Water Company Cuts Transportation Costs with Routing and Scheduling Software

Anglian Water, a leading water and waste water service company with 6,000,000 industrial, commercial and domestic customers, has implemented Paragon’s routing and scheduling software to fully automate the planning of its waste management services.

Configured to ensure compliance with demanding requirements and regulations unique to the industry, the system has driven up planning productivity and resulted in overall transportation savings of $200,000 a year.

Determined to improve efficiencies throughout its operation, which makes 2,000 collections a week taking 95,000 gallons of waste from over 1,000 sewage works on to 25 treatment centers, Anglian Water sought a smart solution for its logistical challenges. A rigorous procurement process revealed that Paragon’s routing and scheduling software was not only the best-suited off-the-shelf package but also that it could meet exacting demands for the distribution process – to deliver the right quantities of each type of waste for blending purposes and adhere to strict collection time criteria laid down by the Environment Agency.

Configured to take account of the diverse size and type of vehicles in the 42-strong fleet as well as access and collection time restrictions at rural sites, Paragon produces plans for the 27,000 square kilometer region which extends from the Humber to the Thames and from Milton Keynes to the east coast. By planning its dispersed fleet, spread throughout 30+ outlying locations, as a single integrated resource Paragon’s Integrated Fleets capability brings a new and valuable means of increasing truck utilization and visibility. In an industry plagued by the sudden decommissioning of treatment centers due to technical problems, this visibility is also enabling traditionally ‘blind’ decisions about truck redeployment to be replaced by better, faster and more cost-conscious routing combinations.

Daily performance monitoring quickly demonstrated the impact of Paragon’s scheduling improvements, recording an increase in driver productivity of 2.5% and an 18% reduction in the use of sub-contractors, representing an annual saving of $200,000. The two firms’ focus on Anglian Water’s financial goals was mirrored by a joint commitment to continuously refine the system to maximize cost-savings and respond to evolving challenges.

“The Paragon team not only helped us configure the software for our business, but it also made some general adjustments to the standard system which has significantly improved the quality of the results it produces in our particular type of operation.” Les Johnson, Special Projects Manager, Anglian Water