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<p><span class="tf_a"><b>Building Material Logistics <br>
<br>
</b><a href="#_01"><b>Construction Materials Transportation - The Challenge
_>></b></a><b><br>
<a href="#_02">SyncroTESS.BuildMats _>></a> <br>
<a href="#_03">Add-on to Traditional IT Systems_>></a> <br>
<a href="#_04">Fleet Schedule Optimizer _>></a><br>
<a href="#_05">Regional Truck Fleet Dispatch_>></a> <br>
<a href="#_06">Your People and SyncroTESS >></a> <br>
<a href="#_07">Financial Benefits _>></a> <br>
</b> <br>
<br>
<b><a name="_01"></a>Construction Materials Transportation - The Challenge<br>
</b> In the building materials industries 15% - 25% of total corporate costs
are spent on transportation and product delivery. <br>
<br>
The obvious challenge: Optimizing delivery schedules and truck fleet operations
in order to facilitate </span></p>
<ul>
<li class="tf_a">More deliveries per truck</li>
<li class="tf_a"> Less mileage, fleet operating hours per day </li>
<li class="tf_a">Improved on-time delivery, customer service per order </li>
</ul>
<p><span class="tf_a">The truck fleet schedule optimization system SyncroTESS
is an Advanced Optimization add-on to any order management system. It applies
advanced algorithmic technologies to calculate efficient job sequences and fleet
schedules, both for DayPlanning and RealTimeDispatch. <br>
<br>
The result: Delivering <b>more loads</b> with <b>less trucks</b> while securing
customer specific <b>on-time delivery</b> standards<br>
<br>
<b><a name="_02"></a>SyncroTESS.BuildMats</b> <br>
SyncroTESS.BuildMats is a special program version designed to optimize deliveries
of Ready-mixed Concrete, Aggregates, Asphalt, Cement, Mortar, Bricks, Tiles,
and other palletized or bulk loads required at construction sites. <br>
<br>
In contrast to conventional order processing & ticketing systems with purely
manual fleet dispatch capabilities, SyncroTESS.BuildMats contains mathematical
optimisation logic. It dynamically suggests truck allocation & delivery schedules
in such way that on-time delivery is maximised while fleet operating hours are
dramatically reduced. <br>
<br>
The system's Main Module contains all IT Interfaces and the FleetScheduleOptimizer.
The system's functional modules are optional: </span>
<ul>
<li class="tf_a">DayPlaning Synchronizing <br>
customer orders (actual, planned, will-call) with truck resources (owned or
permanent contract hauliers) into an optimized daily schedule. <br>
<br>
</li>
<li class="tf_a">FleetSizing <br>
Optionally also suggesting best selection of non-permanent contract hauliers
based on truck demand / availability for that day.<br>
<br>
</li>
<li class="tf_a">RealTimeDispatch <br>
Real-time order and truck fleet monitoring throughout the current day. Automatic
schedule re-optimization in response to any significant situation changes.
Full dispatcher support. <br>
<br>
</li>
<li class="tf_a">FleetCommunications <br>
Automated job assignment and status reporting by way of onboard RF data radio,
or SMS short messages.<br>
<br>
</li>
<li class="tf_a">OrderEvaluation<br>
Assisting the order takers by calculating, while in phone contact with the
customer, the likely impact of any incoming order on the total delivery schedule.
</li>
</ul>
<p class="tf_a"><b><a name="_03"></a>Add-on to Traditional IT Systems</b> <br>
SyncroTESS.BuildMats is a "Business Intelligence" add-on. It complements rather
than replaces traditional IT systems for order management, credit checking,
accounting & finance, etc. <br>
<br>
SyncroTESS' embedded Fleet Schedule Optimizer creates additional value (improved
truck fleet productivity, customer service) over and above the operations efficiency
resulting from manual planning & control methods. This additional value typically
pays for the system well within 6 months. <br>
<br>
SyncroTESS can be used for own trucks, contract hauliers, and spot market haulier
resources. <br>
<br>
In particular, SyncroTESS' role includes </p>
<ul>
<li class="tf_a">calculating highly efficient job sequences and truck schedules
</li>
<li class="tf_a">graphical schedule display for dispatcher approval or manual
overwrite</li>
<li class="tf_a">real-time monitoring of fleet operations and job status </li>
<li class="tf_a">communicating job status data messages between trucks and dispatch
center </li>
<li class="tf_a">automatically updating the order management system database
</li>
</ul>
<p class="tf_a"><b><a name="_04"></a>Fleet Schedule Optimizer</b> <br>
The power source of SyncroTESS' success is the embedded Fleet Schedule Optimizer.
