News
ORTEC launches new releases for Vehicle Routing and Dispatch and Service Planning29 September 2008
ORTEC, one of the largest providers of advanced planning and optimization software solutions and consulting services, has developed new releases of the ORTEC Transport & Distribution solution (ORTEC TD) and the ORTEC Service Planning (ORTEC SP) solution for scheduling the mobile workforce. Both suites have been upgraded with new functionality and improvements of existing features.
ORTEC Transport & Distribution
In the new release of ORTEC TD specific functionality is made available to support companies that operate in intermodal transportation. This modular extension to ORTEC TD includes the support of sales rates calculation and slot booking. A second new module offers advanced planning support for container trucking.
Since European driver legislation has become more restrictive, the solution has been enhanced to manage this in a more flexible manner. The dispatcher now has more control in the planning of breaks. At the same time, Track & Trace has improved. GPS positions of all equipment can be displayed directly on the map. Automated planning functionality is extended with the option to (re-)optimize within a route and find the best set of orders to complete routes in the schedule. Moreover, the assignment of orders to routes and to the various compartments available is done in a one-step-optimization approach. Compartment assignments can be adjusted manually in a new visualization. Charging, discharging and cleaning of compartments have become standard functionality.
ORTEC Service Planning
To better support the dispatcher when planning employees with various working time agreements, ORTEC SP has been extended with a module that enables checks on working time regulations, union rules and individual contracts. The module also supports the balancing of hours worked over a longer period.
Where back-office systems (ERP, CRM) often lack information on recurring orders, the features to maintain recurrent orders in ORTEC SP have been extended. Exceptions to a recurrence pattern can easily be administered upfront to optimally impact the planning. Using GPS positions that are derived using a mobile device, the dispatcher can now Track & Trace his resources and make modifications when required. In the 2008 release, automated planning in ORTEC SP also includes the (re-)optimization of planned routes and the best fit selection of orders to complete existing work packages.