PDM Group provides a unique 'one-stop shop' collection and recycling service for all waste food products.  In order to support its business growth PDM turned to Optrak for vehicle routing software and a tracking & ticketing system.  The project has delivered a six figure cost saving, and enabled PDM to raise customer service levels whilst dramatically reducing paperwork.

 

Complex collections using fixed routes

PDM operates fixed routes for its fleet of 65 vehicles spread across 5 depots and outbases.  Three waste streams (Animal By-Products (ABP), Supermarket waste and catering waste) are collected and brought back to PDM for processing.  Each collection required a signed ABP Movement Document which generated a vast amount of paperwork.

 

The fixed routes had built up over time but there was no easy way to see how efficient they were.

 

A legal change regarding the use of food waste in landfill sites saw PDM experience rapid growth in its customer base over a relatively short period of time.  Recognizing this would put a strain on its ability to maintain an efficient collection service, PDM investigated the latest vehicle routing solutions.  An important requirement was to integrate vehicle routing with fleet tracking and handheld PDA devices.

We wanted to work with a single company that could integrate vehicle routing with tracking and handheld technology for signature capture, and that really understood the waste industry.  Optrak’s sophisticated and flexible vehicle routing software combined with its capabilities for tracking and reporting rose to every challenge.  We saw the impact from day one, by operating more efficiently and minimizing the number of vehicles that we use, Optrak has delivered significant savings in excess of £100,000.”

Michael Pallant, Group Transport Manager

  

Designing efficient fixed routes with Optrak

PDM used Optrak to analyze its customer base and to design a new set of fixed routes.  Optrak caters for the complex tipping arrangements where certain collections are not brought back to a depot, but tipped off elsewhere. Other constraints that Optrak takes into account include:

·         Depot locations and outbases

·         Customer locations and time windows

·         Type of collection - bins or bags

·         Average order weight and volume

·         Collection frequency

·         Available vehicle and driver resources

Using their knowledge of industry best practice, the Optrak team challenged several of our assumptions, which helped us re-examine our business objectively.  Additionally, we were able to use routing software to determine how to allocate customers to the most appropriate depot and fixed route. Optrak automatically checked all constraints including the weight and volume limits throughout the planning process to make sure that vehicles are not overloaded and the routes remained viable.  The new routes were then refined during implementation and testing.”

Michael Pallant, Group Transport Manager

 

Automated real-time control

The customer sites and collections along with the fixed trips are stored in Optrak Realization, a powerful add-on to the Optrak’s routing software, that incorporates real-time tracking, reporting, telematics and business intelligence.  Any ad hoc or urgent collections can be incorporated into the fixed trips at the local depot prior to the vehicles leaving.

 

Internec CN3 PDA devices have been set up to support signature capture and real-time recording of collection information.  It is driven by a touch screen data entry process which is a popular feature with drivers who no longer have to rekey information.

 

Every day the drivers sign onto their PDAs, which ‘pull down’ the relevant trip manifest from Optrak, listing the collections that have to be made, the customer locations, opening and closing times and any special instructions.

 

The PDAs have TomTom navigation built in, which can provide traditional turn by turn directions.  This saves time when drivers require assistance finding a customer site or where an alternative route is needed due to diversions and traffic problems.

 

After a site has been visited and its precise coordinates taken by the PDA, Optrak will record the new values and push them back to the PDA next time the site is visited. This feature is vitally important when determining which side of a motorway a service station is located on, or for cases where the customer postcode may refer to the site entrance but the loading bay is in a different location. It cuts down on unnecessary driving time and makes it less likely that the lorry will need to back up or turn around

 

Once onsite, the driver uses the PDA touch screen to confirm the arrival time.  Depending on the type of customer collection, the PDA prompts for the number of bins or bags collected to be entered and the approximate weight is recorded.  If a bin wash was requested and completed, these details are recorded as well.

 

The customer signs the touch screen and the driver prints a customer copy of the ABP Movement Document which confirms the arrival and departure times and the details of that particular collection.  If the customer pays in cash the PDA includes a VAT number on the ABP document.

 
 

Meeting compliance requirements

The PDA automatically sends a copy of the ABP Movement Document back to Optrak in real-time.  From here the documents are emailed to the depot as pdfs and also stored for compliance and regulatory purposes.

 

The production of duplicate ABP documents simply becomes a process of querying the database to find the right customer collection record.  This process saves a substantial amount of time that was previously taken up in searching paper records, e.g. when customers request a duplicate ticket.

 

Using Optrak gives us an efficient way of generating the trip manifest for each driver.  The automation of signature capture and production of the ABP Movement Documents has eliminated a massive amount of paperwork which in turn frees up time for drivers and customer service staff.  Optrak stores all of the ABP Documents so we have a full record for audit and compliance purposes and links back to our billing system. As the ‘paperwork’ is received in seconds, we have been able to speed up the process of issuing invoices which has the benefit of improving our cash flow.”

Matthew Hill, Transport Manager

 

Answering tricky what if questions

PDM use Optrak on a regular basis to review whether the routes are still working efficiently and to help analyze customer profitability.  By using Optrak for strategic planning, Hill is able to answer ‘what if?’ questions, such as assessing the impact of a customer request to change collection frequency.  Hill also works on projects to assist the business development department to determine the cost per collection for adding a new customer into the existing routes. “Optrak allows us to provide accurate proposals safe in the knowledge that any new route will still be efficient as well as achievable.”

 

PDM uses Optrak strategically to analyze the impact of various changes to the collection service.

Optrak is invaluable when looking at the optimum fleet configuration.  By testing different vehicle combinations, we were able to establish that it was possible to take 4 HGVs out of the fleet and replace them with smaller, more efficient vehicles, without any impact on customer service.  When you add in the savings from lower running costs, it was a move that saved money.  With Optrak it is easy to test different approaches and find out what works best before you make any decisions.”

Matthew Hill, Transport Manager

 

Reduced costs and increased business agility

Michael Pallant sums up the ongoing benefits from using Optrak into 3 key areas:

 

Cost savings:

By running a more efficient operation, PDM have minimized the fleet size, and moved to a more effective fleet mix.  It has provided a solid foundation to support our future business growth without having to invest in expanding the fleet.  The use of smaller vehicles has also enabled us to minimize on-going running costs and our CO2 emissions.

 

Business agility:

PDM can rapidly analyze the impact of new customers and more easily accommodate them into existing routes.  Although the business has grown significantly, Optrak has helped us to develop more agility and flexibility in our collection service.  Additionally we have greater visibility over the effect that changing the routes has on our cost base.

 

Elimination of paperwork:

Real-time automation of the signature capture and ticket printing process has ensured that we no longer spend time producing manual paperwork either when a delivery is made or back at the depot.  As all documents are stored electronically, it is easy for the customer service center to answer client queries.

 

Endorsing Optrak for waste or complex collections

 

Pallant is enthusiastic about Optrak’s routing software and Optrak Realization:

We have an excellent relationship with the Optrak team, no request is too small and the quality of service that we receive is of a very high standard. The integrated routing software and real-time signature capture from Optrak has never let us down.  It gives us full traceability of our collections whilst delivering real savings, improved efficiency and reduced impact on the environment.  It has been a very worthwhile project and I would definitely recommend Optrak to other companies in the waste industry or those carrying out complex collections.”

Michael Pallant, Group Transport Manager

  

Tim Pigden said, “PDM is a leader in the field of waste management.  By investing in technology to support its collection operations, it has been able to reduce its cost base whilst improving customer service.  Using Optrak to manage delivery tracking has given many benefits to the company alongside those they have achieved on the routing side.”