Get the e&s Feeling: How Mobiledock Transformed Dock Scheduling
About e&s Trading
e&s Trading is a premium home appliance and bathroom retailer based in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1962, the company has built a strong reputation for offering high-quality products and exceptional customer service. Operating across 10 stores across in Victoria, e&s has established itself as a go-to destination for premium products.
The Challenge
As e&s Trading expanded into Canberra, it outsourced its logistics operations to a 3PL, encountering the following challenges:
- Lack of visibility into freight scheduled for delivery to the outsourced Canberra DC by suppliers.
- Issues with unshippable purchase orders (POs) delivered over multiple days, leading to errors.
- Difficulty in controlling inbound freight at the PO line level into the Canberra DC.
- Aligning deliveries with planned labour schedules.
- Inefficient communication of dock schedules with suppliers and carriers.
- Congestion and delays during the unloading process.
- Ensuring adherence to carriers' fleet availability and compliance with Chain of Responsibility (CoR) requirements.
The Solution
e&s Trading partnered with Bestrane to implement Mobiledock, a cloud-based dock appointment scheduling solution designed to streamline vehicle arrivals, communication, and provide visibility for stakeholders. Mobiledock is user-friendly and configurable, minimising setup costs and allowing rapid deployment.
The Results
- Improved Control and Accuracy: Mobiledock serves as a real-time 'single source of truth' for all deliveries into the Canberra DC, ensuring freight accuracy and allowing only valid POs to be delivered at the appropriate time.
- Enhanced Visibility: Provides real-time visibility for all supply chain stakeholders on booking statuses, enabling seamless communication without the need for phone calls or emails.
- Inbound Freight Control: Offers precise control over inbound freight at the purchase order (PO) line level, ensuring efficient management of deliveries into the Canberra DC.
- Optimised Dock Utilisation: Mobiledock streamlined inbound vehicle arrivals, aligning them with the 3PL’s schedule and planned labour, resulting in smoother operations.
- Increased Efficiency: A high percentage of bookings are automatically approved, reducing the need for back-and-forth communication. Automated no-show and late statuses keep all parties informed of delays or changes.
- Enhanced Data Accuracy: Mobiledock captures arrival times, Department of Transport (DOT), and Chain of Responsibility (CoR) data through driver kiosks, eliminating manual input from the e&s Trading DC team.
- Improved Safety and Security: Site access is validated through PIN/QR codes, ensuring only approved deliveries are allowed onsite, enhancing overall security.