Richard Tovey

The business has developed from specialist beginnings as a carrier to the airfreight industry, to a multi-capability general haulier with a mixed fleet of vehicles and trailers. The vehicles range from sprinter vans through rigids of all weights to articulated lorries and specialist off-road equipment.

Some of the vehicles are fitted with HIAB cranes and the drivers are trained in the use of specialist handling equipment such as stair walkers. Richard Tovey works with many high profile companies including Vodafone, Ericsson, and Kuehne + Nagel and his services need to complement the sophisticated requirements of his clients.

“The TrackTrans solution streamlines our delivery process”

The Richard Tovey business challenge

The paper and voice-based systems that Richard Tovey used in his transport office had served him well in the years after start-up. Richard Tovey recognised that up-to-date and accurate information was fundamental to the service his customers required. With the amount and complexity of the data that was being exchanged between Richard Tovey and his customers growing exponentially, the administration effort was growing out of all proportion.

Staff in the office were finding it increasingly difficult to communicate  with each other and report back to the customers in a timely fashion. Simply adding more staff was not working, as the complexity of the work increased, each additional member of

staff was less productive. Collating data after the event and creating manual reports was becomong both costly and inefficient. Richard Tovey saw the requirement for an integrated transport management system with the ability to communicate with its customers and subcontractors systems.

Having survived with a paper-based administration Richard Tovey had no IT capability in his workforce. To source and install a transport management system with no in-house expertise was likely to be a costly and risky business. With customer requirements changing on an almost daily basis, keeping up with development was also an important consideration.

The Solution

Richard Tovey decided on the TrackTrans fully managed and hosted transport management suite of programs. The browser-based programs meant that there was no in-house requirement for detailed IT knowledge. Simple home grade PCs were sufficient to run the system and with the added advantage that the services could be accessed from any Internet connected computer in the world. With most of the equipment already in place there was no major capital outlay for Richard Tovey. Richard Tovey engaged TrackTrans to create the interfaces with his customers, thereby eliminating costly and inaccurate double keying of consignment data and enabling ‘real-time’ proof of delivery.

The ‘Train the Trainer’ methodology used by TrackTrans meant that Richard Tovey were  able to deploy the system very quickly and to train all their own staff. The implementation was undertaken in stages. The Transport Management System (TMS) was installed first, complete with interfaces to clients, followed by the in cab solutions for live Proof Of Delivery and vehicle tracking. With each process documented and video tutorials available on the Internet the Richard Tovey staff had immediate access to reference guides.

Tovey says “We have increased our capacity threefold and can take on new business with complete confidence that the integration work will be carried out quickly and accurately by TrackTrans. We can be up and running within days rather than the weeks and months it used to take”.

“We have increased our capacity threefold and can take on new business with complete confidence”

Business Results

The TrackTrans systems have transformed the Richard Tovey operation. The administrative staff have been reduced by one while the workload has nearly doubled. The customers have benefited from accurate and timely feedback about the status of their consignments and have worked more closely with Richard Tovey in all stages of their processes. Richard Tovey has been able to take on new clients, and with the help of TrackTrans create interfaces very quickly and to assimilate the new business without additional staff. TrackTrans’ commitment to development means that Richard Tovey can be assured that his solution will continue to be at the leading edge of technical developments in the future.

Stroud says “with the reporting facility that TrackTrans software offers we have access to all the information in our database, and are able to do in-depth analysis of the profitability of our work and the utilisation of our fleet. It is an invaluable resource for quoting new work and ensuring that we work profitably”.

For more information, visit our TMS page.