We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC.
    • Podcast
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Dispatches
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Home-supply chain builds a better delivery system with software tools
Applications

Home-supply chain builds a better delivery system with software tools

After deploying a cloud-based route-planning system, New Zealand-based PlaceMakers saw delivery satisfaction levels jump by 50%.

PlaceMakers loading area
July 31, 2020
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

If you’re a construction professional or a fan of do-it-yourself projects in New Zealand, you’ve probably spent a lot of time in PlaceMakers, the country’s largest supplier of building materials and hardware. A Southern Hemisphere version of The Home Depot or Lowe’s, the home improvement chain employs over 2,100 people at its 63 retail stores and eight manufacturing plants. It carries more than 74,000 product lines, ranging from concrete to paint and plasterboard.

Recently, the Auckland City-based company decided it needed a better system for scheduling deliveries to its more than 300,000 retail and trade customers. So it turned to Bestrane Group, a Melbourne, Australia-based reseller of software from the logistics technology developer Descartes Systems Group Inc. Based on Bestrane’s recommendation, PlaceMakers implemented the cloud-based Descartes Route Planner solution to centralize its distribution planning operations across the country and has seen swift results.

As of February, PlaceMakers had nearly completed the software deployment and had already seen a 40% to 50% increase in delivery satisfaction, while achieving “significant” financial savings. In addition, the company has reduced inbound calls by 16%, increased load utilization by 13%, and reduced loading times by 14%.

“We sought to transform our customer delivery experience by moving each of our 63 branches from dispatching and executing deliveries with multiple logistics services providers to centralized logistics planning and our own fleet,” Wayne Armstrong, business transformation manager at PlaceMakers, said in a release. He added that Descartes Route Planner has proved to be “a world-class, end-to-end solution that is helping us provide an industry-leading customer experience.”

OPTIMIZING ROUTES IN REAL TIME

According to Descartes, its route-planning solution follows a two-phase approach: efficiently deploying vehicles to meet customer demands, and then fine-tuning that plan to reflect real-world changes.

The system incrementally builds shipment schedules and route plans, so as each new order is received, the schedule is regenerated in real time to reallocate resources to optimize efficiency, deliver priority service to the most profitable accounts and routes, and maintain overall customer service objectives. With an integrated GPS-based mobile application, the solution also has the capability to coordinate drivers, dispatchers, and call centers to help ensure that routes are executed according to plan and exceptions are handled efficiently, the developer says. Descartes adds that the platform integrates with existing order management or transportation planning systems to help companies reduce operating costs.

“We’re pleased to support PlaceMakers’ initiative to dramatically improve its customer experience, delivery productivity, and agility,” Lee Karlinsky, Descartes’ senior vice president, emerging markets, said in the release. “Companies like PlaceMakers are seeing the customer service differentiation, cost savings, and improved operational effectiveness that centralized route planning combined with mobile applications for execution can provide.”

Technology Transportation & Load Planning (TMS)
KEYWORDS Bestrane Group Descartes Systems Group PlaceMakers
  • Related Articles

    Technology promotes transparency in transportation, shipping

    JDA sharpens supply chain visibility tools with software partners

    Tailwind Transportation Software Expands Integration with Trucker Tools

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

U.S. Xpress makes “significant investment” in self-driving tech vendor

Truckload carrier predicts challenging year ahead for industry

Train kept a rollin’

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Cold chain giant Lineage Logistics buys its own rail operator

  • Outlook 2021: What’s in store for logistics supply chain?

  • Cushman & Wakefield Brokers Sale of 170 Acres plus Lease for 1MSF Build-to-Suit for Home Improvement Retailer in Commerce City, CO.

  • Thriving in the long haul: interview with Colin Yankee

  • Biden names dozens of senior leaders to DOT, including FMCSA and FRA

Now Playing on DCV-TV

2mw 01 18 21 thumb

LTL Carriers Using Yield Management Techniques to Identify New Accessorial Charges

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
As we head into 2021, shippers are not too optimistic about negotiating rates with their carriers. The reason for this, as highlighted in the three CODE RED Webcasts we've hosted with our friends from CSCMP and NASSTRAC, is that in today's transportation marketplace, shippers are operating in uncharted waters. With...

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Proven Benefits: A Compendium of Slotting Optimization Success Snapshots

  • Bridging Information Gaps in Dock and Yard Operations

  • How Intelligent Sensor Solutions Turn Data Into Action

  • Order picking Solutions: Understanding Your Options

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing