Global mapping and location data firm HERE Technologies has launched a free tool to help small and mid-sized U.S. businesses manage increasing demand for delivery service during the Covid-19 pandemic, the company said today.

HERE WeGo Deliver allows businesses to plan and dispatch an employee-based delivery service without software development and implementation costs. The firm is offering the software tool for free as a way to “give back” during the pandemic, company leaders said.

“Manually organizing and sequencing multiple delivery stops, and drivers, is time consuming, and the margin for human error is significant,” Christoph Herzig, head of fleet applications at HERE Technologies, said in a statement announcing the launch. “HERE WeGo Deliver makes it simple for both the business owner and driver by easy uploading, optimizing, viewing, and dispatching of routes through a web-based dashboard.” 

The software allows managers to upload destinations and the number of drivers to an online planning dashboard. HERE WeGo Deliver then optimizes each route and delivery sequence. Drivers receive their delivery route by email, which automatically opens and populates the delivery route end points in the program’s mobile app to provide voice-enabled navigation. The program is available for free download to Android and iOS devices until 2021, the company said.

Companies across the supply chain are continuing efforts to support customers and their communities in the face of the pandemic. Some highlights: 

• Fort Wayne, Ind.-based ground transportation provider Circle Logistics launched a bulk division to ship ethanol for hand santizer production nationwide. The company says it plans to increase its ethanol distribution to 1.5 million gallons by the end of May as part of its Covid-19 response, which includes providing cost reductions for customers shipping critical medical supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE), respirators and cots, as well as groceries. Circle said it is also shipping loads for the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and providing the agency and its partners with real-time visibility of critical medical supply and grocery shipments.
• Philadelphia-based athletic apparel maker Boathouse continues to shift production to focus on making isolation gowns, surgical gowns, and masks for local hospitals and is also producing masks for consumers. The company made its first deliveries to area hospitals in April. Founder and CEO John Strotbeck says the pivot addresses two key issues: getting the company’s employees back to work and providing vital supplies to the medical community. “By making the switch to medical PPE, we’ll be able to get our people safely back to work while helping with the pandemic relief effort,” Strotbeck said. “For us, it’s just the right thing to do.”
• Jacksonville, Fla.-based supply chain and transportation provider Crowley Solutions delivered more than 19 million meals ready-to-eat (MREs) and more than 2 million units of masks, goggles, and other supplies in the Covid-19 fight as of May 6. The supplies went to military installations and other facilities around the country to support the Department of Defense and other federal agencies, the company said.

To see further coverage of the coronavirus crisis and how it's affecting the logistics industry, check out our Covid-19 landing page. And click here for our compilation of virus-focused websites and resource pages from around the supply chain sector.