Leaders at Brazil-based brewery and beverage distributor Grupo Petrópolis were looking for a way to improve the company’s customer service and reduce its carbon footprint—a feat they decided to tackle by optimizing its fleet operations. Grupo Petrópolis utilizes a fleet of nearly 3,000 vehicles, from a network of more than 160 locations, to deliver beer and other beverages to customers nationwide.
The company turned to supply chain software developer Descartes Systems Group to optimize those deliveries and boost service levels.
“To better meet customer needs, we wanted a fleet management platform to enhance on-time performance, improve service in case of returns or customer concerns, and advance sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions,” Luís Moura, manager at Grupo Petrópolis, explained in a July statement describing the project. “The Descartes solution gives us a new level of control and visibility into our large distribution network. Across 160 locations, routes are now more intelligent and efficient, and we track all routes in real time. If a driver goes off a planned route, the system immediately signals the detour so our team can respond quickly, which is critical to providing reliable service. And, because we can act with much more delivery precision and agility, we have lowered fuel and maintenance costs, gained visibility into idle vehicles, and overcome challenges with product and delivery traceability.”
DELIVERING SAVINGS
The partners implemented Descartes’ routing and fleet management solution—which is part of the software company’s routing, mobile, and telematic solution suite, developed to help retail food and beverage distribution companies “manage routes for optimal efficiency and minimize the impact of unforeseen events on customer service levels, mileage, and costs,” according to Descartes.
By continually re-optimizing route plans based on real-time traffic data and other variables, the solution enhances customer service by improving on-time delivery performance, lowers mileage by guiding drivers through shorter route paths, and decreases total route time and costs by helping drivers navigate through heavy traffic with alternate routes and stop sequences. The solution also monitors planned versus actual deliveries, route deviations, unplanned stops, and departure or arrival delays.
The results have been game-changing: Grupo Petrópolis has achieved a 98% on-time delivery rate, reduced overtime by 9%, and decreased its fuel consumption by 5% since going live with the platform.
“Our collaboration with Grupo Petrópolis highlights how advanced routing solutions can help transform complex distribution environments into highly efficient, sustainable, and customer-focused logistics operations,” Descartes sales executive Douglas Alves said in the July statement. “As food and beverage distributors look for opportunities to enhance last-mile performance, our solution suite can help rebalance distribution networks; improve route productivity, execution, and sustainability; respond more dynamically to demand; and accelerate cash flow with electronic proof-of-delivery.”
