WAXIE Sanitary Supply Enhances Delivery Operations with Dynamic Route Planning and Optimization Software

WAXIE differentiates itself from competitors by having orders delivered on time, at the right price, with exceptional customer service. By replacing manual processes, Descartes’ cloud-based dynamic route planning and mobile solution enabled WAXIE to improve delivery performance, reduce operational costs and consistently meet customer commitments.

"Descartes’ technology helped bind us together as one company. We have more than 100 drivers and nine different operations and the Descartes solution has kept us on the same playing field, using the same game plan. The customer is #1 for us, and I feel Descartes shares that same philosophy, as well as our values of partnership and collaboration."

-Eric Cohen Vice President of Logistics, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

With nine distribution centers and 400 employees located throughout nine western states, the WAXIE logistics team works every day to fulfill the company motto: “The customer is the focus of everything we do.”

This entails receiving inbound product shipments from vendors, taking orders from customers, prepping those orders and planning routes to meet customer delivery commitments. To achieve and maintain an exceptional level of customer-focused service, WAXIE needed a more efficient way to generate and manage optimal delivery routes, as well as more robust methods for capturing and sharing data to improve delivery performance and reduce costs across the organization.

To enhance its delivery operations, WAXIE deployed Descartes’ integrated solution for dynamic route planning, dispatch, tracking and mobile proof of delivery (mPOD). The cloud-based solution optimizes daily routes while empowering drivers and dispatchers with innovative route management software.

With integrated GPS tracking and mobile communication capabilities, information is shared freely between dispatch and the field for better exception management and continuous performance improvement. The mobile application enables WAXIE to capture, collect and act on stop-level data in real-time. This eliminates paper-based processes, streamlines operations and improves the customer experience.

Access to real-time data provides WAXIE with opportunities to proactively alert customers of possible delivery delays and quickly resolve the situation. Stop-level data collection allows management to review which customer stops are taking more time, learn the reasons why and adjust processes to ensure drivers are improving on-road stop averages.

Descartes’ solution also enables the company to capture and easily access specific customer information such as equipment requirements, delivery instructions, etc. For example, knowing in advance that a customer has site limitations and can accommodate only one size of truck can eliminate missed deliveries that negatively impact both service and profits.

WAXIE management described the implementation of Descartes’ route planning software as a smooth process for its 100+ users with great customer support, an easy transition and wide acceptance upon deployment.

Reduced fuel, labor and vehicle costs were a result of route optimization, innovative route management tools and streamlined paperless processes.

The mobile application made robust stop-level data capture and collection possible, enabling the company to provide proof of delivery (POD) and to act on critical customer, driver and vehicle data in real time.

Integration of dynamic route optimization, GPS tracking and mobile communication capabilities improved on-time performance and enabled continuous improvement of delivery operations.

By replacing manual route planning practices with automation, the company boosted service levels through greater productivity for dispatchers, route planners and drivers in the field.