DPS International

DPS wins ICT Excellence innovation awards

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 09:34:00 +0000

DPS International are proud to announce that we have won two prestigious ICT Excellence awards. The ICT Excellence Awards 2007, organised by West Midlands ICT Cluster and sponsored by Accredit UK, were held on 22nd November.

logixcentral, the logistics web-based vehicle routing and scheduling system from DPS International, was the winner not only in the Product Innovation category but also overall winner of the event.

The ICT Excellence Regional Champion Award was won outright by DPS with logixcentral. The award was presented to the organisation selected from all the individual award winners who demonstrated outstanding achievement and who is an exemplar of good practice to the region's ICT business community. In addition to a trophy, the prize for the overall winner included a cheque for £2000.

In the ICT Excellence in Innovation (Product) Award, DPS was a joint winner with the Lanner Group. This award was sponsored by the University of Warwick Science Park. It was awarded for the most innovative product introduced by an ICT business.

The judges citation for DPS was "DPS International is a supplier of vehicle routing and scheduling software, the LogiX suite is based on a wealth of experience in logistics consulting. Now in its 25th year, the West Midlands based company has recently launched a web version of LogiX, called logixcentral. In addition to the usual benefits of LogiX, such as reduction in mileage, fuel, vehicles and hence carbon footprint, logixcentral offers the convenience of web access and its pay-as-you-use pricing system makes it viable for smaller companies."

Paul Palmer, CEO and founder of DPS, said: "These awards are particularly welcome in our silver-jubilee year. They show that DPS is still at the forefront of freight transport planning after a quarter of a century. They also acknowledge that the Internet is the way forward for such applications and this also opens the market for new sectors, particularly in the service sector, and for smaller companies who cannot afford traditional desktop solutions"

The availability of 'on-demand' logistics Software as a Service is changing the rules of the supply chain game

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:34:00 +0000

The following is a summary of an article that appears on the Evaluation Centre's website under Supply Chain Software & Manufacturing Software news

One of the biggest inhibitors to efficiency and high levels of customer service in the supply chain has always been a lack of real-time relevant knowledge. There is plenty of historical data about what went right and wrong, but it is a huge task to recover and analyse this to gain a real understanding.

What is needed is real-time knowledge of what is happening out there now – but delivered in an affordable way, without the need for major capital expenditure.

SaaS (Software as a Service) is now becoming available for supply chain and logistics applications – and you do not need to buy it, nor the hardware infrastructure to run it, and there are no charges for maintenance and upgrades!

The change is being driven by business and consumer customers demanding better service and 24x7 access to information relating to their orders. Because of the web delivery of the software solution, companies of all sizes, from recently created mega-carriers to small regional businesses, are able to access even advanced logistics applications.

Typical SaaS companies charge on an as-you-use basis, which is either payment by transaction or payment based on the number of users in the company. This means customers pay only for what they need, and as their business grows they can increase the features they want to use.

UK providers

A number of UK companies are developing SaaS for logistics.

DPS International of Halesowen (www.dps-int.com) has long provided traditional PC-based vehicle planning software but recently introduced a SaaS version, logixcentral, where payment is on a user basis. This has been further developed by DPS to include a tool which enables users to measure the carbon footprint of their current logistics fleet operation and see the impact that running different vehicles or better routes will bring.

Visibility and collaboration

One customer of DPS, Utility Partnership Ltd of Cardiff (www.up-ltd.co.uk), has tackled the issue of creating efficient work planning, while at the same time achieving significant cost and efficiency benefits.

UPL specialises in smart metering, also known as AMR – automatic meter reading. This shows what and when gas, water and electricity has been used. Its solution to creating efficient and low-energy work plans was to use vehicle routing and scheduling software from DPS.

UPL works with three out of the four major mobile phone companies, fitting and monitoring smart meters at phone masts, and with major retailers checking the energy usage at stores and facilities 365 days a year. "When we first started we were able to use manual route and work scheduling, but now we are fitting 200 sites a week and it is simply not feasible to produce efficient plans manually," the company explained.

Smart transport planning with LogiX for smart energy metering

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:20:00 +0000

Many organisations are taking steps to minimise energy usage and reduce their carbon footprints, but all too often there is a lot of energy used and carbon generated in the setup phase. This is because of the need to visit many sites and install appropriate equipment.

