Descartes helping Capital Logistcs meet increased demand
White Plains, NY-based Capital Logistics, which specializes in temperature-controlled transportation, is using Descartes’ MacroPoint real-time freight visibility and Aljex transportation management system (TMS) to move and track loads for national grocery customers, which have dramatically increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As our customers focus on keeping food supply chains functioning, having real-time visibility into the status of critical freight has increased our ability to keep pace with the unpredictable demand grocery stores are experiencing,” said Greg Ackner, vice president at Capital Logistics. “In one case, we went from moving 2-3 truckloads of milk per week to distribution centers serving multiple states to 50-60 truckloads per week.
“The Descartes Aljex solution also helped us maintain exemplary service while shifting seamlessly to a work-from-home environment to keep our employees safe.”
Aljex is a cloud-based TMS designed for freight brokers. It automates planning, tendering and dispatching, as well as back-office functions, including accounting, invoicing and reporting. The integration with MacroPoint provides real-time freight visibility to automatically track loads, greatly reducing the manual efforts for track and trace teams, Descartes said. Aljex receives real-time predictive alerts from MacroPoint, so users manage by exception and can be more proactive in serving shipper customers.
Given the desire to do more to help during the COVID-19 pandemic, Capital was able to leverage Descartes’ solutions to successfully participate in the Million Gallons Challenge, a project launched in Peekskill NY to bring the restaurant industry together to help feed those in need. And along with its partner, Conri Services of Hawthorne NY, Capital volunteered a solution for refrigerated shipping and storage to support the program’s distribution needs.
“We’re honored to enable Capital Logistics to keep critical grocery shipments moving for their customers and help their community during these challenging times,” said Brian Hodgson, senior vice president for industry solutions at Descartes. “By ordinary standards, moving perishable cargo requires comprehensive transportation management, real-time visibility, and the flexibility to respond effectively to disruptions—all of which are significantly more important now.”
