Holistic transport planning is essential for maximizing fleet profits, sustainability, and customer satisfaction. However, transportation’s inherent unpredictability often undermines the best-laid plans, and that's where a Vehicle Routing and Scheduling (VRS) solution can save the day.
An effective VRS solution is an integral part of a transport management system, automating delivery plans for a fleet for greater efficiency. The best solutions are more effective at optimizing planning and execution, and will dynamically adjust them as unexpected disruptions occur, ensuring original planning objectives are met. Now that we've covered the basics, let's look at the challenge facing transportation fleets.
Digitalization and the accelerating transition to a multipolar world promise more dynamic supply chains, making VRS solutions vital for transportation. Supply chain management and logistics industry analysts are calling attention to the need for greater operational agility. For example, the Gartner Top 10 Strategic Predictions for 2023 and Beyond emphasize agile business and technology strategies aligned with common objectives.
Transportation fleets need VRS capabilities, so choosing the right VRS vendor is crucial for future success. The 2023 Gartner® Market Guide for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling gives an overview of the market and "Supply chain technology leaders can use this research to understand the market and evaluate these solutions". flexis AG is proud to be recognized as a Representative Vendor for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling (VRS).
The Market Guide can help you survey the types of provider options in the market and understand how offerings are likely to evolve.
Comprehensive, modular software functionality increases flexibility and scope. flexis supports three customer segments: small fleet companies, enterprise customers, and large multinationals. The differences in operational requirements between these segments are vast, reflecting the scope and flexibility of flexis’ VRS functionality.
flexis’ VRS solution employs a composable design with customizable data-driven rules to give users a highly adaptable feature set. A fleet can tailor planning so vehicle loading, routing, and delivery sequences utilize resources most efficiently under all conditions.
flexis distinguishes itself as one of only five vendors that supports routing for all vehicle types and transport modes: conventional trucks, couriers, electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous vehicles, and robots. In addition to using this extensive coverage for optimizing daily delivery runs, flexis leverages this VRS functionality to improve supply chain planning and strategy.
In line with the trend and need to sustainability, flexis' VRS solution adeptly manages a mixed fleet of combustion engines and EVs:
A digital supply chain makes it easier to align planning and execution across all business functions. That’s only possible with reliable transportation - delivering the right stuff to the right place at the right time. flexis VRS allows a fleet to meet delivery commitments even as conditions change, establishing a reliable foundation for digital transformation.
The increasing significance of last-mile logistics, especially with the rise of e-commerce, is vital for engaging customers. Final delivery will make or break weeks of hard-won sales and careful planning, and flexis VRS excels in this area.
As supply chains grow more dynamic, transportation fleets will need VRS solutions like flexis to address future uncertainties. flexis’ holistic planning utilizes VRS for more than just automating Vehicle Routing and Scheduling; it’s an integral component of supply chain optimization. flexis VRS also acts as a gateway for optimizing other supply chain functions and strategies beyond transportation, creating a significant competitive advantage.
Gartner, Market Guide for Vehicle Routing and Scheduling, Nathan Lease, Carly West, Oscar Sanchez Duran, 25 September 2023. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from flexis AG.