This wholesale distributor of building materials in 12 states prioritized last-mile delivery to meet contractors’ high delivery expectations. Learn how switching from paper to Descartes’ innovative route planning solution offered the visibility they needed.

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RICHARDS BUILDING SUPPLY ENHANCES DELIVERY PERFORMANCE

EXPERT INSIGHT

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Challenge: Optimizing Last Mile Delivery

Richards Building Supply (RBS), a wholesale distributor of building materials serving 12 states, needed to improve processes to meet contractors’ high delivery expectations. Lead times on orders are often less than 24 hours. Some must go out the same day and others to specific delivery windows.

Lack of real-time visibility meant there were limitations in adapting to external conditions requiring urgent response. Plus, paper-based proof of delivery is fraught with illegible details and lost paperwork meant claims could become an obstacle to delivering outstanding customer service.

Solution: Making Last Mile Delivery a Priority

With Descartes’ route planning solution, RBS gained real-time visibility—and proof of delivery when customers receive their orders. This puts them in a stronger position to drive realistic and reliable delivery schedules, increase the number of deliveries they can make each day, and ensure delivery windows are tightly coordinated with customer requirements.

Real-time updates from GPS-tracked vehicles offer visibility into driver availability, the status of deliveries throughout the day, and the ability to notify customers of delivery progress. This is key when weather interferes with planned work and the associated planned deliveries.

By optimizing scheduling and delivery processes, RBS is also getting more capacity out of its vehicles. And by ensuring the right product gets onto the right truck—and unloaded properly at the job site—the solution is helping reduce delivery challenges.

Going Paperless Heightens Delivery Performance

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RBS Goes Paperless

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Results at a Glance

Real-Time Delivery Route

Planning

By replacing traditional paper-based route planning with technology, RBS can now plan deliveries, optimize routes, and communicate with drivers and customers in a completely paperless environment. With more intelligent route planning, RBS has improved on-time delivery performance.

Paperless Proof of Delivery

With mobile devices, RBS’ drivers now use digital pictures to verify that the right materials, in the right quantities, in the right condition, were delivered at the right place and time. It gets drivers back on the road quicker to meet other delivery windows and helps drive up the number of deliveries per day.

Enhanced Customer Service

By implementing technology that helps the company run more efficiently while better serving customers, RBS has enhanced on-time delivery performance for commercial and residential customers alike.

Updates on Mobile Devices

Drivers access delivery schedules using a mobile device. GPS information is received every few minutes to provide full visibility into vehicle locations to monitor delivery times against customer expectations. With mobile technology, contractors also know exactly what material has arrived and when so they can keep construction projects on track.

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Results at a Glance

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Descartes in the Building Materials Distribution Industry CHAPTERS

About Descartes Systems Group Descartes is the global leader in on-demand, software-as-a-service solutions focused on improving the productivity, performance, and security of logistics-intensive businesses. Learn more about our routing solutions or contact us today.

Descartes helps building material distribution companies dramatically improve delivery productivity and create a differentiated end-to-end customer experience that helps grow the top and bottom line. From small to large operations and simple to complex delivery requirements, Descartes can help distributors get the most from their delivery operations to homes and construction sites.

Reservations: Smart delivery appointment scheduling for next- and same-day deliveries that enhances the customer experience, increases revenue, lowers delivery costs, and is environmentally friendly.

Planning & Scheduling: Advanced optimized planning combined with machine learning minimizes cost, maximizes capacity utilization, and minimizes the use of expensive specialty equipment.

Dispatch & Tracking: Intelligent performance dashboard enhanced with machine learning and real-time GPS improves delivery visibility and reliability and reduces depot turnaround times.

Mobile Apps: Intuitive proof-of-delivery (POD), manifests, and navigation improve driver productivity, reduce driver stress, and capture critical delivery location and capture critical delivery location and material quantity and quality information.

Notifications: Engage contractors from delivery appointment booking through real-time delivery tracking, POD details, and to allow contractors to optimize crew scheduling and utilization.

Telematics & Safety: Help ensure driver and vehicle performance, enforce safe operations, and meet regulatory reporting requirements.

Descartes in the Industry

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Going Paperless Heightens Delivery Performance Results at a Glance Descartes in the Building Materials Distribution Industry

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