As one of the largest beer distributors in the United States with an estimated 30 percent share of the New York Beer market, Manhattan Beer Distributors has blossomed since its 1978 founding. Headquartered in the Bronx with four facilities in New York, the company services 18,000+ accounts in 14 counties.

With sustained expansion, the company needed the right tools to stay in motion. According to Mike McCarthy, Manhattan Beer's Vice President of Operations, "We were in a growth mode and couldn't continue to operate with standard systems. We had to match technology to our growth. And we wanted the best technology available." In 1998, they looked to UPS Logistics Technologies for Roadnet and FleetLoader.

Prior to 1998, Manhattan Beer had basic routing software. Wanting to make the switch from standard routing to dynamic routing, the company upgraded the system to Roadnet. "Dynamic routing allows us to route optimally and maximize load capacity for our vehicles," McCarthy said.

Since licensing Roadnet, Manhattan Beer has seen a 10 percent reduction in routes.

"If you can maximize efficient stop count, you can better manage time stops," McCarthy explained. "The routing process is more efficient and proficient, and the end result is a better-routed day."

McCarthy added that Roadnet enables the company to be "clearly defined on when we'll be making deliveries and at what times. Furthermore, vehicle usage savings and time savings contribute to customer service." Drivers have a more consistent load on a daily basis, enabling them to maximize commissions.

"When you manage more than 200 routes per day out of four locations you can't use manual processes," which McCarthy described as the pre-1998 procedure at Manhattan Beer.

As McCarthy explained, loading was a cumbersome task requiring loaders to consider a variety of factors, such as bay size and cube per load, and then manually stack pallets. Mistakes in the loading process were inevitable. With FleetLoader, McCarthy has expedited the loading process and made it more efficient.

"Loading is faster, more organized and uses less manpower," he said.

With help from UPS Logistics Technologies, Manhattan Beer has maintained its presence as a top distributor, and continued to grow. According to McCarthy, "the systems are everyday life for our business. We can never go back. Everyone in our organization understands what these products do."

"We can grow with minimal effort from an organized loading and routing standpoint, while always improving our customer service," McCarthy continued. "We will use this software for many years to come."