Newell & Wright impulsa la eficiencia de la productividad con la solución VIACHAIN

The company

Newell & Wright Transport started out in 1974 as a small haulage company operating in rented premises and now operates from a 6.5-acre freehold site in Sheffield, UK. Today, Newell & Wright has an annual turnover in excess of £50 million and employs more than 300 people. It’s one of the leading UK operators specialising in container and haulage logistics, freight forwarding, and specialised logistics.

Where before, we had all the delivery notes, run sheets and signatures handed in and scanned, it was very labour-intensive. The time saved and the paper saved is quite substantial.

The opportunity

Newell & Wright initiated the search for a new telematics provider after seeing the need for increased visibility of assets and better functionality across its transportation business. The company identified specific requirements for their truck telematics solution, which included significant time savings through digitisation and automation of their processes, improving the fleet’s driving performance for safety and fuel economy, and an open platform with straightforward third-party integration.

In opening a dialogue with other providers, the company realised how fast and far technology and software were moving. Newell & Wright wanted to increase efficiencies and needed a scalable telematics solution that could keep up with their business needs.

After extensive review and testing of different vendors, they chose VIACHAIN’s telematics solution.

VIACHAIN provided Newell & Wright with a total telematics package. This included the BT 500 hardware and FleetManager software, with full installation and support. The BT 500 is VIACHAIN’s comprehensive, robust hardware solution for trucks. It’s open and scalable, which suited Newell & Wright’s business needs.

FleetManager is a cloud-based platform through which all data from the cab and truck is funnelled. It provides mapping, reports, alerts, and exception management to ensure regulatory compliance, maximise asset usage, and improve driver productivity.

Integration was a key area of concern for Newell & Wright. With a variety of third-party apps, VIACHAIN’s technology needed to seamlessly integrate with existing solutions. VIACHAIN already integrates with leading transport management systems to allow operators to use data better and faster.

The solution

VIACHAIN’s FleetManager platform was the obvious choice for Newell & Wright. It fully aligned with their business requirements to deliver on functionality and dedicated operator services.

An initial area of interest for the company was VIACHAIN’s ability to deliver comprehensive feedback. FleetManager uniquely gives drivers a combined safety score and compliance score. This score is displayed to drivers, who can then monitor their own behaviour and improve their scores. Managers can also keep an eye on their progress by viewing data in real time or scheduling information downloads.

Jobs and workflow came under the spotlight too. Fleet productivity is enhanced with in-cab devices, which deliver jobs and messaging directly to the driver, eliminating time-consuming phone calls and paperwork.

Finally, VIACHAIN’s seamless installation was vital to the rollout. With a range of vehicles and existing apps to work with in Newell & Wright’s fleet, it was important that VIACHAIN delivered comprehensive support and seamless solutions.

After an initial trial period with VIACHAIN’s product, they made the decision to move their mixed fleet of DAFs, Scanias, Mercedes, and MAN trucks. With just over 100 vehicles and a growing fleet, the phase-out was due to be complete by summer 2019.

Time-saving automation and digitisation

FleetManager’s cloud-based analytics help managers ensure compliance by channelling tachograph data through the dashboard in an easy-to-read format.

Automating and digitising infringement reporting was a key area for Newell & Wright. Running each report through FleetManager and automating the process has already saved the company time, effort, and money and continues to do so on a weekly, monthly, and annual basis. Managers simply schedule reports, which can be signed off as part of the seamless digital automation process. The company planned to go entirely paperless by summer 2019.

Operations Director Stephen Newell says, “Before, we had all the delivery notes, run sheets, and signatures handed in and scanned. It was very labour-intensive. The time saved and the paper saved are quite substantial. It was very labour-intensive, and the use of paper was a huge cost. Completing this can take 20–30 seconds per driver, and when you have over 100 vehicles, it all adds up.”

By implementing VIACHAIN’s Jobs function, the driver’s work schedule is delivered directly through the in-cab device. Jobs are sequential, so the driver can only access the job they are currently on, and the next job is displayed only after the delivery is confirmed. Every time drivers arrive at a destination, it automatically sends the information back to head office so planners and dispatchers can see where each driver is at a glance.

