Witherley Services, part of Aggregate Industries and the major supplier of quality materials and services to the construction industry, is celebrating the successful roll out of an electronic ticketing system delivered by PODFather. Working together, Witherley Services and PODFather are taking delivery visibility and reliability to the next level using load allocation, vehicle tracking and electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) technology. The solution will allow the Witherley Services team to track loads in real time, improve customer experience and eradicate paper tickets from its delivery operation. The project, which kicked off with a phased roll out in June, will see a team of over 90 drivers switch from a paper-based process to a digital solution that will eradicate paper tickets, reduce admin, and improve cashflow for this forward-thinking business.
Witherley Services supplies materials and services, including primary and recycled aggregates, topsoil, skips and bulk earth movements to a growing network of over 250 customers across the construction industry. Owned by parent company, Aggregate Industries, the organisation’s vision is to become the supplier of choice in all the areas within which it trades by providing excellent service at the same time as working collaboratively with customers and suppliers to provide sustainable long-term benefit to all. Reviewing software solutions has played a key part of ensuring business strategy is aligned with company vision.
Historically paper tickets were collected by hauliers and sent back to head office for processing with payment and invoicing, a process typically taking two weeks after the delivery had been made, or sometimes even longer if a ticket was lost or damaged. Drivers now receive job information on their handheld device, via the PODFather app, which allows vehicle movements to be tracked. Electronic signatures, and photographs, are captured in real time and proof of delivery is sent straight back to head office which enables jobs the process of invoicing and haulier payments to be reduced to a matter of days. For the end customer, service is improved with any delays or discrepancies being instantly visible to the Witherley Services team and the PODFather customer portal enables the efficient real time tracking of all completed jobs with supporting order information.
“Last year we issued, collected, posted, and processed over 110,000 tickets so going paperless will help us reduce the environmental impact, and the cost, of our operation at the same time as modernising our administrative processes and increasing the speed with which we can process haulier payments and customer invoices,” comments Claire Horsfall, General Manager at Witherley Services. “Following a successful trial across a small group of drivers we have now rolled out PODFather’s ePOD solution across the entire Witherley Services business. Initial feedback from both drivers and customers is hugely positive.”
PODFather’s cloud-based construction logistics ticketing solution enables businesses, like Witherley Services, to handle a range of core business processes through one easy to use system. Replacing paper-based processes speeds the flow of data across an organisation leading to a better use of resources, faster invoicing, and better customer services. With PODFather your teams are better informed about the jobs they are managing daily, problems are highlighted as they occur, enabling you to move from being a reactive to a proactive organisation.
“We are delighted to have Witherley Services select PODFather as its ePOD provider. Our extensive history in the construction logistics market makes us well placed to get Witherley Services up and running quickly, so that the operational benefits that are synonymous with the implementation of our technology can start to be realised,” comments Colin McCreadie, Managing Director at PODFather. “This partnership sees us build on what is already a successful relationship with Witherley Services’ parent company, Aggregate Industries, where we are relied on to plan and execute movements across the concrete products division.
If you still need a login to PODFather to be able to copy PODs, you can request one by contacting witherleyorders@aggregate.com.