LINKLogistics : Route Optimisation for the Supply Chain

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LINKLogistics^™ : Route Optimisation for the Supply Chain

Key Benefits:

Improved driver productivity through route optimisation & informed planning
Faster and more accurate decision-making using real-time information
Reduction in fleet size via improved utilization of resources.
Reduced administration costs for all deliveries and collections
Measure, benchmark & monitor driver performance to continuously improve customer service levels
Reduction in carbon footprint through reduced fuel consumption.
Move from ‘reactive’ to ‘pro-active’ processes
Stand alone or fully integrated real time interaction with systems (ERP, TMS) and devices (on board handhelds)

Download LINKLogistics PDF Datasheet

LINKLogistics™ provides essential optimisation for inbound and outbound transportation. This is suitable for any organisation providing transport services to both external and internal customers.

By using the latest Microsoft technologies LINKLogistics enables management to explore a number of cost saving scenarios. This helps to improve profitability while competing effectively using dynamic real time information.

The advanced optimiser module within LINKLogistics provides transport planners with a tool that aims to minimise working time or driving distance to achieve any set of collections and deliveries within a given set of resources.

Input to the optimiser consists of available vehicles, available drivers and a set of jobs representing quantities of goods to be collected and delivered from various locations. The optimiser then uses an evolutionary algorithm to minimise the total working time or total driving distance in order to efficiently plan the trips.

The solution consists of proposed trips (sequences of pickup and drop operations matched to the original job requests) with assigned vehicles and drivers.

Strategic or Tactical?

The optimiser can be used effectively in two different situations. In “strategic” mode, the user feeds the system with entirely theoretical information about drivers, vehicles and job requests. After the optimiser has run, the planner can see the impact and run a number of “what if” scenarios. This facilitates more efficient and cost effective journey planning.

Strategic mode can also answer questions like:

If new business was won from customer X, how much extra mileage or working time would be needed to accommodate this alongside current business?
If this business is serviced from depot A or depot B, which is the more cost effective?
If the composition of the vehicle fleet were changed, how would that affect utilisation?

When used in “tactical” mode, the optimiser can be used with real time information about vehicles, drivers and job requests every time a new shift or days work is planned.

In tactical mode the transport planning function can be either fully integrated with Anglia’s existing LINKLogistics supply chain solution or configured to work with your existing business management platform.

Anglia’s LINKLogistics suite includes:

Real-time inventory and warehousing system for “own” product and third party goods
Pallet, lot and serial number tracking
Distribution packaging module for CHEP pallets
Receive, put-away, pick and despatch applications on mobile devices
Plan transport requirements directly from live transactions. These include sales and purchase orders (own inventory) or third party instructions (receive / despatch).
Warehouse and driver documentation – loading lists, manifests, despatch notes
Contract pricing and billing functionality

Further, using the LINKLogistics system, plans generated by the Optimiser can be translated into action immediately. Actions taken in the “live” system inform future planning immediately. Figure 1 explains how this works:

LINKLogistics Flow