Case Studies - LTL
Case Study #1: Driving Integrated Efficiency
Valued Partner:
In business since 1937 this Canadian national freight carrier specializes in food and grocery transportation services. With connection services in all areas of Canada and well-embedded terminals in the province of Ontario this carrier is able to handle a multitude of transportation services for the largest grocery chains in North America.
Customers Goals:
With resource recovery and recycling strategies now integrated into the day-to-day operation of most grocery chains. One specific chain was looking to outsource its boxboard recovery activities to a carrier who could not only provide pick up services but also the ability to manage the allocation metrics. This would mean that whichever carrier received the contract they would have to provide reports as to the weight of the cardboard picked up and details specific to which store it came from so that proper fund allocation could be performed.
Integrated Solutions:
As the leading manufacturer of onboard lift truck scales we were contacted by the carrier and asked to design a solution that would not only handle the requirements of grocery chain but also integrate that data efficiently for the carrier. Understanding that speed, productivity and efficiency are key drivers for the LTL transportation industry we set about to understand the flow of materials from beginning to end and looked for ways to capture the required data without adding additional steps. In fact during the design process we were able to position the technology so that the carrier would in fact eliminate process steps for the lift truck operator thereby speeding up the process.
The result of this partnership was a customized implementation of the SkidWeigh Plus ED4. The SkidWeigh Plus ED4’s modular design and ability to connect wirelessly to scanners along with custom software programming allowed for the following process integration. The carrier picks up the cardboard load on the pallet that already has a barcode sticker identifying the store and location. The carrier then transports the cardboard load to their terminal where upon arrival a lift truck operator scans the load using an Motorola LS3578-ER long range scanner. With the location coordinates now in the system the SkidWeigh Plus ED4 asks the operator to ‘Lift the Load’, within 5 seconds the weight is captured and wirelessly sent through RF serial communication to the Base Station communication hub without any buttons for the operator to push. The system is now ready for another weighing cycle. At the end of the shift the supervisors responsible for retrieving the data can now download that data and upload a csv formatted file byway of USB into their terminal and provide the required data to the grocery chain.
The result of this partnership was a customized implementation of the SkidWeigh Plus ED4. The SkidWeigh Plus ED4’s modular design and ability to connect wirelessly to scanners along with custom software programming allowed for the following process integration. The carrier picks up the cardboard load on the pallet that already has a barcode sticker identifying the store and location. The carrier then transports the cardboard load to their terminal where upon arrival a lift truck operator scans the load using an Motorola LS3578-ER long range scanner. With the location coordinates now in the system the SkidWeigh Plus ED4 asks the operator to ‘Lift the Load’, within 5 seconds the weight is captured and wirelessly sent through RF serial communication to the Base Station communication hub without any buttons for the operator to push. The system is now ready for another weighing cycle. At the end of the shift the supervisors responsible for retrieving the data can now download that data and upload a csv formatted file byway of USB into their terminal and provide the required data to the grocery chain.
Integrated Benefits:
- Customized Solution: Carrier able to handle the requirements of the grocery chain in full. Provides a pricing advantage for both.
- Efficiency: Steps are eliminated for the lift truck operator, the need to write down information on a clipboard and the need to take the load on a pallet to a floor scale save time and money. Can save as much as 4 minutes per weighing cycle, depending on terminal layout.
- Ease of Use: The lift truck operator performs only the normal operations associated with their job description. No system training is required.
- Safety: Allowing the operator to focus on driving without requiring onboard data input increases driving awareness.