AB Agri Achieves Cost and Mileage Savings with Centralized Route Planning

A high-tech solution from Paragon Software Systems is providing significant mileage and travel cost savings for one of the UK’s largest agri-food businesses. ABN, a division of the international diversified AB Agri group, has boosted efficiency of its logistics operation after implementing Paragon’s advanced routing and scheduling optimization software.

For ABN, their routing and scheduling system has to meet the demands of a dynamic and fluid customer base. The Paragon system ensures they meet a wide range of delivery requirements, often at very short notice, at the same time taking account of such constraints as the need to use compartmented vehicles in order to avoid the risk of cross contamination.

The Paragon solution integrates with ABN’s order processing software so that orders are instantly visible for optimizing routing and scheduling of its entire fleet of specialized semi trucks. The centralized, fully-automated Paragon Integrated Fleets solution has replaced manual planning, bringing tighter control and corporate-wide visibility to the organization’s pig and poultry feeds business that is spread across nine mills. With extra screens at each mill, the system provides an ideal multi-site transportation optimization tool for improving complex scheduling requirements and improving asset utilization and productivity.

The success of the Paragon system has enabled major business changes at ABN, from previously local manual planning at each mill to centralized, automated planning. The increased control and central visibility offered by Paragon’s software has delivered significant mileage and cost savings – through more efficient inter-working of previously separate fleets – at the same time meeting all their customers’ delivery demands.

“Paragon clearly offered the most flexible solution overall in meeting the demands of what is a highly complex and large scale manufacturing and distribution process. With the added benefit of offering additional screens for use in individual mills and Citrix access capabilities for more streamlined planning, Paragon was the obvious choice to meet our needs.” Chris Barnes, Regional Logistics Manager, ABN