Success Stories
Swanson Transport
Interview with:
| Jeff Smith
,
Managing Director |
Company Name:
| Swanson Transport |
Business Type:
| Transport |
Fleet Size:
| 40 |
Operational Area:
| New Zealand |
Challenge
To implement a robust booking, dispatch, pricing and invoicing
system, backed by a high level of support for Swanson Transport's
specialist Hiab and general freight business.
Solution
TransLogix Sapphire Transport Management and Mobility
Suites
Benefits
-
Maximised productivity
-
Administrative time savings of 40 percent
-
Increased driver satisfaction and professionalism
-
Streamlined business with efficient controls
Background
Swanson Transport is a specialist Hiab over-dimensional and
general freight provider with more than 60 years' experience in New
Zealand's transport industry. The company's employed drivers
operate a fleet of 40 Hiab, Curtainsider and Flatdeck trucks.
The Challenge
The two main areas of the business have vastly different
operating conditions. The General Freight division tends to have
similar runs and volumes each day with customer deliveries across
the Auckland region but mainly in the south and west
By contrast, Hiab work, with truck-mounted crane and lifting
equipment, services the residential building, construction and
infrastructure industries throughout the greater Auckland area.
Swanson Transport services over 100 customers who book the delivery
of materials such as timber, portable buildings, containers,
concrete tanks and pre-frame trusses on an ad hoc basis. Drivers
may do work for as many as four or five different customers each
day and on occasions may have to change trucks to have the right
equipment to carry out a particular job..
There are greater variations, information requirements and
safety compliance issues in fulfilling a Hiab job than the simpler
movement of pallets in the general freight area. Each must be
exactly matched to the dimensions, lifting and carrying capacity of
the allocated Hiab truck. Plus there are stringent associated
health and safety regulations due to the technical nature of the
lifting work and the codes of practice within the construction
industry. Swanson also needed to be able to keep track of the
rigorous inspections for truck set up and equipment
certifications.
Swanson Transport ran a largely manual system where, as Managing
Director Jeff Smith described: "The information we had was only as
good as the dispatcher's hand writing. Paperwork would be lost.
There was no way to track anything.
"Whether we like it or not, customers look to price as well as
getting the job done. We needed a strong system to help us provide
competitive pricing with high levels of service, reliability and
safety compliance," Smith said.
TransLogix Sapphire Transport Management
Suite
Swanson Transport went live with the Transport, Workshop,
Purchase Ordering and Warehouse modules of the TransLogix Sapphire
suite on 1 June 2008.
Customers now phone or email a job request which is entered into
the integrated TransLogix system. Smith says "Because all the
details and specifications are entered just once, Sapphire allows
us to correctly schedule and allocate the most suitable truck to
maximise our productivity."
Swanson is enjoying administrative time savings of 40 percent,
while access to high quality data is allowing management to monitor
performance and make better decisions. "With the Sapphire system we
don't need special skills or expertise and no longer require a
dedicated sales person. Our staff are now freed up to do jobs
across a range of areas and to absorb increasing customer
business," Smith said.
With all relevant pricing structures as part of the Sapphire
system - hourly rates by pallet or weight - any staff member can
hit the Auto Rate button for automatic pricing of a job. "We had
been dependent on a skilled person to code and calculate. We can
now turn around even the most complex quotes in five minutes, and
any of us can do it. We can respond to opportunities very
quickly."
While Swanson's warehousing requirements are not huge, the
system efficiently itemises locations and product types. It also
supports its certification as a MAF Approved Transitional Facility
and a Customs Bonded Warehouse for imported goods. The Workshop
module is used to track expenditure in terms of Swanson's spare
parts, repairs and maintenance costs and fuel usage. When cross
referenced with purchase ordering, Swanson is now able to monitor
its commitments against cashflow.
Seven of the administration staff within the 40 employed at
Swansons are trained and licensed on the system. Training went hand
in hand with development, set up and trialling. For example, the
warehouse manager was very involved in the integration of the
Warehouse module.
Critical to any business is its intellectual property and
knowledge of its systems. When these reside with an individual
rather than in an accessible, automated system, the security of the
business can be put at risk. Swanson was very reliant on one
'indispensable' extremely loyal employee prior to the
implementation of the TransLogix solution. The company has recently
formulated a complete set of standard operating procedures, linked
to Sapphire, to ensure all corporate knowledge is captured for
smooth handovers and to enable office staff to use the system
outside the niche of their traditional roles. "We're now spreading
the load, can back each other up which helps minimising stress
during busy periods which in turn reduces the risk for the
business," Smith said.
TransLogix Sapphire Mobility Suite
In 2010, Swanson expanded the automation of its business by
integrating the Mobility Suite, and incorporating Navman Wireless
Tracking and Messaging in every truck.
Jeff Smith and his team knew they needed to have Sapphire
working well before they considered a GPS system: "There's no point
in knowing where your trucks are if you can't send or receive
anything meaningful. We put the effort into getting that right
first and it's paid off."
Each day messages are sent from the TransLogix system to the
display units in the Hiab trucks. The drivers receive all the
necessary job details: customers, addresses, dimensions, weights,
as well as any special instructions, which allows them to determine
what lifting equipment is required.
"The result is that as the job comes up, the driver can
visualise it in advance instead of arriving at the site and finding
out he should have called into the depot to collect a different set
of lifting chains or pallet forks. Our drivers are fully prepared.
They enjoy being able to operate so professionally."
The drivers' acceptance and completion of the jobs are
automatically captured, with proof of time and date. The system
then generates an invoice or collates work for larger clients for
weekly or monthly billing.
"This is not a small system and you have to commit to testing to
ensure it works the way you need it to. Both TransLogix and Navman
have been very willing to fine tune it to optimise our set up.
TransLogix Sapphire Web Link
Swanson Transport is currently trialling the Web Portal, in
conjunction with one of its large Hiab customers and its biggest
general freight client, to enable direct internet access by
customers into the TransLogix system for bookings, tracking the
progress of deliveries, as well as invoicing and account
histories.
"The entire process will be completely visible to us and our
customers," Smith said.
The administrative savings expected from this latest improvement
will see a significant efficiency gain with the move away from a
situation where faxes, emails and spreadsheets for booking,
allocation and completions are sent back and forth between Swanson
and customers, with all the inherent inefficiencies and problems of
a manual system.
"We'll be able to avoid the confusion, duplication, errors and
time wasted. Plus it will link directly to invoicing and
statements," he said.
Making the right decision
"We now have a completely streamlined business with tighter,
more efficient control, particularly with the Hiab operation,"
Smith said.
"Looking back to three years ago and where we were, I know I
have made the right decision. We have a very good system. I
can be away from the office and link into the system without
ringing anyone. I can see exactly what the business is doing
operationally. I can relax."
www.swansontransport.co.nz/
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