Skip to main content

Solar Transport

The Challenge:

In the fuel supply business, precise management of in-ground inventories and accurate delivery ETAs are absolutely vital to customer success and satisfaction. With plans for aggressive, sustained revenue growth, Solar Transport sought to transform its customer experience through significantly enhanced service levels across an ever-expanding market area. 

With 250 trucks completing a combined 850 daily loads, however, this challenge far exceeded the capabilities of the company’s out-dated dispatch solution. “The growing number of exceptions, including extended lines at terminals and customer allocation issues, was putting a real burden on ETAs for customers and potential complications for drivers,” said Jason Jones, IT director for the Des Moines, Iowa-based operation. “These issues were compounded by the fact that we weren’t getting accurate data from our system.”

 

 

The Solution:

TMW.Suite- Fuel helps automate countless manual processes common to the fuel delivery supply chain, ultimately enabling businesses to be more efficient, competitive and customer-centric in a rapidly consolidating market. This comprehensive solution allows businesses to:

  • Increase productivity of existing resources and equipment
  • Intelligently automate conversion of orders to detailed dispatch plans
  • Eliminate ETA issues
  • Make fact-based decisions with timely data
  • Accurately forecast and manage in-ground tank inventories

 

The Result:

Since implementing TMW.Suite- Fuel, Solar has seen dramatic improvements in operational efficiency and customer service levels – including the ability to provide up-to-the-minute ETAs. With 85% of customers now using the solution’s Inventory Services forecasting console, the company has virtually eliminated manual entry and monitoring of orders. More important, this tool has increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, with one account reporting a savings of more than $2.5 million through improved inventory forecasts and replenishment.

Solar’s own bottom line has improved, as well. The company has more than doubled in size since implementing TMW.Suite, yet has been able to support this growth without adding to its back-office headcount. This impressive growth trajectory continues, with expectations to again double annual revenue by 2021 without additional administrative support.

Solar also has leveraged TMW.Suite, in conjunction with the Trimble Transportation’s mobile communications platform, to increase detention-time billing revenue by 35%t.

As the company has grown, so too has its ability to apply an even greater range of the solution’s capabilities, including load tendering and exception-based reporting. “The better we are, the more productive and profitable our customers will be,” Jones said. “Trimble has allowed us to be more in control of our operations.”

"...this tool has increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, with one account reporting a savings of more than $2.5 million dollars through improved inventory forecasts and replenishment."

 

“Trimble offered us a straight-out-of-the-box solution that requires very little customization and which has helped us identify many opportunities to improve our operation.”

– Jason Jones, IT Director, Solar Transport