Ahola Transport saves time and optimizes its transport operations by gathering all key functions in one system
Since Ahola works with customized logistics solutions based on its Online concept, the dynamic management of transport orders is central. It is therefore particularly valuable for Ahola to have a uniform system for order management, economical driving, driving and rest times, etc. This is a great advantage to have everything gathered in one system, not least when new drivers start, it simplifies the training effort and shortens the time it takes before the driver "gets warm in the clothes" and knows the company's routines.
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Interview with Joakim Asplund, Project Manager at Ahola Transport, Finland
Describe how your mobile data solution has been valuable to your business
– As we work with customized logistics solutions based on our Online concept, the dynamic management of our transport orders is central to us. It is therefore valuable for our business to have a unified order management system, which we now have. We also appreciate having everything gathered in one system when new drivers start with us, it simplifies the training effort and shortens the time it takes before the driver “gets warm in the clothes” and knows our routines. Ahola has been certified for quality (ISO 9001) and environment (ISO 14001) for many years and we therefore attach great importance to our transports being carried out efficiently and environmentally.
Ahola has been certified for quality (ISO 9001) and environment (ISO 14001) for many years, and we therefore place great emphasis on our transportation being carried out efficiently and environmentally. The monitoring and reporting of fuel consumption and emissions from the system is therefore important for us to keep track of the fleet and driver performance. As we have screens in our vehicles, we can also offer drivers coaching of driving behavior, which has a great effect on wear and fuel consumption. By exporting drivers’ driving and resting times from Co-Driver to our system, we can now see vehicles, goods and drivers’ times in real time in our transport management system. This is key for us and allows us to optimize the entire transport flow resulting in high fill rates, efficient transports and optimal utilization of drivers and vehicles. Another valuable feature is that positioning and driver identification take place in the same system. Drivers are automatically logged in via the connection to the tachograph and traffic management can thus keep track of who is driving which vehicle and where they are.
Seeing vehicles, goods and drivers' times in real time is central to us and makes it possible to optimize the entire transport flow, resulting in high fill rates, efficient transport and optimal utilization of drivers and vehicles.
Joakim Asplund, Project Manager at Ahola Transport
What criteria determined the choice of mobile data solution partner/provider?
As Ahola Transport has extensive operations in Northern Europe, it was important for us to find a serious but flexible partner with the capacity to further develop the solution over time. Furthermore, we were looking for an international player that had a stable system that we could run on different types of hardware; everything from the JLT computers that we previously purchased for our own vehicles, to newer generations of vehicle computers, tablets and smartphones that are now used in other parts of the fleet. Another requirement was that we should be able to make different types of integrations with the mobile data system to enable the use of the information in other management systems.
Do you have any examples of what your investment in mobile data has meant for your company?
We are constantly making improvements in different areas of our business. One of the areas we wanted to take the next step in was a simplified environment for the driver with a unified order management system. At the same time, we wanted to ensure that we have control over the available driving and resting time for each driver to ensure that our transport planning has all the necessary information to carry out its mission. This has been one of many cornerstones in our ability to further develop as one of the leading transportation companies in the Nordics.
If you have any advice for other transport companies in their choice of on-board computer equipment, what would you say to them?
Always start from your strategy, your own and your customers’ needs. There are good technical solutions available today with nice features, choose in a first stage only what is most relevant to your business. Focus on a proper implementation of an equipment that fulfills the basic needs. Features and additional services can always be added at a later stage if needed. Make sure to choose the equipment and supplier that are willing to actively support your strategy. Ensure that there are sufficient resources for evaluation, implementation and end-user support when the equipment is selected, deployed and used. A functioning technical equipment will not by itself bring you closer to your objectives. The use of the equipment by the users is of great importance to achieve the objectives