Routing Efficiencies Improve Profit Margins at the 2007 IFDA Conference
At the second annual IFDA Foodservice Distribution Conference, October 7-8th in Louisville, Kentucky, Product Manager Sabrina Stewart-Mosley of UPS Logistics Technologies shared information on how to improve routing efficiency during the first-day panel presentations. As Stewart-Mosley noted, improving routing and distribution efficiency ultimately improves customer service, reduces costs, and improves the company’s overall profit margin. An important aspect of improving the routing and distribution process is having the support of all departments.
Jon Birdwell, Assistant Operations Manager at Ben E. Keith Foods noted that the router must be heavily involved in this process. His role is no longer simply “assigning routes, making sure drivers show up to work, and ensuring that the routes are fulfilled.” Management and sales must also support the process, Stewart-Mosley agreed: “Sales participation is pivotal to routing efficiency because sales reps are the ones who are going to build your plan and sell the account. They’re the ones who make the promises about what will be delivered. If they give unrealistic times, that’s going to make the job harder.”
The process begins with making a plan, Stewart-Mosley stated, and any plan is better than no plan. “The industry is filled with software and hardware that can gauge route execution and performance in real time, giving management irreproachable data with which to plan tomorrow’s routes.”
About UPS Logistics Technologies
UPS Logistics Technologies has been developing routing software for the transportation industry for over 24 years. Our products are in use with more than 3,100 installations worldwide and route 118,000 vehicles daily. The Roadnet® Transportation Suite helps businesses by reducing distribution costs, decreasing routing time, and improving customer service.