One company, Utility Partnership Limited (UPL) of Cardiff has tackled this problem and taken effective action which has also brought cost and efficiency benefits. UPL specialises in Smart Metering, also known as AMR (Automatic Meter Reading). This shows what and when gas, water and electricity has been used. The solution to creating efficient and low energy work plans was to use vehicle routing and scheduling software from DPS International to plan the routes for the engineers fitting their Smart Meters.

The company works with three out of the four major mobile phone companies, fitting and monitoring Smart Meters at phone masts, and with many major retailers checking the energy usage at stores and facilities 365 days a year.

Norsk Hydro fuel benefit from new tanker features in Plan LogiX

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:35:00 +0000

Norsk Hydro delivers approximately 1.4 M m3 of fuel across Sweden, which is about the equivalent mileage of 2000 times around the globe each year. Given the amount of mileage the possibilities for cost savings through efficient route planning are huge.

Norsk Hydro signed an agreement with IBS AB to make their whole transport management more efficient. The contract comprises of IBS transport system CockPit Tanker Version, mobile data communication from MobiOne and DPS scheduling system Plan LogiX. The combination of these systems gives support to order handling, route- and load planning, vehicle control, real time positioning, economic control, environmental and quality control, mobile communication and depot management.

During this project DPS developed a multitude of new features in Plan LogiX; most of the features are specific for tanker transport but there are also general features that other transport segments benefits from, such as truck and trailer management, available product per depot and the number of loading bays can be limited to prevent build up of vehicles waiting to load/unload.

The contract gives Norsk Hydro a broad transport optimisation platform which is easily integrated with their other systems.

Technorati tags: fuel, tanker, LogiX, distribution, logistics, software, transport

Skanska Byggvaror AB choose LogiX

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:10:00 +0000

DPS welcomes Skanska Byggvaror AB as a new customer. Skanska Byggvaror AB is located in Sweden and they are using LogiX on an operational level to plan their daily distribution. Skanska Byggvaror AB supplies the market with quality construction materials for home improvements, such as windows, garden sheds, green houses, bathroom interiors etc. Recently Skanska Byggvaror AB inaugurated a new top modern distribution facility in Angelholm to expand even further.

Technorati tags: LogiX, distribution, logistics, software, transport, operational, building, construction, materials

DPS welcome new customer Wolseley

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 15:10:00 +0000

DPS would like to welcome Wolseley UK as a new customer. Wolseley are using LogiX for strategic analysis, consolidating and re-modelling the transport network across their brands, and optimising depot locations.

Wolseley UK Ltd is the UK operating subsidiary of Wolseley PLC, one of the largest distributors of building products in the world. Wolseley UK's head office is at Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. The company is wholly engaged in the distribution of construction products and materials through a nationwide network of over 1,800 branches.

The company is organised into trading brands, which service distinct customer groups. Many of these brands are market leaders with outstanding reputations for supplying professionals in the construction market. Names such as Plumb Center, Build Center, Parts Center, Pipe Center, Drain Center, Climate Center, Encon, William Wilson and Brandon Hire are widely recognised throughout the industry.

Mattressman choose DPS LogiX scheduling

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:10:00 +0000

DPS welcome new customer Mattressman who have chosen our vehicle routing and scheduling software to manage their deliveries throughout the UK.

Mattressman is an online Mattress and Bed shop offering a large range of Mattresses including Memory Foam, Miracoil and Pocket Sprung Mattresses. Mattress Man also offers Divan Beds, Sofa Beds, Kids Beds, Guest Beds, Headboards and Bed Frames. They check their mattress prices daily to ensure that they are the cheapest online mattress and bed shop in the UK. They also offer Free Next Day Delivery on all orders.

Poundland choose DPS LogiX

Wed, 30 May 2007 12:54:00 +0000

DPS International are pleased to welcome Poundland as a new customer. They have chosen DPS scheduling software to manage their fleet of vehicles.

With over 150 stores, Poundland is the UK's largest pound retailer. Poundland is a retailer that has taken advantage of "leading edge" technology, providing management controls which are considered by many to be superior to those employed by other retailers.

Press release: Silver jubilee logistics company offers green logistics solution

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 14:45:52 +0000

DPS International has marked its silver jubilee in the best possible way – by winning the prestigious award from the Institute of Transport Management (ITM) for the 'Best Vehicle Routing System 2007' ITM Award. The award was made for the excellence of the desktop solution Logix and the Software as a Service web-based solution, logixcentral. To mark his silver jubilee, Paul Palmer is now incorporating Green features in all of his systems to enable companies to measure the carbon footprint of their fleet and the impact of any fleet changes. Continues... Technorati tags:software as a service

Software as a service: developments in supply chain IT

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:45:52 +0000

Most companies are still lagging behind in the use of information technology to manage their supply chains and logistics. But now a major development is changing the way companies use their software. Denis O'Sullivan explores the concept of software as a service.

