Food Distribution Case Study

Business Challenges

As the business has grown, so too has the scale and complexity of the delivery operation. Maxoptra was originally introduced to take control of distribution costs through improved operational efficiencies. Prior to the implementation of Maxoptra, each customer was allocated to a fixed route with a sequence number, but this did not take into account running costs or other factors, such as efficient vehicle utilisation, vehicle capacity and driving hours.

The Solution

Since implementing Maxoptra, integrated with in-cab telematics from TomTom, Arthur David has seen a dramatic reduction in the time and resources taken to deal with customer queries. Before Maxoptra, and in the case of a vehicle leaving late or falling behind schedule, the company could receive hundreds of calls in a matter of hours. Each customer call required interaction with the transport team, potentially a call to the driver, often resulting in multiple calls per query.

Maxoptra is also helping Arthur David enforce its 'leave it with us' motto, whereby the company will move heaven and earth to ensure the customers get their goods, that day, regardless of fault. Missed items or forgotten orders can result in deliveries anywhere from London to Swansea and Birmingham to Southampton, and Arthur David is now using Maxoptra to plan the daily second wave of deliveries.Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.

The Results

After implementing Maxoptra, Arthur David introduced a 'one-call' customer care policy. Giving frontline staff direct access to real time delivery information, accessed in the cloud, they can advise and inform customers at first contact.

The use of Maxoptra has allowed Arthur David to complete the second round of deliveries with fewer miles and has resulted in parity between drivers' hours, which in turn has boosted morale and reduced staff turnover.