Grocontinental confirms power of vehicle telematics – Transport Engineer Reports
Posted on 21. May, 2010 by Alex in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News, Partners, Product
Storage and distribution firm Grocontinental reckons it has seen a rise from 20% to 65% of its drivers achieving a ‘B’ rating on MAN’s EcoStyle driver and vehicle performance tool. 
That matters because, as transport manager Chris Humphries, says, that increase has led to an improvement in efficiency and, importantly, a stabilisation of fuel economy across the fleet.
MAN EcoStyle went live at the Shropshire-based company in January with Grocontinental’s fleet of 54 MAN TGX tractor units. The company’s transport division comprises 56 tractor units and 120 temperature-controlled trailers which operate throughout Europe.
The web-based system monitors driving parameters such as harsh braking and acceleration, maintaining sweet-spot engine revs and minimising idle time. Drivers are then trained to optimise their performance, irrespective of the terrain or the load on the vehicle.
Says Humphries: “[MAN's course] really opened my eyes on how much a driver can influence the fuel economy of the vehicle. We were driving the training vehicle, which was fitted with a permanent fuel meter, and we saw how our driving could go from the worst case of 0.8 mpg to using no fuel at all!”
Incidentally, Grocontinental has also created a text-based system (accessible only when the vehicle is stationary) to provide drivers with on-the-road instructions. That addition was driven through by joint managing director David Grocott. Mobile phones have since been removed from the fleet, and replaced by written instructions from the planning office.
“This is the first time that we feel that we are able to influence the way our drivers handle their vehicles in a more safe and efficient way,” comments Grocott.
“We have made a huge investment in the new trucks and this new technology ensures that we stay at the forefront of the industry and continue to expand and develop our business.”
Article by Brian Tnham
Fleet Driver of the Year – Shortlist Announced
Posted on 21. May, 2010 by Alex in News, Partners, Product
The shortlist for the Fleet Driver of the Year category of the Motor Transport Awards 2010 has been announced. Congratulations to all three drivers who are as follows:
David Elliott, Suckling Transport
Steve Ward, TNT Express Services UK & Ireland
Paul Fullwood, Wincanton
Microlise will now be analysing driver performance data collected from installed telematics systems in the driver’s main vehicle, and the winners of all the awards, including the coveted Haulier of the Year, will be announced at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on 13 July.
Tesco sign international Transport Management System deal with Microlise Ltd
Posted on 11. May, 2010 by Alex in Customers, News
Following a successful trial in Slovakia in late 2009, Tesco have now awarded a contract to Microlise, which will see a roll out of Microlise Transport Management Solutions to their store delivery operations throughout Central Europe, Asia and the USA.
This implementation will give Tesco’s distribution operations visibility across many of the geographical areas in which they now operate.
Wincanton use Microlise Transport Management Solution on Marks & Spencer Home Delivery Contracts
Posted on 05. May, 2010 by Alex in Customers, News, Product
Having successfully secured the contract for Marks and Spencer Home Delivery last year, Wincanton used Microlise’s Fleet & Distribution portfolio to help them manage their delivery operations in order for them to more readily meet Marks & Spencer’s service level targets.
Microlise have supplied modular Telematics, Transport Management & Proof of Delivery solutions to numerous Wincanton contracts in recent years.
In the case of Marks & Spencer Home Delivery, Wincanton have rolled out Motorola Handheld devices running Microlise’s Proof of Delivery software to their 2-man Home Delivery operation.
Using the solution, Wincanton drivers are able to download, review & carry out their delivery schedule, supported by integrated Co-pilot 8 Satellite Navigation. At a customer’s address, the driver can scan the delivered or collected items and ask the customer to sign for the delivery on the mobile data terminal. Any delivery issues are captured as they occur and communicated to the back office system in real-time using standard “reason codes” – along with, if required, a digital image of the problem captured using the devices built in camera. Additionally, any tasks, such as vehicle inspections, can be managed using the application.
