新技术带来效率供应

雷电竞Viva Energy的Paul Bell谈到了一个基于云的软件系统，有助于改变供应和物流行业管理商业实践的方式。

作为一个主要的燃料供应商，我们对客户保持迅速，可靠的供应至关重要。With four crucial yet disparate elements to the process – how much fuel is needed, where it’s needed, how it will get there and the regulations governing its movement – technology is playing an ever-increasing role, in the form of a cloud-based supply chain planning system built by Quintiq.

无纸化的准时交货

Some aspects of Viva Energy’s supply chain are already automated and these fit seamlessly into the Quintiq system. For a start, we have automatic tank gauges (ATGs) at each service station and can poll them regularly to check fuel levels in those tanks.

同样，大多数经销商处于供应商管理的库存（VMI）上，因此他们不必为燃料进行订单;我们可以看到他们在现场有多少，看看他们过去一周的销售需求已经是什么，并确定何时何时交货，所以他们从未缺货。这主要是通过云完成的;任何没有ATG的客户，如远程挖掘区域或工业站点，请创建手动订单，然后输入系统。

The next element in the process is the third-party carriers who deliver the fuel. They notify which trucks will be available over the next shift, and we have to take into account how those vehicles can be loaded, optimal delivery times, what routes can be taken, how to load safely, axle weights and so on.

There are a lot of restrictions around carrying fuel, but the Quintiq system can be configured to respect those rules and regulations as well as the organisation’s business rules, such as production capacity, inventory and logistics constraints and contractual requirements. It also uses mapping and traffic data, so it can account for road speeds, time and distances, and peak and non-peak periods when calculating schedules.

当来自所有不同元素的数据输入Quintiq时，我们需要做的就是按一个按钮来生成下一个班次的订单。一旦计划定稿，系统将它们向终端发送到终端，每辆卡车具有精确的装载说明。一旦派遣一辆卡车，一旦派遣一辆通知，所以我们知道它已经出现了，加载并在路线上。然后，交付证明（POD）技术然后在交付每个订单时发送另一个通知。

The entire job can be completed without any physical paperwork, saving everyone in the supply chain considerable time and money.

Efficient and cost-effective

The system is still undergoing tests, but generally it takes about 30 to 45 minutes to plan each shift, per state. Previously it would have taken schedulers half a shift to do that task, whereas with Quintiq, 80 per cent can be achieved in under an hour, leaving the schedulers just having to oversee, apply their knowledge and make any adjustments.

在一个完美的世界中，一切都会根据计划，但交通拥堵甚至天气事件都会导致延误，因此当需要重新计划工作时，这种自动化水平的令人兴奋的方面就是在系统中看到。然后可以找到替代目的地或更高效的路由并直接发送到驾驶员的平板电脑或手持设备，因此他们可以继续他们的旅程。以前将通过一系列电话或传真来完成;现在它是由系统完成的。

下一步是加入动态调度。而不是在提前12小时生成和发布，每个班次的时间表将实时更新，将新作业分配为最后一个完成。预计这将提供更大的灵活性和效率，同时减少了在道路上浪费的时间。

Being able to take advantage of technological innovation means we can better ensure that we have the right truck carrying the right load at all times. For our customers, it means we can deliver more fuel for a lower cost and give them the best chance of maintaining a good fuel supply.