Meet DPS Europe at the Transport 2007 fair in Denmark

Fri, 23 Mar 2007 10:15:52 +0000

DPS Europe will be at this year's Transport 2007 fair in Denmark from 29th March to 1st April. For more information about the exhibition, please see the Transport 2007 website.

Meet DPS Europe at the Transport 2007 fair in Oslo

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 10:15:52 +0000

DPS Europe and our agent in Norway, InfoMap, will be at this year's Transport 2007 fair in Oslo from 10th to 12th May. Meet them at stand no. B05-45.

Click for the Transport 2007 fair website. For free admittance please contact Ole Jakob Nilsen, InfoMap Norge: ojn@infomap.no

DPS UK goes climate neutral

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:15:52 +0000

DPS UK is pleased to announce that we are now climate neutral! In other words, we have worked with Climate Care to offset the carbon emissions generated from energy used within our offices and from business travel.

Climate Care is a service that helps you to repair the damage your activities do to the climate. It does this by 'offsetting' the greenhouse gas emissions, such as CO2, from your activities by reducing an equivalent amount of CO2 on your behalf. These reductions are made through a range of projects in renewable energy and energy efficiency, which not only fight climate change but bring benefits to communities around the world. You can offset emissions from flying, driving and energy use. To find out more, visit www.climatecare.org.

Press release: Bottled water delivery costs evaporate!

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 09:51:52 +0000

For over sixty-five years, USA Company Culligan has been a world leader in water treatment technology supplying high quality water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, bathing and manufacturing. The company supplies from single apartments to whole towns, in more than 90 countries worldwide and have had an international presence in the UK since 1960.

However, when it came to a need to reduce costs, improve service and grow market share, the company realised that one key management skill that was missing was logistics. Management skills were in the production of high quality water but there was a need to get to grips with the cost and effectiveness of getting that water to UK customers.

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DPS to exhibit at waste transport conference on 7th February

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 09:51:52 +0000

Following our success in the Waste Sector, DPS will be exhibiting at the forthcoming waste transport conference "Payloads or Pay Less: Sustainable Transport for the Recovery Economy", which is a collaboration between the University of Southampton, Project Integra and the Resources Recovery Forum. The conference will be held on Wednesday, February 7th at Intech Science Centre, Winchester.

The rapid expansion of local authority and related recycling services, coupled with escalating fuel costs and tighter legislation is creating pressure for organisations involved in resource management. As the UK moves toward a recovery economy, flows of material previously regarded as 'waste' will become more complex and present new challenges. This conference will explore the application of fleet logistics for the resource recovery industry. The programme will cover best practice examples from local authority and commercial operators and showcase the tools available to optimise efficiency.

DPS awarded "Best Vehicle Routing System 2007" by Institute of Transport Management

Tue, 16 Jan 2007 09:03:29 +0000

Following extensive research and customer recommendations, the UK Institute of Transport Management has awarded DPS International the title of "Best Vehicle Routing System 2007" for its vehicle routing software, LogiX.

Visit Us at Logistics Link South: 6th and 7th February 2007

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:17:35 +0000

DPS will be at this year's Logistics Link South along with our Logistics Showcase partners Deltion and Fleetwood on 6th & 7th February at Sandown park.

Come and talk to us on Stand 2 and find out how you could make our web-based vehicle scheduling software, logixcentral, part of your complete end-to-end supply chain solution. We will also be having presentations on the stand at 11.30, 13.30 and 15.30 each day.

Nurses Spend 40% More Time with Patients Thanks to LogiX

Wed, 10 Jan 2007 09:03:29 +0000

A ground-breaking logistics project in Sweden has increased the amount of time nurses spend with home-care patients by 40% while achieving a dramatic reduction of costs by cutting the distance covered by 25%. This was all achieved using a UK logistics routing and scheduling solution, LogiX, from DPS International, without an increase in the total working time of the staff.

Paul Palmer, CEO of DPS International believes that the NHS could improve efficiency of nurses and healthcare workers in many areas in the UK if they were to learn from the experience and expertise applied by leading logistics companies and now in Sweden. "Experience from other businesses, who work within the logistics field, shows that the results achieved with vehicle routing software are not always taken seriously as they seem too impressive. However, now that the new planning system has been successfully integrated into the daily work, and they've actually seen the benefits, they don't want to go back to the old way of planning", Mr Palmer said.

