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The Dock Appointment Scheduling process is streamlined by distributing the responsibility for scheduling warehouse deliveries or pickups out to carriers and suppliers.
What is Dock Scheduling?
Dock scheduling is the use of software for the optimisation and scheduling of your warehouse dock bay doors and yard schedules. A DAS solution will maintain a calendar, showing all your operating constraints, such as opening/closing times, which commodities can be accepted through which dock door (e.g., refrigerated or ambient) and the trailer types that can be accepted. Advanced dock scheduling systems such as the Descartes solution can also consider other transportation or upstream constraints such as labour and other warehouse resources e.g. forklift truck availability.
Why us a Dock Appointment Scheduling solution?
Ensuring all supply chain partners are involved in the process and have visibility into requested, scheduled, and rescheduled dock appointment slots, will help optimise your receiving operations for inbound shipments and help to coordinate outbound pickups, resulting in a steady flow of goods in and out and elinimating the usual peaks and troughs associated with allowing vehicles to arrive at the warehouse at any time.
The Dock Appointment Scheduling module allows you to model all relevant constraints:
- Number of dock doors
- DC hours and labour resources
- Unload time by product type etc.
Suppliers can then log into a web portal and request a dock appointment slot for their delivery. Based on your rules, the system will automatically calculate the length of time required and accept the proposed timed or will propose alternatives. Your staff have a web-based visual interface and can see all the appointments, making simple drag and drop manual overrides as they see fit.
With the system in place, carriers can book appointment slots and arrival times are confirmed on arrival, normally by the gate guard. Your managers can produce reports showing on time performance and no-show reports by carrier.
When recommending appointment times to the carriers, based on true receiving capacity, we see that our customers are able to level labour demand across the day or across a number of days (ie the system can recommend a delivery date for Wednesday vs. Tuesday). In doing so you can reduce overtime or maybe even headcount?
Warehouse Dock Appointment Scheduling tools typically reduce labour costs by at least 10%.
Dock Appointment Scheduling has an add-on module for Yard Management.
See also Resources below.
Features & Benefits
Online appointment scheduling
Carriers can book their own delivery slots over the internet, based on your criteria.
Reduced waiting times.
Appointment audit trail
All edits and changes are tracked simplifying any potential disputes over arrival times.
Email notifications to carriers and vendors
Easy notification if you make a change to the original appointment, if there are damages detected or there is a no-show.
Recurring appointments
Regular or high volume suppliers can ensure consistency of appointments - windows can be block booked out for public holidays or regular staff breaks.
Optimised hours of service
A smoothed schedule of deliveries improves utilisation of resources an warehouse efficiency while wait times and charges are reduced. An additional environmental impact is gained through reduced idling and wait times.
Visibility of inbound shipments
Improved management of inventory levels and lead times.
Cloud based software
Our Software is available over the internet wherever you have a connection, providing access to our solution when you are working from any location in the world.
Customer Successes
“The Descartes Reservations™ and Descartes Route Planner™ solutions were integral to our strategy of offering more extensive, but unified , delivery services. The advanced optimisation capabilities and architecture of the Descartes solutions were critical to bringing new delivery service options to our customers in an economically feasible way. ”
Andrew Gay - Systems Manager
Delivery mileage reduced per annum 1.5m
Savings from fuel costs & vehicle servicing £1m
Increased delivery capacity 35%
“We chose Descartes at Sears because of the need for our customers to have very accurate promises to when they get their deliveries and our need to drive efficiency in our network in how we meet those commitments to our customers.”
Bill Hutchinson - SVP Supply Chain
Greater Control Gained
Increased Productivity Gained
Improved Visibility Gained
“In the past year since having the Descartes' system our jobs per route has improved by just short of 10%.”
Martin Alldritt - Planning & Optimisation Manager
Jobs per route has increased 9.9%
Average mileage between jobs reduced
Improved Customer Service
“The advantages of automation are mainly the reduction of error rates along with a reduction of delivery miles & transportation costs.”
Tom de Rocker - Dispatcher
Reduction of error rates and transport costs
Reduced paperwork around returned empty crates
Improved Customer Service
“We estimate that we've reduced our transport costs by 10% per ton delivered.”
Frédéric Poirier - Logistics & IT Manager
Transport costs reduced by 10%
Optimised mix of own vehicles and third parties
Maximised driver and vehicle utilisation
“By optimising planning, scheduling and routing, we’ve lowered our distribution costs: we’re getting more capacity out of our fleet and have reduced the number of returned loads by ensuring the right product is loaded onto the right truck. ”
Mark Parsons - Managing Director
Reduced cost of distribution
Increased delivery capacity
Reduced number of returned loads
“With the Descartes solution, we now have real-time visibility into deliveries as they are made—and proof of delivery when customers receive their orders,”
Nicholas Chesna - Fleet Assistant Manager
On-time delivery has improved
Real time visibility of deliveries
Great delivery capacity
You may also be interested in
Transportation Management
Manage your own fleet and external third parties from one easy to use interface. Maximise your vehicle utilisation, reduce the cost of using outsourced delivery agents and improve customer service.
Yard Management
Plan and record trailer movements and inspections for greater stock control.
Visibility, Tracking & Performance
Monitor individual shipments across all modes of transportation.
Load Planning & Consolidation
Automatically reoptimise loads as new orders are placed.
Carrier Selection
Identify the best carrier to use for a delivery, then relay that information.