This instant communication removes some of the painful administration associated with planning and dispatching and the sometimes ad hoc nature of the transportation industry, Newell says.

“If the driver arrives on site with an issue, they can message the planner straight away. It’s there in front of them in their inbox. It’s another thing we’ve noticed. The phones are ringing (in the planning office) a lot less.”

Driver performance improvements

Newell & Wright has a strong focus on safety. One of the main areas for improvement was in utilising VIACHAIN’s telematics solution in the delivery of a single driver score based on compliance and driving style. This delivers better visibility of driver performance scores and gives actionable data to improve behaviour, efficiency, and safety.

“One of the main reasons for moving originally was the combination of scores for driving style,” Newell says. “Most other systems just give you a report on your driving style and a separate tachograph report. This system gives a total score for safety instead of a driving style score on its own. This does both: compliance and driving style together.”

Managers can confidently assess each driver’s performance, ensuring compliance and safety regulations are fully adhered to. The process also motivates drivers to improve their own behaviours and provides a healthy dose of competition to increase performance even further. There is a clear indication of where drivers are performing well and where there is room to improve.

“In general, across the whole fleet, I’d say we have a significant improvement in weekly scores. We very rarely have someone we need to monitor or speak to now. They have the data on their in-cab devices,” says Newell.

Open platform

The accessibility of VIACHAIN’s open platform and ease of integration were a big focus point for the company. Newell & Wright and their end customers use third-party Transportation Management Systems (TMS) and scheduling apps. TMS helps in the exchange of documents, invoices, and reports. It was vital that these apps worked seamlessly with the existing transportation solution.

Newell says, “We had another specific requirement (to integrate with existing third-party systems) for updates in the traffic system. We needed a process where, when our vehicles do one of their jobs, we can automatically send updates. As soon as they arrive on site, there is instant POD. We liaised with VIACHAIN and the TMS that the office staff uses to develop an app that could integrate with the in-cab device and link to the tracking system.

“It’s been a big development for both of us. We tried quite different in-cab devices. We worked on development on both sides, with the TMS and VIACHAIN. The customer requirement was in the early stages. We’ve perfected it and rolled it out. It offers incredible time savings.”

Ease of installation

The installation process across the entire range of the mixed fleet, along with third-party apps, was of significant concern to Newell & Wright ahead of signing up with VIACHAIN. With a range of trucks in many makes and models and a long-term implementation process, it was of vital importance that VIACHAIN was flexible in its approach and was able to work with Newell & Wright on an installation plan.

“The ease of the installation process was crucial for us. With a number of vehicles being upgraded to VIACHAIN over time, we needed the flexibility to fit around our 24/7 operations. I can call them and say I have five new vehicles coming, and we can organise the installation in one instance with no hassle.”

“For me,” Newell says, “the final thing that set VIACHAIN apart from the rest was their support in trying to find solutions, from our customer’s needs to integration with the TMS to the effort and support in finding that solution.”

The future

Thanks to the introduction of automation and digitisation, complex logistics and operations can be simplified. A trend in the industry and beyond is for paperless organisations. Even small and medium transportation businesses are turning their attention to digital solutions. VIACHAIN is assisting Newell & Wright in its plans to go paperless by summer 2019.

“The time and paper saved with the VIACHAIN solution are quite substantial,” according to Newell. Delivering considerable time savings thanks to automated and digitised reporting, VIACHAIN’s fleet management software has proven itself to be the right choice for Newell & Wright.

Looking ahead, Newell & Wright would have total fleet coverage with VIACHAIN’s solution by summer 2019.

In the transportation industry, communication is vital. As fleets look for more ways to stay connected with drivers and eliminate wasteful paperwork, technology systems come into play. Devices and apps are making it smoother for transportation companies across the board. Used to locate vehicles, keep track of transactions, deliver jobs and workflow information, follow up on invoices, enable store delivery, and report on all or parts of the above, VIACHAIN’s solution has been key in delivering growth for Newell & Wright.

Newell says this kind of system is vital to the continuing success of their business: “In our opinion, we’ve become a lot more efficient since moving.”

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