All of the captured data, transmitted back via the GPRS data network, is processed by Microlise’s back office software, before being interfaced out to various management information and customer service systems.
The Microlise Proof of Delivery system is a link in the chain of what is an entirely integrated Wincanton-M&S Home Delivery operation, with all transactions linked seamlessly from the initial order to the end customer.
The benefits Electronic Proof of Delivery provides include, increased real-time visibility, improved delivery accuracy, reduced paperwork management and reduced administration overhead with all of the electronic delivery information being seamlessly processed and readily accessible – both to support customer queries, should they arise, and to support Wincanton in their contract management activities.
Chris Wallace, Microlise’s Sales Director commented; “Our partnership with Wincanton continues to grow, the benefits our technology is delivering in this particular project allows Wincanton to more easily manage their delivery & customer service processes as well as readily measure their contract service performance. Most crucially, we are helping Wincanton ensure that Marks and Spencer’s customer experience is of the highest level throughout the delivery process – including on the door step”.
Telematics firms may make many bold promises, but can they deliver? – Fleet News Reports
Posted on 04. May, 2010 by Alex in Microlise - In the News, News
A definite yes, says Dave Crellin, operations development manager at Tesco.com, who has revealed that since fitting Microlise systems to his 2,200 vans in 2008, Tesco has saved 12% in fuel and 6% in accident damage, along with having the ability to offer better customer service.
Crellin said: “Our vans cover around 60 million miles a year and we fitted these systems because our fuel bill was huge and we didn’t really know how to get it down.
“We also wanted to reduce our environmental impact and improve driver behaviour and customer service.
“Before that we sent drivers out and just assumed they were doing their jobs properly.”
He said savings were noticed three weeks after the systems were fitted, although some drivers were against a ‘spy in the cab’ – and there had even been instances where wiring had been tampered with.
Crellin said: “We had to deal with the odd case of tampering where drivers just didn’t want to be tracked. We have 6,000 drivers and there will always be some bad ones.
“But damage is obvious and for deliberately damaging company property, the result is the sack.”
With the Microlise system, any examples of bad driving are flagged up and bosses can immediately deal with problems such as harsh braking and errant behaviour.
One method Crellin uses to encourage drivers to behave is to produce a league table at each depot.
Drivers start with a set number of points, which are deducted for any examples of bad behaviour on the roads.
Although there is no financial reward for winning, Crellin said the system worked well.
“Drivers just love to see their names at the top of the list,” he said.
“We were getting masses of information from the system and at first didn’t know how to use it all.
“But we have fine-tuned the system and we are getting better at analysing our data.
“We are still learning, but we are slowly getting there.”
Microlise selected as Telematics Awards 2010 Finalist for Ford Crew Chief™ offering
Posted on 04. May, 2010 by Alex in News, Partners, Product
Every year the Telematics Awards recognises and celebrates the key companies that are driving the industry forward and pushing the boundaries in GPS technology.
Microlise have been selected as a finalist for the Industry Newcomer Award for their Crew Chief offering (part of the Ford Work Solutions products).
Organised by Telematics Update, the finalists for these awards stand out in an industry where innovation is expected as the norm, and companies clamor for publicity, platform and prestige.
“This is a crucial year for the industry as the recovery process has already begun, and, telematics players, now more than ever, need to come together to strategise for the next decade of telematics service provision,” says Precksha Saksena, managing director of Telematics Update. “The response has been terrific and Telematics Update would like to each and every company that put itself forward as each and every entry made the competition even more intense. This year’s winners will be celebrated as true leaders in a year that epitomises the strength of the telematics industry, as the industry will continue to pull together in order to innovate and maintain progression and momentum.”
During the past six months, hundreds of companies have nominated themselves or their partners and clients through the Telematics Awards website.
An independent panel of industry experts from the digital automotive, mobile and web industries have analysed the submissions and individually narrowed down each category.
