Track & Trace project implementation

A major FMCG company with large wholesale and retail customers needed to improve proof of delivery to payment. The goal was to reduce the order to cash cycle and number of invoice queries by gaining access to the order status details real-time and improving invoice accuracy.

The challenge

To design and develop a real time system that connected the delivery drivers from the 3rd party logistics provider to the central order management system and also provided electronic versions of forms such as the proof-of delivery documents. The system had to be sufficiently robust and portable for use by delivery drivers, many of whom were not familiar with computerized equipment. In addition it had to be simple to rollout and sufficiently flexible to interface with any customer’s delivery processes.

The solution

Track & Trace software, designed by 3Peaks, was supported by a portable electronic tablet for use by the delivery drivers that would communicate directly with the company’s central systems via GPRS (General Packet Radio Service). The use of GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) to collect positioning data was a crucial element in the design as this confirmed that the driver was actually on site at the customer location and enabled the Track & Trace system to schedule the deliveries and plan routes.

When the driver arrives at the customer site, the unit is taken to the receiving dock. The customer views their order on the tablet for comparison with the actual delivery to check for accuracy. Any discrepancies in the delivery are entered to the tablet before signing off the delivery. A USB scanner connected to the tablet allows the driver to scan any paper notes.

The software on the tablet then updates all the delivery details, such as actual merchandise delivered, and then send the information back to the central systems via GPRS. The company, as well as its customers, have precise delivery data and can compare it to the customers’ order.

The completed order is updated in real-time to the company’s on-line system, where the customer can visually track the status of their order. This also allows the company’s other locations such as the corporate office, to review the status of the order real-time, rather than wait for proof-of-delivery paper sheets to go through their internal systems.

The benefits

Track & Trace delivered many benefits.

• Significant improvements in order to cash cycle.
• Instant invoicing based on the customer’s confirmed receipt.
• Swifter resolution of delivery errors or invoice queries due to immediate problem investigation.
• Improved data accuracy as the use of electronic data input eliminates the margin for error that is common with paper-based systems.
• Reduced labour requirements due to the elimination of manual input of order and delivery data.
• Quicker reaction to changes and problems in deliveries by wholesale customers, their consumer product supplier and the transportation provider.