Prophesy load planning software helps Piggly Wiggly

Prophesy Transportation Solutions Inc, an Accellos company, has released a case study of its customer Piggly Wiggly Carolina Company. This profile details the company’s reduction in transportation costs and increase in staff productivity following its investment in Prophesy’s load planning software, Accellos One Optimize.

In 1916, entrepreneur Clarence Saunders had the idea to put shopping into the hands of customers by introducing the first self-service grocery store, Piggly Wiggly. The company now has more than 600 independently owned and operated franchise locations in 17 states.

The Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co, which manages the distribution centers in Charleston and Jedburg SC, delivers frozen, refrigerated, and dry goods to stores throughout South Carolina and Georgia. The company also handles backhauls from vendor warehouses and production locations. With a fleet of 63 trucks serving 105 stores, it is vital that these distribution centers stay abreast of all processes and manage their transportation operations as efficiently as possible.

All daily runs occur along fixed routes, with multiple deliveries to each store per week. Until recently, all route stops were plotted manually and required daily review by office personnel, giving rise to inefficiencies and increased costs.

Arsenault reviewed several load-planning systems, seeking a solution that would deliver the capabilities he needed and integrate with his company’s warehouse management system. Recognizing Accellos One Optimize as a prime candidate, Arsenault arranged a demonstration with Prophesy National Sales Manager Kevin Pasternack. Using a sample of Piggly Wiggly’s actual load data, Optimize Product Manager Gregg Marcuccio ran several “what-if” scenarios to demonstrate savings the company would realize using the Prophesy system. The pre-optimized data was compared with scenarios run through Accellos One Optimize, and Prophesy was able to show a projected savings of about 3,000 miles per week, equating to a 10%-15% reduction in overall transportation costs. At this pace, the software would easily pay for itself within two to three months.

Impressed with the outcome of the live data tests, Arsenault and his team selected Accellos One Optimize for their operation. In addition to the base Optimize product, the company implemented advanced commercial mileage and routing capabilities to calculate daily routes and generate driving directions. Arsenault initially opted for the online SaaS (software as a service) version of the software, which would provide the same features as the on-premise version and would allow for a lower initial investment and a quicker implementation.

With Accellos One Optimize in place, the Piggly Wiggly Carolina Co fully recognizes the reduction in transportation costs projected by preliminary live data tests. Orders from the WMS are imported into Optimize, Piggly Wiggly’s business rules are automatically applied, and then Optimize builds efficient truckloads and routes. Finally, turn-by-turn commercial driving directions are generated and printed for drivers.

For more information about Prophesy’s Total Solution for Trucking, email [email protected], call 800-776-6706, or visit www.mile.com.