Dynamic Routing Reduces Overtime, Improves Customer Service

By Sarah Howland, Integrated Solutions magazine

The Eastern Bag and Paper Group distributes commercial paper products, as well as cleaning supplies, healthcare products, and food service products, throughout the northeastern United States. From its four locations, the company's fleet of 75 trucks covers 65 routes daily to serve more than 9,000 customers, ranging from small shops to large companies. In addition, Eastern Bag has a division, Distributor Supply Corporation, that delivers these same products to redistributors.

"Because we don't manufacture anything at Eastern Bag, our reputation depends on our customer service," says Antonio Brown, corporate transportation manager at Eastern Bag and Paper Group. "Therefore, it is important for our drivers to make deliveries in a timely manner." Until recently, the company used a combination of separate paper-based routing, GPS navigation, and cell phone communication components to accomplish a task that presented various inefficiencies.