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Axfood Narlivs AB choose Plan LogiX

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 09:03:29 +0000

Axfood Narlivs is Sweden's market-leading wholesaler. Axfood Narlivs is a complete open wholesale trading system which offers customers a wide range of merchandise with reasonable prices, using national, efficient logistics.

"By concentrating on the service market, Axfood Narlivs combines local customer focus with efficient logistics," says Daniel Johansson, the head of transport at Axfood Narlivs.

During 2006 Axfood Narlivs has gradually implemented the route optimisation system Plan LogiX into their transport scheduling. The point is to get system support for very complicated transport planning. The goal has been using Plan LogiX as an operative planning tool for daily route scheduling, meaning building new routes every day with regards to the total volume of sales.

ISS Facility Services AB choose Plan LogiX

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 09:03:29 +0000

ISS is one of Sweden's leading companies in facilities managent and integrated service solutions. ISS have 10,000 employees in Sweden.

One of ISS' sectors is route based services, such as the distribution of fruit baskets and the service of plants in office environments. Part of this is also smaller cleaning customers, where a large fleet of vehicles is used for transport between clients during the day.

"This must be done with efficiency - and still we must deliver the service to the customer at the correct time and place," claims Anna-Maria Lang - logistician at ISS Stockholm.

ISS chose a Swedish company license of the optimisation system Plan LogiX with the map Navteq Sweden. The agreement is valid for ISS in Sweden. Plan LogiX will support ISS in a variety of planning activities, such as improvement of service level and efficiency for cleaning, fruit basket distribution and plant services.

"When it comes to distribution of fruit baskets we do a tactical planning in Plan LogiX based on ISS' customer database. The tactical plan is then the basis for the operative planning of the daily fruit basket deliveries," explains Anna-Maria Lang.

IBS integrate Route LogiX to improve their CockPit software

Wed, 29 Nov 2006 09:03:29 +0000

IBS AB is a Swedish stock company founded in 1978 with 2000 employees in 40 countries and has a turnover of roughly 2400 million Swedish crowns. IBS transport has been in business since the early '80s and is today the market leader in the transport and information system field.

Today the IBS transport system CockPit and DPS's routing software Route LogiX Professional are integrated together in different ways to make the work in the transport industry more efficient. The users of the transport system CockPit can, when placing an order, directly calculate distance and view road descriptions with the help of coordinated supply and demand lists. The results from the calculations in Route LogiX are automatically imported and presented in CockPit. It is also possible to distribute the information from CockPit to Route LogiX.

When planning an order using the order summary and/or an integrated map in CockPit, options are available to plan a route which can be sent to Route LogiX for optimisation and other calculations, which will then automatically update the order summary and/or the integrated map in CockPit. It is also possible to printing and processing other calculations from Route LogiX.

DPS welcomes new Danish integration partner

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:03:29 +0000

DPS International is pleased to announce a new Danish partner: PHD. The Danish IT company have already integrated with the DPS route scheduling software Plan LogiX at Corus in Denmark.

They have also developed an application connecting mobile telephones with route scheduling systems for the transport industry. The application, Cargoroute, enables drivers to update current route scheduling systems by a simple text message from their mobile phones. Cargoroute has been integrated with DPS International's online route scheduling system, logixcentral.

Long-established South African dairy, Douglasdale, chooses LogiX software

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:03:29 +0000

Douglasdale Dairies in South Africa has been a working dairy for over 70 years. It supplies milk and other dairy products to the greater Gauteng region and includes distribution as far afield as the North West Province and Mpumalanga.

Logistics Showcase solution proves a hit at Softworld

Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:03:29 +0000

The Logistics Showcase team revealed to Softworld delegates how our modular web-based, best-of-breed solution could offer a much better alternative to traditional ERP systems. The team spoke to visitors on the stand and also presented seminars throughout the show.

55% increase in bus passengers, thanks to LogiX IE

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 09:03:29 +0000

Swedish Radio P4 Kalmar reports that: "the new system with local bus transit in Kalmar has been a success. 55% more people are riding the new buses compared to the previous flex buses. This information comes from statistics over the last six weeks in operation.

Since the start of the year, anyone can order the bus service, without ordering in advance or being registered as eligible for 'transport service for the disabled'. Also, if you live within the defined area, you can get picked up right on your doorstep. In the future the number of buses and routes will increase if the interest for this service keeps on growing."

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