Logistics Solutions for Building Suppliers & Merchants

The construction and house building sector is a fast-paced, dynamic market with products and deliveries often needed the next day or at a specific date and time.

The COVID-19 epidemic and other major economic challenges such as driver shortages and rising fuel costs have had an impact on the construction sector, along with many other sectors. To move projects along without adding new concerns or delays, building supplies and construction companies need to adapt with new solutions to provide cost-effective, on time and in full (OTIF) deliveries.

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Here are four logistics issues in the building industry that you can resolve.

Descartes Construction & Building Supplies Solutions

With your current vehicles and drivers, we can help you cut down on mileage, fuel costs, and delivery times while enabling you to provide more precise and reliable delivery windows and the ability to create visibility for drivers, vehicle performance or location.

Descartes customers already include:

• Builders Merchants
• Product manufacturers
• Sand and Gravel distribution
• Electrical and HVAC supply
• Timber merchants

Not sure where to start? Contact one of our experts.

Logistics solutions for Building Product manufacturers, Merchants and DIY stores

Key Descartes solutions for an optimal logistics operation.

• Vehicle loading

  If the Descartes mobile apps are utilised with a handheld mobile device then goods are scanned as they are loaded onto the vehicle, thus ensuring that the right goods and quantities are loaded and that nothing is left behind.

  The use of mobile devices saves the printing of load documents and tickets, not only avoiding mistakes but also the cost and time of printing these.

• Site deliveries

  Various site parameters such as access and machinery for offloading can be taken into account by the system ensuring that the correct vehicles and manpower is utilised for deliveries, while also safeguarding that the vehicles are not over promised, or customers let down. Tight delivery windows can be promised in the safe knowledge that they will be achievable.

  Read more about Planning and Scheduling Delivery Routes

• Proof of delivery

  Goods being delivered are scanned as they are taken off the vehicle ensuring that the right goods are supplied and that nothing is forgotten.

  Building sites are often chaotic locations with many people signing for and accepting deliveries regularly on behalf of other trades; keeping track of goods delivered, who signed for them and the condition of them when delivered is an important aspect of deliveries for any building products company. The Descartes Proof of Delivery app can be used on most mobile devices and allows not only for signatures, but the photographs of recipients and locations plus the recording of any damage or shortage identified by the customer.

  Acceptance of, or issues with, goods delivered and signatures can be instantly sent back to the office for invoices and queries to be dealt with.

  Read more about Proof of Delivery

• Cloud based Software as a Service

  Descartes Automated Route and scheduling optimisation is a SaaS cloud-based solution, enabling the operation of the software from any location with an internet connection. This is useful for route planners who for various reasons might be required to work is different office locations or from home.