Its goal: calculating highly efficient job sequences and truck schedules meeting
all customer service demands (delivery time windows, load spacing, special technical
requirements, etc.). <br>
<br>
The Optimizer is specifically designed with regard to building materials transportation
and comes with dedicated rulebases for different type of operations: ready-mixed
concrete, aggregate, asphalt, ... etc. It also provides extensive customization
& localization capabilities. In particular, it accomodates: </p>
<ul>
<li class="tf_a">pre-definable customer / order / job priorities </li>
<li class="tf_a">pre-definable pick-up and/or delivery time windows </li>
<li class="tf_a">customer / job specific arrival time tolerances </li>
<li class="tf_a">fixed and flexible load spacing </li>
<li class="tf_a">various technical job requirements </li>
<li class="tf_a">a variety of technical truck properties and capacity constraints
</li>
<li class="tf_a">haulier priorities</li>
<li class="tf_a"> anticipated plant wait times </li>
<li class="tf_a">special logic for pump mixers </li>
<li class="tf_a">special logic for STV's client managed sub-operations</li>
<li class="tf_a"> etc ... </li>
</ul>
<p class="tf_a">It has the ability to allocate trucks, on the fly, to different
job rotations and even different loading plants - flexibly responding to the
current overall situation in a given region or area. Its results are always
subject to dispatcher's authorisation. <br>
<br>
In the Day Planning and Fleet Sizing modules, the Optimizer produces fleet schedules
covering an entire day. In the RealTimeDispatch module, the Optimizer dynamically
produces new fleet schedules in response to every significant situation change,
like order quantity changes, traffic jams, loading or unloading delays, etc.<br>
<br>
The Fleet Schedule Optimizer uses advanced mathematical algorithms to simultaneously
process all open jobs and all available trucks. Considering that there are even
for a small operation (e.g. 50 trucks, 1 day) several millions feasable delivery
schedules, these algorithms can be vastly superior to human reasoning. This
is even more true considering the time pressure that dispatchers are typically
exposed to. <br>
<br>
Admittedly, even the Optimizer does not always find the excatly optimal solution.
But optimized fleet schedules are so much better than human generated ones that
SyncroTESS clients report cost benefits in the order of US$ 250,000 - US$ 1,000,000
per year. <br>
<br>
<b><a name="_05"></a>Regional Truck Fleet Dispatch <br>
</b> Sharing haulage resources (owned trucks as well as contract hauliers) between
multiple plants yields higher productivity as compared to single plant dispatch.
Therefore, in addition to single plant dispatch, SyncroTESS can optimize job
sequences and truck schedules across an entire region. <br>
<br>
Each regional dispatch center typically covers </p>
<ul>
<li class="tf_a">a distinct delivery area (city, rural, mixed) </li>
<li class="tf_a">with multiple pickup locations (plants, quarries, railyards,
warehouses,...), </li>
<li class="tf_a">multiple delivery locations (construction sites, plants,...),
and multiple truck depots (owned trucks, contract hauliers). </li>
</ul>
<p class="tf_a">However, if centralized truck fleet dispatch is only an option
for the future (to unleash yet more productivity), SyncroTESS has proven to
deliver its benefits even in decentralized operations. <br>
<br>
<b><a name="_06"></a>Your People and SyncroTESS</b><br>
Once introduced into an organization, SyncroTESS Optimization is typically quickly
accepted, because it helps a variety of people to achieve their goals more successfully.
<br>
<br>
The planner can more accurately asses the impact of tomorrow's workload on customer
service, likely overtime, and other operational factors. He can run simulations
to explore options (e.g. "what if we postpone part of certain orders to the
subseqent day", or "what if we call-in another 3 trucks of a particular haulier",
etc.). He can determine how to resolve - to the best interest of his company
- the "customer service vs. cost efficiency" dilemma, subject to the then current
market situation, truck availability, etc. <br>
<br>
Dispatchers appreciate the significant workload reduction: Rather than deciding
one by one about every single job assignment, SyncroTESS dispatchers just supervise
the operations, attending to detail only in a few exceptional situations. <br>
<br>
Order takers get to see "the big picture". Hence their ability to play a much
more active customer service role, helping clients to work around delays, manage
quantity changes on short notice, etc. Sometimes they even might be able to
negotiate better delivery time windows for certain orders ... <br>
<br>
Managers can run scenario simulations to explore the impact of business decisions:
new plant locations, large customer orders, etc. And, naturally, they directly
profit the from the improved bottom line ... ;-) <br>
<br>
<b><a name="_07"></a>Financial Benefits</b> <br>
SyncroTESS schedule optimization, added-on to an existing order management system,
empowers the delivery organisation to achieve </p>
<ul>
<li class="tf_a">More transport volume with a given fleet size - equating to
more business revenues with constant haulage costs, or </li>
<li class="tf_a">Less truck operating hours for a given transport volume - equating
to substantial savings in direct costs and haulier payments </li>
</ul>
<p class="tf_a">or any combination of the above. <br>
<br>
This creates additional financial benefits. SyncroTESS users report annual operational
cost savings in the order of </p>
<p align="center" class="tf_a"><b><font color="#CC0000">US$ 750,000.- </font></b></p>
<p class="tf_a">per year for a typical regional fleet of 100 trucks. <br>
<br>
With the system being rather inexpensive, and roll-out of the standard system
functionality rather swift, return-on-investment (pay-back) time is typically
less than 6 months. <br>
<br>
</p>
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