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Greater Customer Service is Now on Tap at Wil Fischer with Omnitracs Roadnet
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS)
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries
- Food & Beverage
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Predictive Maintenance
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Wil Fischer, a wholesaler and distributor for Anheuser-Busch, faced significant challenges in managing their delivery routes, especially during their busy summer season. The company supported 13 delivery routes in the winter and 15 in the summer, which accounted for 60% of their revenues. The manual system they used for routing was tedious and time-consuming, making it difficult to create balanced routes and often leading to delays in implementing necessary changes. The semi-annual rerouting process was particularly challenging, taking days or even weeks to complete by hand. This inefficiency not only affected their operational productivity but also had a direct impact on fuel costs and overall customer satisfaction.
About The Customer
Founded in 1966, Wil Fischer is a wholesaler and distributor for Anheuser-Busch, dedicated to providing the freshest, highest quality products to their customers. The company started with a staff of five employees and sold 211,000 cases in its first year. By 1985, they had sold a million cases, and by 2000, they doubled that benchmark to two million cases. Today, Wil Fischer has 75 employees covering six counties in Missouri. The company is part of Anheuser-Busch Wholesalers and works closely with 12 breweries, a vast network of refrigerated warehouses, computer-based inventory systems, and shippers to provide an extensive and effective distribution network in the brewing industry. They support 13 delivery routes in the winter and 15 in the summer, delivering both Anheuser-Busch beverages and freestanding point-of-purchase displays to customers' stores.
The Solution
In 2003, Wil Fischer turned to Omnitracs Roadnet Technologies to automate their routing process. They purchased the Omnitracs Roadnet Technologies suite, including Territory Planner, Roadnet, and FleetLoader. This decision was influenced by Dr. Jeff Gower, Wil Fischer’s CEO, who was an early adopter of logistics technology and chaired the Technology Committee on Anheuser-Busch’s wholesalers’ panel. The implementation of these tools simplified the rerouting process, reducing it from days or weeks to just a matter of hours. FleetLoader, a tactical loading tool designed for the beverage industry, improved the speed and efficiency of deliveries by creating pick sheets with big, bold text that warehouse workers appreciated. Additionally, the installation of MobileCast made delivery ETAs transparent and trackable in real-time, further enhancing the efficiency of their operations.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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