BALTIMORE – A small subsidiary of UPS (NYSE:UPS) is making a big impact on behalf of its customers through the deployment of computer software that allows exquisitely precise planning of delivery routes.
The software, known as the Roadnet™ Transportation Suite, is offered by UPS Logistics Technologies and is being used by grocery stores, beverage bottlers and snack food companies, among others, to shave miles off their delivery networks.
"I needed to reduce travel time, mileage and costs, but our routing process was holding us back," said Michael Johnson, project manager for Lance, Inc., a major snack food company. "With UPS Logistics Technologies' solution, we can now alter routes quickly and make our inevitable last-minute changes much more manageable."
Lance additionally is enjoying an increase in serviceable accounts per driver, contributing to a 10 percent annual business growth rate.
The 1,300 customers of UPS Logistics Technologies are on track to save an estimated 250 million miles during calendar 2003. That equates to 250,000 tons of CO2 emissions eliminated from the environment. The totals are calculated based on the number of vehicles within each customer's fleet, the miles driven and an average mileage reduction of 10 percent per customer.
"This solution is a good example of how smart business and environmental practices go hand-in-hand," said Mike Herr, UPS environmental affairs manager. "We have built our company through operational innovation and we're glad we can apply that knowledge to help other companies, particularly when the results contribute to the environment's bottom line."
For more information on UPS Logistics Technologies' suite of routing software, visit http://www.tech.upslogistics.com