Deutsche Papier Vertriebs GmbH selects Optrak's vehicle routing software for enterprise wide deployment
- Detailed tests show potential to save up to 15% on transport costs
Optrak Distribution Software Limited (www.optrak.co.uk) today announced that Deutsche Papier Vertriebs GmbH, part of the PaperlinX group of companies, has chosen Optrak's vehicle routing software for an enterprise wide deployment across Germany. The routing software will be used locally for daily planning at four depots. Detailed simulation tests carried out by Deutsche Papier indicate that Optrak has the potential to help the company cut transport costs by up to 15%.
Deutsche Papier is a leading German paper wholesaler. It operates fixed routes at each depot but this is not making good use of its fleet and without any optimisation of the routes it is becoming harder to maintain efficiency. Accommodating customer service requests for deliveries within specific time windows is also a challenge. Deutsche Papier began a review of available vehicle routing systems but quickly realised that it would not be easy to find a solution that matched their requirements.
"We looked at systems in Germany and the Netherlands before a recommendation from The DeliveryCo. another PaperlinX company, led us to Optrak, who were confident that they could meet our needs. They loaned us a copy of Optrak on a three month trial basis to conduct an exhaustive evaluation. We became convinced that it had the potential to enable us to make savings of up to 15% on our transport costs by increasing vehicle utilisation and minimising fuel and running costs whilst reducing our CO2 emissions," said Mr Dieter Mühlhoff, Manager Logistic, Deutsche Papier, "Once we go live, we anticipate that we will be able to minimise the number of vehicles that are required for deliveries whilst offering a more efficient and flexible service to our customers. Optrak superior routing software will also become a key part of our Value Based Management process."
The wholesaler is currently implementing Optrak into its largest depot in Germany at Bensheim and will roll out the software across the remaining depots in 2010. Careful management of costs is a key issue at Deutsche Papier and Optrak's vehicle routing software will give them greater visibility and control over a number of different metrics and indicators, including cost per delivery or customer and customer profitability. This will enable Deutsche Papier to analyse its delivery operations to understand where improvements can be made and the impact of these changes properly assessed in advance.
"Our analysis shows that by optimising our daily transport planning and scheduling with Optrak we can make significant savings in the current financial year, and anticipate achieving a return on investment (ROI) in just six to twelve months," added Mr Frank Lischke, Project Manager, Deutsche Papier, "The major attractions of working with Optrak include their reputation for first class support allied to in-depth expertise and understanding of the challenges that we face, and how their software can be tailored to overcome these. This gave us complete confidence that the Optrak route optimisation project will achieve our business goals."
Tim Pigden, Managing Director of Optrak commented, "There are significant benefits to be gained in moving from fixed routes to dynamic daily planning. By introducing Optrak's sophisticated approach to routing and scheduling, Deutsche Papier has shown its commitment to improving efficiency, flexibility and enhancing service for its customers."