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2/24/05
by Mary J. Feldstein
(reprinted from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, FEB. 24, 2005)
Until this year, Schnuck Markets Inc. used a sheet of white, lined paper about half the size of a conference table to deploy and track its 100 delivery trucks. When a scheduling change was needed, a dispatcher would scribble it onto the color-coded sheet and hope colleagues would understand. Schnucks could track its drivers using global positioning satellite software, but it couldn't use that information to schedule or communicate with drivers.
Then on Jan. 3, the grocery chain became one of the first in the nation to launch a new mobile phone-based GPS software system. The system was created by Agilis Systems Inc. of Houston and Sprint Corp.
Schnucks' entire distribution system is now completely paper-free, said Bob Kramer, Schnucks manager of management information systems and traffic. Schnucks, based in Maryland Heights, says the new system saves money and time while improving drivers' safety. "With diesel prices averaging $1.98 a gallon, we've got to be as efficient as possible and you can't do that with paper," said Bob Drury, Schnucks' senior vice president of logistics, manufacturing and information technology.
Schnucks' truck driver Steve Burns said the new system allows him to call ahead and tell a store manager, "I'm 10 minutes away, prepare the dock." The shorter waiting times help him make at least one extra delivery a day, Burns said. Schnucks' research shows its trucks' stop times are down 15.6 percent at the store level.
"More deliveries mean fresher food and help the six-state, family-owned grocery chain compete with the bigger guys", Drury said. "We used to schedule on a calendar, now we schedule on a stopwatch," Drury said. "We're trying to be a world-class logistics operation because our competitors are world-class logistics operations."
The new technology is also safer, Burns said, because there's no need for him to leave the truck and walk to the front of the store when a loading dock is closed. Drury said the Sprint system costs less than Schnucks' previous technology. The GPS tracking component costs $7 a phone, per month. The Web connection costs $10 a phone, per month. The other system was approximately $40 a month for each phone.
Here's how it works: Each driver carries a wireless phone mounted in the truck. The new mobile phone technology allows dispatchers to pinpoint a driver's location and view it on a Web-based screen that updates every 10 minutes. A Web-based schedule tracks drivers and can make changes if necessary. Drivers receive their own Web-based schedule at the start of each shift.
Beneath the system's logistics capabilities is a wireless phone that can be used for communication if a schedule change or emergency occurs. "For instance, if a store runs low on advertised product, we can now get on the map and see which truck is closest and reroute that driver for a transfer of product," said Steve Carroll, Schnucks' director of transportation.
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Track drivers using global positioning satellite, or GPS, software. |
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Update drivers' locations every 10 minutes. |
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Create a Web-based schedule that can be used to create and change drivers' schedules. |
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Send drivers their schedules at the start of their shifts. |
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Act as a wireless phone in case of a schedule change or an emergency. |
Reprinted for web use with permission from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
© 2005 all rights reserved.
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