafter, Picup was retained to assess the driver routing andoverall distribution model.

Weeklysite visits with key stakeholders were conducted to understand the existingoperations, systems and constraints. Picup had to analyse different departmentsand role players and provide a tailored logistics solution through the TMS.

Picup isdifferent from conventional couriers because its advanced technology and fleetmanagement tools enable companies to deliver using their own fleet, a thirdparty courier or its own crowdsourced driver network.

Antonio Bruni, Picup CEO, says after the evaluation, it was very clear that Bidvest Waltons could use Picups technology to manage its fleet more efficiently.

When volumes increased, there was definitely value in using Picup as a delivery partner. Our crowdsourced driver network was clearly the answer during the strike, said Bruni.

The Picup driver app allows routes to be optimised, eliminating the choice of familiar routes. This saves time and reduces fuel and maintenance costs considerably.

ThePicup TMS has saved Bidvest Waltons both time and money during the last mile,as well as given the company full visibility of each individual delivery. Thisensures driver accountability and benchmarking which drives good behaviour andoverall efficiencies.

One ofthe reasons for this high success rate is our driver-partner remunerationmodel. We use a pay per parcel method versus the pay by volumetric-weightmethod that most conventional couriers use, Bruni adds.

The TMSautomatically processes addresses and converts them into GPS coordinates inreal-time based on the GPS co-ordinates of the device using the Picup app.

Bruni says in last-mile delivery, incorrect addresses can be a major hiccup particularly in a South African environment.

Incorrectly captured and changing address information is an unavoidable risk, especially for companies with a large number of customers or customers with a large, or growing, number of branches, he said.

In theevent of addresses needing to be corrected, as identified through driverfeedback on the app, a dedicated Data Integrity Team is able to shift thelocation pin to a more accurate or relevant location. Once an address has beencorrected, Picups AI modules automatically update the clients information.

BidvestWaltons has also implemented the Picup Warehouse solution where parcels arelabelled and packed according to their allocation. Once the parcels leave thewarehouse, they can be tracked in real-time. The solution fully integrates withBidvest Waltons invoicing system for seamless operation.

TheDispatch Control System (DCS) allows for parcels to be labelled and packedaccording to allocation. This mitigates delays during dispatch and providesparcel-level visibility post-dispatch.

Byintegrating into Bidvest Waltons ERP system, Picup has gained a holistic viewof organisation-wide data and identified areas where the TMS technology couldimprove the efficiency of the supply chain.

Thesuccess of Picups TMS has given Bidvest Waltons full visibility on itsdeliveries. The solution enables them to geocode all of their addresses andapproximate the cost of each trip in advance, empowering them to make aninformed decision as to which delivery option is the most efficient andcost-effective.

TheEnterprise platform has a built-in search engine, this allows users to accessinvoices and electronic Proof of Delivery more easily. It also provides timestamps for key points in the supply chain like when the parcel was collected ordelivered.

Picup isa customisable driver app which allows drivers and fleet managers tocommunicate with one another in real-time. Every action on the app is trackedand channeled into meaningful analysis, reporting dashboards and real-timealerts.

Thisimproves transparency amongst departments as the customer relations team cantrack parcels in real-time and proactively keep customers up-to-date if thereare unexpected delays in delivery.

Operationalteams at Bidvest Waltons can now monitor their dashboards with live information,failed customer deliveries and can also gain insight into driver behaviour.They are now able to manage timing with exceptional accuracy and providecustomers with personalised feedback through advanced delivery notifications.

Thechange in driver behaviour has resulted in on-time departures,route-optimisation, adherence and route accountability.

Toprovide visibility into past, present and future orders, the Picup TMS has abuilt-in search engine. This allows users across different departments to accessinvoices, electronic proof of collection and delivery, an overview of areadensity, and customer and fleet insights.

BidvestWaltons is now able to plan and fine-tune deliveries, tweak its operationalprocesses and redefine customer engagement in a meaningful way. Challengesaround visibility, communications, addresses and driver behaviour have now beeneradicated using Picups innovative approach to logistics.

This exciting technology is changing the face of logistics and creating a far more organised and manageable environment, said Bruni.

Considering Waltons high order volumes, it is clear that the Picup Enterprise platform can handle the logistics of any business, no matter the size.

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Bidvest Waltons delivers on its promise after subscribing to Picup's TMS solution - Intelligent CIO Africa