GROUNDWORK and drainage specialist C P Dynes has implemented Edinburgh-based Podfather fleet logistics software to help manage the movement of hundreds of cubic tonnes of excavated waste a month.
Working for Morgan Sindall on a £65 million upgrade of the A12, C P Dynes is said to have ‘increased productivity, improved visibility and streamlined its reporting’ using Podfather’s logistics planning, route optimisation and ePOD solution.
The contractor has also improved safety, with automated vehicle checks, and reduced its environmental impact with a ‘virtually paperless’ transport operation.
“The adoption of Podfather was part of a general upgrade of our management and reporting systems,” said Rhys Dynes, office manager and second generation at the family-run business. “We have been operating for more than 30 years during which time we have grown significantly from our first contract which was valued at £1,500 to drainage projects worth in excess of £10 million.
“To support this growth, we are transitioning from old school working practices to more streamlined, digital processes that allow us to capture, record, store and access detailed operational information. This move to ‘e’ systems, of which Podfather is a fundamental part, also includes an upgrade of various back-office and accounting applications.”
C P Dynes originally introduced Podfather to replace paper tickets used to record and report on the movement of ‘muck’ from concrete replacement projects on the A12. The firm previously relied on drivers manually recording the type of material, number of loads, drop off points and hours worked. Completed tickets needed to be returned to the office where the information was collated for customer reporting, invoicing and payroll.
Using Podfather, C P Dynes can now reactively plan its mobile operation. With real-time visibility of all vehicles, management can react to changes on-site or on the roads, and adjust the resource allocated accordingly.
Podfather’s automated ticketing features are also said to be improving the utilisation of C P Dynes specialist fleet as drivers no longer have to fill in duplicate copies of paperwork to show what loads have been transported and where. Once the days’ schedule has been planned in Podfather, instructions are shared with the drivers’ mobile device using the Podfather app. This gives the driver the point of pick and drop off, and the route in between, it also allows them record details of the load, using customised drop-down boxes, together with date, time, location stamped photos and signatures.
