Transporeon will present Mobile Order Management to industry professionals for the first time at Multimodal 2014 in Birmingham 29th April - 1st May 2014. This state-of-the-art Android app for carriers neatly closes communication gaps over the last mile – across fleets and even across many different transport service providers.
"The Transporeon platform offers shippers and carriers a comprehensive, well thought-out system that significantly reduces their everyday workload. Time slot management, Transport Assignment, Transport Visibility – everything is web-based and transparent, without media discontinuities," explained David Williamson, UK key account manager at Transporeon. "Up to now, however, this system only reached as far as the carrier's scheduler. With the new Mobile Order Management app we've gone one step further – right to the end of the delivery chain. This user-friendly Android app allows us to include drivers as well. This is the first such integrated, cross-fleet system of its type on the market."
Innovative solution for communication over the last mile
When a shipper activates Mobile Order Management (MOM) in the Transporeon solution, everything is very easy for carriers: they create their vehicles on the Transporeon platform, and their drivers receive a text message with a download link and can download the MOM app onto any Android smartphone. The app is self-explanatory and solves many problems that otherwise occur over the last mile. The carrier can assign the driver freight orders via MOM, query the vehicle's current location and display it on an interactive map.
The driver can use the phone's camera to document how the load is secured, the unloading location or any damage to the goods. The recipient's signature on the smartphone serves as a kind of electronic delivery note. This is all assigned to the freight order on the platform and stored in an audit-proof archive system. Carriers and shippers thus benefit from an end-to-end electronic system that eliminates the need for most conventional paper documentation.
Know where the vehicle is at all times
Mobile Order Management significantly improves communication between shippers, carriers and consignees in practice. The most common question that occurs during deliveries – where is the vehicle at the moment? – can be answered with a click by all involved, including the shipper's dispatcher. The GPS positioning system can also be used for the purpose of geofencing, in which an area with a certain radius can be defined around the delivery location, for example. When the vehicle crosses this 'fence', a notification is sent automatically. This tells the shipper, carrier's scheduler and customer that the vehicle will soon be arriving. E-mail notifications can be sent when trips are not running smoothly.
A picture says more than a thousand words
In addition to the geotracking function, the pilot customers particularly appreciated the photographic documentation feature. Kurt Münk, head of freight management at Knauf Gips KG, explained: "We deliver our products to construction sites on a just-in-time basis. But sometimes there is nobody there to receive the goods at the agreed time. By taking a photograph, we are able to document where and in what condition we have left the goods. In any disagreements with the consignee, a picture often says more than a thousand words."
Williamson summarised the benefits of MOM: "Mobile Order Management allows shippers and carriers to improve their customer service, above all through real-time tracking. All processes are electronic, right through to the delivery note, which reduces paperwork, the workload generally – and thus costs as well. In addition, photographic documentation offers greater assurance to all involved."
The Transporeon Group at a glance
The Transporeon Group links manufacturers, hauliers and retailers, with companies that provide logistics services. Based in Ulm and Kempten, the group runs the e-logistics Transporeon-platform, the e-tendering Ticontract-platform and the Mercareon-platform, for retailers and wholesalers. The Group's platforms currently link over 850 shippers, 40,000 carriers and 100,000 users in more than 80 countries. These efficient, user-friendly Web-based solutions facilitate tendering, transport assignment, time slot booking, and tracking and tracing. Established in the year 2000, today the Transporeon Group is a European market leader in the e-logistics segment and is increasing its market share in Asia and the USA. In 2013, with around 330 employees, the group generated revenues of 34 million euros.
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