Integrated route planning and telematics help boost fleet productivity

Axis Europe has boosted productivity and cut fuel costs across its fleet of 450 vans with a new route planning solution.

The national construction company specialises in repair, maintenance and refurbishment of properties across housing, commercial and public sectors.

Much of its work is for residents, acting as a contractor for clients who are social housing landlords in London and around the UK.

To provide an even better service for clients and increase the efficiency of scheduling appointments and utilising workforce resources, the company has invested in a live data-driven solution which combines telematics from Webfleet with automated route planning and real-time geocoded scheduling from FLS (Fast Lean Smart).

The self-learning algorithm at the core of the FLS Visitour solution continually re-optimises scheduling throughout the day to reflect unforeseen changes, such as traffic, jobs overrunning or staff sickness.

The best driver/operative for any given job is calculated in seconds, based not just on proximity, but also on operative skills and certification, SLAs and other efficiency parameters, it says. 

“This is a key solution to enable the performance of our field force,” explained Neil Betton, chief information officer at Axis Europe.

“The integration of FLS and Webfleet brings added value by combining real-time data with live optimisation.”

Optimised routing also helps to reduce fuel use and cut CO2 emissions.

“There are a possible 3.6 million different route sequences for a single field operative with 10 visits in their shift,” added Simon Spriggs, partnerships manager at FLS. 

“Add in the complexity of emergency orders, cancellations and sick days and it quickly becomes evident that manual optimisation is time consuming and ineffective.

“With live Webfleet data showing exact locations, job dispatchers no longer need to manually track and manage their operatives out in the field and the system can optimise more accurately.”

The cloud-based SaaS model for FLS Visitour eliminates local hosting issues and also integrates with Dynamics CRM for customer service and job management.

Axis operates a paperless data trail with digitised workflows using their smartphones.

Webfleet’s integral OptiDrive 360 functionality is used to create monthly risk reports highlighting incidences of speeding and harsh braking and cornering, as well as idling.

The data is used to identify training needs and also to reward high performing drivers in the incentivised Axis Europe Driver of the Year awards.

“We’ve seen a dramatic drop in speeding,” said Axis Europe fleet manager Taylor Burman. “But our drivers, who sometimes have to work in quite remote areas, also know that they are safer with full visibility of their location at any time.”  

Risk data is also shared with the company’s insurance company to help keep a lid on premium costs.

“This is another strong example of how a collaborative approach with our .connect partners can deliver a ground-breaking, integrated solution that meets customers’ highly bespoke needs,” added Beverley Wise, Webfleet regional director for Bridgestone Mobility Solutions.

Telematics specialists and Webfleet approved partner AES advised on both solution and installation.