Vehicle Routing and Dispatch (VRD) is one of the main topics in the Trade, Transport and Logistics industry. Mainly because of the high cost impact, based on shorter delivery times, longer distances to cover (China) and higher fuel costs.  For more information, see for example the following sites: Transport Intelligence,

Vehicle Routing challenges have to be tackled on different levels:

• strategic level: where to invest, e.g. in warehouses, in distribution points, in main routes, in equipment.
• tactical level: based on the investments made, the demands from customers and partners available, what is the best plan for this month/week.
• operational level: how to react, almost realtime, on illness of truck drivers, traffic jams, trucks that break down, customers who have last minute demands.
• where to invest, e.g. in warehouses, in distribution points, in main routes, in equipment.

ORTEC Vehicle Routing and Dispatch is about:   

• cost reduction though less driving  times and distance 
• cost reduction though less hours spent  on  planning  activities
• improved customer service through increased insight in waiting hours, slack times 
• improved customer service  through proactive exception management, notification of shipment status  and increased performance being on time 
• improved process efficiency through a larger span of control for planner and dispatcher, (universal acces to  all  data by any person  if required)
• improved process efficiency through real-time interaction with systems (REP, TMS) and devices (board computer, handheld PC)    
• improved process effectiveness through limitiation of manual data entry activities to the absolute minimum

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How to save $45 million each year.

North Texas General Manager Rick Gillis said, ‘Managing delivery time windows in our ever more complicated bulk arena is a huge win. ORTEC's Vehicle Routing and Dispatch solution SHORTREC is very flexible because it enables our dispatchers to develop a more cost-effective schedule in less time and helps our dispatchers determine better delivery strategies.’
SHORTREC finds the most efficient delivery solution among the pool of orders for that day. Various elements are incorporated to determine this solution. For example:

• Data elements: Includes delivery time windows, geocodes, unloading times, and merchandising times.
• Parameters: Includes driver and vehicle costs, road network speeds, and driver work times.
• Rules: Includes respecting delivery time windows (hard rule) and minimum route duration (soft rule).

SHORTREC allows dispatchers to immediately see the impact from any manual movements. This enables dispatchers to become more analytical in their decision-making. Cyril Turner, Atlanta Division general manager, stated that, ‘SHORTREC is a great tool for analyzing ‘what-if’s’ and comparing different scenarios. The software works from the facts for that day and not a fixed standard. It also allows us to build routes based on time parameters so that everyone has an equitable day.’

Note: see also "Coca-Cola and ORTEC nominated for Edelman award" in our Press Archive  to learn more about how more than $45 million is saved yearly.