Plan next day, same day and the following day routes with confidence

Supply & Demand Chain Executive, the executive’s user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, has selected Cheetah Software as a recipient of an SDCE 100 Award for 2019

Cheetah is recognized for its ability to build and dispatch optimized route plans, instantly planning around all unique variables and constraints providing planners with the opportunity to assess impact and analyze route alternatives. With industry-leading automated route optimization, dynamic real-time information across the supply chain, and live dynamic re-optimization occurring continuously with every live changing event on the road, businesses are armed with the agility to respond to evolving customer needs and fluctuations in demand.

The SDCE 100 is an annual list of 100 great supply chain projects. These projects can serve as a map for supply chain executives who are looking for new opportunities to drive improvement in their own operations. These projects show how supply chain solution and service providers help their customers and clients achieve supply chain excellence and prepare their supply chains for success.

“Every year our list of submissions for the SDCE 100 continues to grow as more companies rely on the expertise of supply management for innovative decision-making. Our winners raise the bar for what is achievable in the supply chain,” says John R. Yuva, editor for Supply & Demand Chain Executive. “With a variety of company sizes and industry sectors represented, our Top 100 are leading examples for how to approach and solve supply chain challenges. Congratulations to our 2019 winners and the projects that delivered greater operational efficiencies and bottom-line results across the supply chain.”

About Supply & Demand Chain Executive
Supply & Demand Chain Executive is the executive’s user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, utilizing hard-hitting analysis, viewpoints and unbiased case studies to steer executives and supply management professionals through the complicated, yet critical, world of supply and demand chain enablement to gain competitive advantage. Visit us on the web at http://www.SDCExec.com.

Description of project:

Implementation of Cheetah’s (LOOP) optimization algorithms to be applied toward the client’s current manual company processes (process automation implementation) for continued scalability and competitiveness operating primarily in the LTL trucking industry in the Western United States – including Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho and California (20 terminals).

Incorporating technologies with machine learning, artificial intelligence, forecasting capabilities and automation of manual processes provides their terminal managers/planners/dispatchers with the tools to streamline their strategy, planning/routing, monitoring/auditing/cost visibility, and change management throughout all terminals.

Programming their business rules into the system to produce an optimized daily plan that is not simply distributed to their P & D driver’s daily, but also maintained in real time autonomously as cancelations, re-schedules, line item updates, delays and live traffic occur throughout the day. ETA information and visibility of all the drivers is autonomously available in real time all the time. Communications and information conveyed between driver, dispatch, customer service and the client are captured in real time and autonomously displayed for the most optimized action to be taken.

Project results:

The implementation of Cheetah LOOP has provided a stable platform to plan next day, same day and the following day routes with confidence. Having the visibility of correct client data has changed hours of planning to minutes of planning to produce a consistent plan. “Knowing that our business rules are incorporated into the Cheetah LOOP provides that confidence”. “50% of the incorrect decisions made in the past are a result of incorrect Client data”. Cheetah has provided us a tool that tracks that accuracy daily” “That tool is evaluable”. We have significantly corrected our client data.

Replacing a highly manual time-consuming inconsistent process with an automated consistent approach provides dispatchers with greater flexibility, better decision- making insights and reduces the amount of time previous routine manual tasks by as much as 60%-70% driving efficiencies in all terminals.

Customer Quote on impact of project:

“At our larger delivery terminals, Cheetah Route Optimization has reduced the time spent by route planners as much as 50% compared to our prior manual processes. The Cheetah Team has been very flexible with implementing configuration changes to support our business needs. Providing the Cheetah routing engine with accurate shipment data provides us with efficient routes which in turn produce great service to our customers and productivity from our drivers. Cheetah Works!”