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Real-Time Delivery for Whitbread PLC
Whitbread PLC is the UK’s leading hospitality company, owning a large number of well regarded leisure brands including Premier Travel Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater, Costa, TGI Fridays and David Lloyd Leisure.
In January 2006, Whitbread Supply Chain Logistics (WSCL) identified that the delivery process would benefit from an electronic delivery management process, offering greater visibility of progress made on delivery routes day to day but also providing a digital record of orders and deliveries.
Blackbay worked with WSCL’s existing order processing and warehouse management system - provided by Chess Logistics - to integrate the Delivery Connect solution into the existing infrastructure. The initial rollout was completed within a matter of weeks thanks to the flexibility of the Delivery Connect solution, and Whitbread are now able to flow digital information between driver and depot, via mobile devices.
WSCL use the new system to transmit delivery details direct to their drivers' mobile devices rather than printing out reams of paper instructions at the start of the day. Also currently being worked on is the facility to allow driver instructions to be updated throughout the day, any anomalies or delivery failures can be immediately investigated and rectified due to the visibility the depot have of the drivers' route and progress.
Not only does the new system improve delivery accuracy and enable Whitbread to resolve problems ‘on the spot’, it also cuts down paperwork and ensures a full audit trail is visible for each route, (including inbound and outbound vehicle checks) enabling accurate debriefs and data to feed back into route and schedule optimisations.
“The system has provided Whitbread with a clear and demonstrable solution to manage the end to end delivery process which was in place in a matter of weeks. Blackbay’s experience in delivering mobility solutions within the Logistics industry was key to ensuring that all our staff have embraced the new technology with the minimum of training” says Jon Abbott, Project Manager for Whitbread Supply Chain Systems, Whitbread Supply Chain Logistics.
To date 50 drivers and 31 routes are using the new system and
finding that it shortens each route by 30 minutes a day. By the
close of 2006 Whitbread are planning to have the system deployed across the entire Whitbread supply chain – 98 routes
and 165 drivers. |
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