With a new live dashboard and interactive maps, Deltion’s Cloud Computing CarrierNet Version 6 has taken a leap forward in user friendliness, while also helping logistics operations to reduce their costs and improve their sustainability. This major new release takes a significant step forward in user-friendly features and visibility to identify empty running, which leads to environmental benefits and the ability to save money. Among its many new features, CarrierNet Version 6 has a new realtime dashboard to give full visibility of what is going on in the transport operation with a live feed to events at depots and on trailers as they happen. The dashboard’s easy-to-read needle gauges and charts give a clear overview of important information on such things as empty running, load fill, asset utilisation, depot performance and load builds. Because the live dashboard in Version 6 extracts information from the planning office as well as the database it will show planning changes in realtime for a genuinely live view of what is going on in the operation. This is a real innovation.

CarrierNet Version 6 continues to be delivered as Software as a Service, which means users can gain competitive advantage from the benefits of this state-of-the-art transport management solution without the need for capital expenditure. Deltion has started rolling out the new version to current users and new users will go automatically onto Version 6. Version 6 will have a big impact on the market because it is extremely user friendly, which simplifies the operators’ job while its innovative new features will benefit on a senior management level by making it easier to run the business

CarrierNet Version 6 features more advanced transport planning yet is even easier to use than previous versions. It has the ability to carry out planning across several depots concurrently, so enabling collaboration and identification of backhauls and shared resources within a company or transport network. This means that instead of taking a siloed approach, CarrierNet Version 6 identifies what is best for the company or network. CarrierNet Version 6 makes greater use of interactive maps in planning, allowing users to not just see actions on a map, but also to modify them on the map. For example, users can add modes, change resources and get instant indicators of whether the modifications will work to help avoid empty or low running mileage. The live screen map allows a user to look at a route and gauge the efficiency of each part of it. A ‘traffic light’ ranking system will display a leg of the route in green if it is running at what the user has defined as full; it will show amber if there is a load on board that could be optimised; and it will show red when it is empty. Users can set their own parameters driving the traffic lights so, for example, fewer than 6 pallets means empty. In addition, the map identifies what loads are available around that route. This gives the user the ability to eliminate an empty or part-empty leg interactively on the map, which will lead to lower costs and an environmental benefit from reduced empty running.  The user, seeing an empty leg with an order nearby can drag that order onto the route, which either accepts it or gives a warning that it might not work because, for example, of capacity constraints or the user maybe placing a frozen delivery onto an ambient truck.

Reports and dashboards are all very well, but they do not help much if they tell you that you had a problem rather than you are having one or better still about to have one which you can still avert. This is where the Cloud comes into its own – real time web access to all relevant internal and external Supply Chain and Logistics systems means that you can act and prevent.  So much better than find out and apologise. CarrierNet now includes  live feed dashboards which show you how you are performing against your own defined KPIs and how you are in comparison to other managers in your group. A powerful way to push up your customer service levels!

There is a growing call for efficient but much cheaper approaches to track and trace and on-the-road communications. Technology developments in Smart Phones are quite remarkable and the latest models have considerable computing power. This means that major operators, including 3PLs, retailers and manufacturers, can now recruit the services of smaller sub-contractors who were often ignored because of their lack of telematics capability. At Deltion we are launching CarrierNetMobile – an Android based app which provides  electronic PoD capability; fleet tracking; and satellite navigation. This is all linked through CarrierNet and integrated with traditional telematics output to provide a total fleet and order track and trace capability. And how much do you have to fork out for SmartPhones? The cheapest Android model we have found cost the grand sum of £35 – including VAT. The mobile revolution is rolling. They will become more agile and powerful and even more suitable for the modern lean logistics operation.