Case Study
The trading company Benz Baustoffe, based in Neckar- bischofsheim, controls and monitors its truck fleet with the transport management system opheo and the integrated telematics solution opheo mobile from Solvares Logistics.
The aim of the changeover was to improve customer service, make dispatching easier and save on vehicle costs. In addition, Benz wants to use the telemetry data for efficient driver evaluation and optimization of consumption and wear values.
The trading company Benz Baustoffe, based in Neckarbischofsheim, manages and monitors its truck fleet with the opheo transport management system and the integrated telematics solution opheo mobile from Solvares Logistics. The aim of the changeover was to improve customer service, make dispatching easier and save on vehicle costs. In addition, Benz wants to use the telemetry data for efficient driver evaluation and optimization of consumption and wear values.
The solution: opheo
Before the introduction of opheo, each of Benz’s seven branches was responsible for planning its own delivery routes. This often led to inefficient use of the trucks. With opheo, the owner-managed family business can now dispatch its fleet more centrally and utilize synergies between the locations.
“We have set up workstations with four screens for our dispatchers, three of which are used exclusively for fleet management and dispatching,” explains Benz Managing Director and Project Manager Christian Schieck.
The monitors show trucks and orders, a road map and a graphical route plan from left to right. The IT expert liked opheo’s modern user interface and “the young and creative development team at Solvares Logistics.”
Problem-free integration
opheo receives the order data directly from the Unitrade merchandise management system via an interface. After dispatching, the dispatcher sends the tours and order data directly to the drivers, who are equipped with Samsung Galaxy tablets and the opheo mobile telematics app. The app handles both order management and navigation. The dispatcher receives real-time feedback on current vehicle positions, driving and rest times, and order statuses.
opheo improves service quality
The forecasting function interactively checks whether a vehicle is still on schedule and extrapolates any deviations to the rest of the current tour and all subsequent tours. opheo indicates impending violations of delivery dates or EU social regulations early on, so that the dispatcher is informed in good time. “This has enabled us to significantly improve our adherence to deadlines and the quality of our service,” says Schieck.
Automatic notification reminder
Solvares Logistics also developed an automated notification reminder specifically for Benz. If requested by the customer, opheo generates a message with the calculated arrival time shortly before the actual delivery. For example, the function becomes active when the truck is only 25 kilometers or 30 minutes away from its destination. The reminder message appears on the driver’s tablet display and contains all information for a telephone notification to the customer. “Shifting the notification process to the drivers led to a noticeable reduction in workload for dispatch and higher service quality,” Schieck notes.
Analysis for efficient driving
Another goal of the IT project concerns economical driving. For this purpose, a total of 18 trucks were equipped with telematics boxes that are connected to the CAN bus systems. Telemetry data from the vehicles is transmitted in this way and can be analyzed in the opheo portal. On this basis, Benz wants to specifically train drivers and noticeably reduce consumption values and wear.
Tachograph data management
Benz also uses opheo to map tachograph data management. For this purpose, the digital tachographs are automatically read out remotely on a regular basis. The data is archived in compliance with regulations and is simultaneously available in opheo TACHOWEB. This gives dispatchers access to the drivers’ current driving and rest times. Impending violations of the driving time regulations are therefore identified early on and can be prevented.