JLM Transport is a well-established family-run business with over 30 years’ experience in the transport and logistics industry. It has nationwide coverage and offers a comprehensive range of business-to-business haulage services including tailored third-party (3PL) logistics solutions and secure warehousing and yard facilities. The company manages a fleet of 18 modern vehicles to meet a variety of customer needs in the retail, consumer goods, food and drink, industrial and construction sectors. Customers depend on JLM’s reliable round-the-clock service and expertise to develop creative business solutions that deliver distinct competitive advantage.
Innovation keeps operations moving
Business at JLM is very seasonal and requires high levels of agility and flexibility. Typically, the team handles around 1,000 transport jobs every month, a figure that regularly peaks to 2,500 in the three months leading up to Christmas. To meet these fluctuations quickly and efficiently, JLM has a small network of select sub-contractors who share the workload.
JLM firmly believes in technical innovation as a business enabler. In February 2018, it went live with new cloud-based transport management technology from TrackTrans.
“We now have a solid platform to grow”
Toys and heatwave spark business boom
Before TrackTrans, the expert knowledge of JLM’s people and a sophisticated spreadsheet was used monitor the progress of the company’s transport consignments. That was until one of its biggest customers, Smyths Toys, experienced a surge in business when the retailer picked up a significant share of the toy market following the sad demise of one of its main competitors.
Matthew Leigh, Managing Director and Owner of JLM Transport explained, “All of a sudden, sales at our customer Smyths Toys rocketed along with the extra deliveries that were necessary to fulfil an increased number of new orders. The company’s success was our success, but it came thick and fast, and we had to find a more efficient way of keeping our whole transport delivery chain on track. Fortunately, one of our trusted sub-contractors Swinson Transport recommended TrackTrans to us and although we did look at another system, TrackTrans won hands down as an easy to install, off-the-shelf product with a fee per job pricing structure.”
The TrackTrans implementation was completed just in time for record-breaking summer temperatures when demand soared for swings, trampolines and paddling pools.
Quick wins from the start
From the beginning, JLM noticed real benefits from using the new TrackTrans system. Automation has enabled Matthew and his team to introduce a robust transport management process. Moreover, it has given them the flexibility to manage the expansion of Smyths Toys in line with the retailer’s ambitious schedules and grow JLM’s own business at the same time.
Matthew Leigh continued, “TrackTrans has allowed us to do exactly what we need to do – and so much more. We now have a solid platform to grow and plan ahead. We have a single view of everything to run our business efficiently. Drivers, vehicles, trailers and consignments are tracked, reported and managed fuss-free and without any drama. All our transport management processes are taken care of meaning we can dedicate our time and energy to maintaining and improving customer service. Choosing TrackTrans was a great decision. Quite simply, we’d be lost without it.”
Proof of delivery in real-time
As with all logistics companies, proof of delivery (POD) is essential. While Smyths Toys has a different system for POD, for other business customers, JLM’s drivers use the TrackTrans App POD system on their mobile devices to keep track of the exact date and time of all deliveries.
Reports aid forward-planning and boost business performance
The TrackTrans system captures the whole history of every job. By tapping into this real-time data, JLM can quickly download reports covering each step of the delivery process from the number and date of deliveries, the types of vehicle involved to the name of the driver, their route, start and finishing times and any delays or issues along the way. This advanced functionality is essential for making meaningful service improvements in the future and aids more accurate forward-planning and forecasting.
“We have a single view of everything”
Furthermore, the superior reporting capabilities of the TrackTrans solution enable JLM to monitor the company’s business performance by giving them a clear view of pertinent financial information such as invoices, turnover, uncharged jobs and missing PODs that can be downloaded in a matter of minutes. It is this functionality that has saved JLM significant amounts of time and eliminated the need to hire an external bookkeeper or an additional person in-house.
In particular the Transport Schedule Report helps Matthew and his team produce tailored delivery plans for customers. For example, a customer might need 50 pallets to go to 5 stores in 5 different towns. JLM simply feeds this information into the TrackTrans system to build an efficient schedule that brings together the right drivers and vehicles and then reconciles this against a detailed timeline for the collection of goods from the warehouse to delivery at their final destination – on time and on budget.
On track for a successful future
JLM is impressed by the results of the TrackTrans implementation to date and plans to extend the solution further and is looking at the introduction of map-planning to allocate loads more efficiently and is considering auto-pricing for customer deliveries with multiple drop-off points.
Matthew Leigh concluded, “I definitely recommend TrackTrans. Their people offer a highly personalised service and have been with us every step of the way from initial set-up to face-to-face training at our offices. Our plans to expand are based on the efficiencies we have gained from the TrackTrans system. Simplicity itself, the technology is a strategic tool that gives us total control of our transport management activities and keeps us one step ahead of the competition.”
Fast Facts
- Cloud-based TrackTrans transport management system offers a simple-to-use, complete package to monitor and track customer consignments quickly and efficiently
- Flexibility of the system supports rapid business expansion
- Provides real-time visibility of proof of delivery on drivers’ mobile devices
- Superior reporting aids forecasting and forward-planning, boosts business performance
- Time saved through automation has eliminated the need to hire additional staff
- Personalised service from initial set-up to training and after-sales support
- Flexible, per job pricing model
For more information, visit our TMS page.
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