Enhancing order and delivery processes EDG’s mobile PoD system improves Irish Pride’s delivery services

Company: Irish Pride Bakeries

Irish Pride Bakeries is the second largest bakery in Ireland. The company was formed in the late 80’s by the amalgamation of a number of family-owned bakeries. Irish Pride is now ranked number 14 in the Checkout Magazine Top 100 Food and Drinks brands. It operates two bakeries, located in Wexford and Mayo, which manufacture a wide range of fresh products including wrapped bread, soft rolls and speciality breads. Irish Pride has an extensive distribution network that delivers to the entire Republic of Ireland on a daily basis. In conjunction with its niche bakery partners, Irish Pride uses this network to deliver a complete range of bread and bakery products to its customers.

The Challenge

Irish Pride Bakeries required a new mobile computing infrastructure to replace its legacy handheld computer and printer system. The business has a complex distribution network that covers the whole of Ireland, and products that have short shelf lives. These factors shaped the need for a fully automated order capture and electronic delivery system that also incorporates sophisticated features such as real-time ordering, job scheduling and product forecasting based on current orders.

Irish Pride also has thousands of customers, from independent stores to large supermarkets, all with different delivery processes and order requirements. The new system therefore had to be flexible and support the real-time capture of data and its flow around the business. In addition, the technology needed to seamlessly integrate with Irish Pride’s backend proprietary ERP system, BKS.

The Solution

Irish Pride issued a tender document to identify a mobile computing specialist to assist with the project. It chose to work with EDG Ireland who designed, implemented and tailored the new system around its Advantedg mobile computing software. The selection was based on EDG’s experience in delivering large-scale mobile computing systems and the flexibility and comprehensive nature of the Advantedg system. The software incorporates sophisticated analysis tools that enable Irish Pride to forecast future demand based on current orders which makes the production process as efficient as possible. Product delivery planning can reflect customer delivery timelines, product lead times, baking times and shelf life.

The field team are equipped with Motorola’s MC75/75A Enterprise Digital Assistants (EDAs). The devices were selected for their rugged design, range of features and wireless connectivity. Data is sent over the Edge/3G network so allowing product and customer information to be pushed out to drivers, with ePoD data being sent back to the office as soon as deliveries are made. The EDAs slot into delivery vehicles’ printer units to provide a convenient single point of charge. Both the mobile device and printer can be taken into an outlet to capture signatures and print receipts.

Benefits

Irish Pride is reaping the benefits of a highly competitive mobile computing solution that delivers real-time order processing and order analysis.

The Advantedg software features a learning architecture that takes note of order patterns, order volumes, routes and delivery times. This enables Irish Pride to anticipate demand for products and plan its production for the following week. It also supports Irish Pride’s complex set of business rules, with template forms on the EDA aligned to each customer’s delivery and payment requirements and mechanisms. The system is also highly configurable and flexible, and uses wireless data transmission to facilitate a swift and accurate billing process.