The US’s Consumer Brands Association (CBA) has launched a pilot scheme for a contactless freight pickup and delivery system to help consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies shift to a digitised supply chain.
The CBA and partners Vector, Accenture and Coyote Logistics have developed an operational standard – a set of data requirements – which govern the critical steps in the pickup and delivery process.
This will enable a paperless freight pickup and delivery process that will save an estimated two tons of paper a year at each facility.
It also cuts costs and protects drivers and facility employees from possible Covid infection by reducing physical interaction and the amount of time drivers spend at the location.
The contactless delivery workflows are estimated to reduce driver dwell time by 40 minutes at each facility – giving drivers more time on the road.
The project has been developed as part of the Contactless Freight Pickup and Delivery Task Force, comprising CPG companies, carriers and retailers.
Rob Haddock, group director for planning and logistics at Coca-Cola, said: “We looked around our system capabilities and realised that we were limited and needed to do something about making a safer environment for drivers and our warehouse personnel.”
He said the initiative had “diminished challenges”. The company is looking to roll out the pilot to more facilities, he added.
Haddock contrasted the “post-order proof-of-delivery process that you currently go through to verify the reams of paperwork that have been delivered and signed off on” with the new system.
This, he said, offers a “blockchain environment where the shipper, the receiver and the carrier now have access to an electronic document that says this is what really happened”.
Tom Madrecki, vice president of supply chain and logistics at the CBA, said: “The supply chain and trucking industries rely on surprisingly old-fashioned systems — paperwork, and lots of it.
“The potential to save time, money, employee resources and the environment is on the table, and we are only scratching the surface. Leveraging the contactless standard and replacing paper with digital transactions is a no-brainer for any shipper or receiver.”
The Consumer Brands Association (CBA) in the US has launched a pilot scheme for a contactless freight pickup and delivery system to help consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies shift to a digitised supply chain
The CBA and partners Vector, Accenture and Coyote Logistics have developed an operational standard – a set of data requirements – which govern the critical steps in the pickup and delivery process.
This will enable a paperless freight pickup and delivery process that will save an estimated two tonnes of paper a year at each facility.
It also cuts costs and protects drivers and facility employees from possible Covid infection by reducing physical interaction and the amount of time drivers spend at the location.
Contactless delivery workflows are estimated to reduce driver dwell time by 40 minutes at each facility – giving drivers more time on the road.
The project has been developed as part of the Contactless Freight Pickup and Delivery Task Force, comprising CPG companies, carriers and retailers.
Rob Haddock, group director for planning and logistics at Coca-Cola, said: “We looked around our system capabilities and realised we were limited and needed to do something about making a safer environment for drivers and our warehouse personnel.”
He said the initiative had “diminished challenges”. The company is looking to roll out the pilot to more facilities, he added.
Haddock contrasted the “post-order proof-of-delivery process that you currently go through to verify the reams of paperwork that have been delivered and signed off on” with the new system.
This, he said, offers a “blockchain environment where the shipper, the receiver and the carrier now have access to an electronic document that says this is what really happened”.
Tom Madrecki, vice-president of supply chain and logistics at the CBA, said: “The supply chain and trucking industries rely on surprisingly old-fashioned systems — paperwork, and lots of it.
“The potential to save time, money, employee resources and the environment is on the table, and we are only scratching the surface. Leveraging the contactless standard and replacing paper with digital transactions is a no-brainer for any shipper or receiver.”