Benefits

Motivation for PowerOpt

Scientific Logistics was founded to overcome the inherent weaknesses in interactive graphical vehicle route planning systems. The truck route planning technology in use today evolved from routing systems designed for personal computers in the 1980s. The PC-based planning concept depends on route planner insights and interactive map graphics to try and develop good loads, routes and schedules. What is called "optimization" in these systems is actually a set of very simple rules-of-thumb to generate an initial set of routes to jump-start tedious manual revisions and improvements made by the route planner.

There are two major shortcomings of interactive graphics-based routing systems:

1. Inefficient routes are commonly produced because complicated rules such as time windows and load restrictions make the problems too complex for the simple route generation capabilities found in interactive routing systems.
2. The route planning effort required to generate, adjust, and revise routes is very expensive (often as much as $200/truck/month in route planner labor costs alone).

PowerOpt is a breakthrough optimization engine that overcomes both of these shortcomings by efficiently generating (with little or no planner interaction) provably better route plans compared to route plans created with interactive graphical routing systems.

Our value proposition is compelling and straightforward:

• Reduce transportation costs. Reduce routes and miles by 5%-20%.
• Reduce planning effort and cost. Increase by 100%-200% the number of routes that can be managed by each route planner.
• Improve service. PowerOpt route plans meet all customer service rules, such as service or delivery time windows.
• Centralize and standardize. PowerOpt enables centralized route planning, allowing firms to standardize business rules and cost vs. service tradeoffs.
• No risk. Eliminate financial risk by proving that PowerOpt provides the promised value with your own “hard numbers” before spending any money, then pay as you go for engine use.
• No process changes. Avoid changes or disruptions to current route planning processes by plugging PowerOpt into your existing route planning/dispatching system.
• No hassles. There is no hardware or software to implement and maintain.

Since PowerOpt is offered as a web-based service, there are no upfront license fees or messy IT conversions to endure. Scientific Logistics demonstrates our confidence that Power Optimization™ will provide compelling value to these applications with our unique "prove-before-pay" and then "pay-as-you go" philosophies.

How We Have Saved Our Clients Money