Paragon Software Systems Inc offers solutions to address the unique needs of convenience store deliveries.
As many big-box retailers are building smaller-footprint stores in local neighborhoods, this increases the number of delivery points per route, with smaller delivery volumes. All of these deliveries have to be planned and managed effectively to meet customer delivery requirements, while keeping costs contained.
“Route optimization is a complex process, with many variables and constraints that need to be taken into consideration,” said William Salter, president and chief executive officer of Paragon. “Using an automated route optimization solution helps to streamline processes, produce realistic and achievable plans, and ensure that costly transportation resources including fuel are used as efficiently as possible.”
The convenience sector is thriving and growing fast, with projections of $856.5 billion in sales for 2014. Big-box retailers like Wal-Mart are opening convenience store locations at an ever-increasing rate due to consumers’ appetite for convenience shopping. Some analysts predict the convenience sector will represent almost 25% of the grocery market by 2019.
Convenience store deliveries are complex due to a number of parameters, such as restricted delivery time windows, smaller order volumes with increased frequency, limited parking for delivery trucks, door height restrictions that limit truck sizes, and local road restrictions. Paragon automates planning and scheduling of optimized routes that lower mileage, reduce fuel usage, and improve driver productivity.
Using an algorithm designed for optimizing road-based transportation operations, Paragon’s software uses digital mapping to calculate the most effective delivery and collection sequences with accurate journey times, allocating loads to appropriate vehicles and drivers accordingly. This ensures that schedules are geographically feasible to meet promised arrival time windows, while improving fleet utilization and productivity through efficient routes with minimal total mileage incurred and empty running reduced.
Reducing miles to offset fuel costs, balancing efficiency, optimizing the transportation network, and enabling sustainability are some of the key benefits of Paragon’s software for the convenience store market.
For more information, go to www.paragonrouting.com/us.
