How to get control? It’s more than just a control tower!

This playbook clarifies how a control tower helps you regain control over your transport operation.

The benefits of a transport control tower 

There are several payoffs for incorporating a TCT into your operations, including: 

How to deploy a transport control tower 

To successfully implement a TCT several factors need to be considered. Firstly, before any decisions are made, organisations should scope the business needs that could be met by a TCT. From here, specific use-cases can be defined, starting with those that will add most value to the business. For example, coordinating and managing a multi-carrier environment with multiple telematics providers to create a single source of truth and increase overall transparency in the planning process. By approaching it this way, organisations are more likely to see success, as the deployment can be tailored to the specific requirements of the use case and KPIs can be used to track the outcomes. After a successful roll-out with one use case, it can be scaled to others. And, with ongoing monitoring and iterating of each use case, businesses can ensure long-term continuous improvement.  

Choosing the right technology is another key factor in a successful deployment. Not only should the platform offer real-time supply chain visibility, but it should also facilitate analysis that can lead to actionable insight. It’s also important to consider how it can integrate with the organisation’s existing transport management systems, or others that might help to improve different areas of operational efficiency. Some organisations look to develop this technology themselves, which requires them to build a data lake and layer business intelligence on top. Many now, however, choose to introduce transport control tower software which already includes powerful analytics capabilities and can provide a quicker way to get started.    

It’s also important to make sure all stakeholders are involved in the process. End-to-end integration across different functions within the business, with the customer and with other external actors increases transparency and improves communication. For this though, everyone involved needs to have the right skills to understand the outputs given by the control tower and be empowered to take actions based on these outputs when necessary. This might involve a change in management processes.

Implementing a TCT is not as simple as buying software and letting it run. As highlighted above, there are other operational factors to consider relating to people and processes, which can create challenges. Here are some to consider: 

What are the challenges to consider? 

TCTs in action

Companies across the logistics supply chain are using TCTs to optimise their operations, increase efficiency and improve customer service. For example, Fineli Group – a major player in Italy’s meat production sector – have implemented a TCT using PTV Axylog. For a company that has less than 16 hours to deliver the finished product after receiving an order, real-time visibility of the delivery is essential. In the past, each shipment was monitored via phone or email, with only anomalies being recorded. Now, with a TCT in place, they have greater visibility of the logistics flow as a whole and in detail – from factory to customer – enabling them to identify and immediately act on any issues that arise during the delivery process. This has given them a greater awareness of the areas they need to improve on to deliver a higher level of service to their customers.  

The Italian supermarket chain, CRAI, has also implemented a TCT that uses PTV Axylog. They implemented this in conjunction with a route optimisation tool to help them provide a better customer service without increasing transportation costs too much. With their TCT, the operations team gets a real-time overview of the availability of vehicles and potential restrictions on the delivery route. This can be used to adapt routes on the spot, or to consider in future planning. In addition, the drivers can easily use the ePOD element of PTV Axylog’s mobile app to ensure the delivery is received safely. And in case of any dispute at the point of sale – for example, a damaged package on delivery – it can be handled in real-time with the driver taking a photo of the item and sharing notes directly with central office who can act immediately. Overall, introducing a TCT has allowed CRAI to offer a higher quality service without overspending. 

The future of transport control tower technology

As the benefits of TCTs are realized by businesses, and their role in supporting transport and supply chain management increases, the technology is likely to develop so that it can deliver even more value to businesses. In the future, TCTs are likely to play a central role in autonomous (or self-steering) supply chains. Here, AI and ML can be used to not only analyze situations and identify the most effective solutions but to also execute them without the need for human intervention. This will ultimately increase operational efficiency even further, resulting in improved revenues lower costs for businesses, and a better experience for customers.