Every morning in Philadelphia, before the sun even rises, our loading docks are bustling with activity. Hundreds of orders are being carefully picked, loaded, checked, and starting their journey to our distributor customers all over the East Coast and beyond. On an average day, over 100 Honor Foods trucks leave our Philadelphia facility alone, headed to keep the foodservice supply chain in motion.
As a leading broadline foodservice redistribution company, our customers depend on us to get them the food they need quickly, safely, and on time. Speed matters. Accuracy matters. Most of all, customer service matters. That’s why we are enhancing our route planning, improving our Honor Foods fleet performance, and focusing on transportation route optimization by partnering with Trimble Appian Daily Planner, our new transportation routing software.
Distribution Route Planning: How It Started
“For years, we’ve been operating on institutional knowledge, out of my head and into Google Maps. Sometimes not even on paper.” -Steven Torres, Senior Transportation Manager
Prior to the implementation of Appian Daily Planner, route planning was a manual process powered by Google Maps and the many years of experience and knowledge from our incredible transportation Team. Our Team has always been incredibly skilled and efficient at understanding routing to keep our transportation running smoothly and delivering on time for our customers. However, like any manual process, it has limitations, especially when it comes to scalability.
The Distribution Route Planning Challenge
“On an average day we are routing over 100 individual orders, right up until cutoff (3:00 PM ET) and that could easily exceed 100 stops.” – Mark Williams, IT Support Analyst
As our company has grown exponentially in the last several years. The number of orders has increased. The number of trucks has increased. The service area has expanded. The routes have become more complex. As we look to continue to grow, we know we need a way to make route planning easier for our Team Members and more efficient for our customers. We were looking for a way to make it easier to route and make order changes, reduce the time it takes to build runs and get orders to the warehouse, and improve transportation route optimization. We knew it was time to use technology to help us scale, and that’s where the Trimble Appian Daily Planner came in.
A Fast and Simple Foodservice Distribution Logistics Tech Solution
“With Appian Daily Planner, the routes are a lot easier, a lot cleaner from the driver’s perspective. They are able to get their routes off and most of them make it back within their delivery window. Customers are getting product on time”. – James Maynard, IT Business Analyst
Since implementing the Trimble Appian Daily Planner, our overall foodservice distribution logistics have become simpler, quicker, and easier for both our Team and our customers. Routes are cleaner and easier for our drivers. Our drivers are more consistently making it back in the delivery window. Our on-time rate has increased. We can complete route planning quicker with less people. Our Honor Foods fleet performance is more efficient. Our process speed has increased. We can respond in a shorter time frame and provide more flexibility for our customers.
Having a process that is still people-focused but backed by powerful technology has helped us to take the next step in serving our customers and being a reliable redistribution Partner. It has also positioned us to continue scaling without losing the personal touch and value-added service that make us Honor Foods.
Optimizing Foodservice Distribution Tech for the Future
“With Appian Daily Planner, my dispatchers can route all our trucks across the country. We have different menus for different vehicle types, different regions, and it helps divvy up a big, congested map while allowing us to have a visual overview of everything across the country.” — Steven Torres, Senior Transportation Manager
As Honor Foods continues to grow, we are looking forward to the Trimble Appian Daily Planner growing with us. We are looking forward to having everyone operating out of one system, allowing us to improve routing efficiency and work more effectively together. We plan to use the technology to continue optimizing our routes daily, get orders to customers even more quickly and efficiently, and make it as easy as possible for our Team Members to focus on providing the best service possible to our customers.
Foodservice Distribution Tech Saves Time, Improves Service & Dependability
“We’re able to use our fleet overall to the best of our abilities. It’s speeding up our processes and we’re able to respond in a shorter time frame.” – Steven Torres, Senior Transportation Manager
The implementation of our new foodservice distribution logistics software means even better service and dependability for our customers. By using technology to create efficiencies, we will be able to plan routes faster, get on the road quicker, and ultimately land products in distributors’ warehouses with the shortest lead times possible. This new software will allow quicker turns on just-in-time inventory and more flexibility in the ordering process. Additionally, transportation route optimization will allow for better coordination and planning with customers, and more visibility throughout the process. Working with Trimble Appian Daily Planner aligns with our process and workflow to keep our Team doing what they do best, being reliable and dependable for our customers and getting orders delivered when our customers need them.
Working with Trimble
“Appian Daily Planner has been a godsend. It helps move our trucks. It reduces man hours in the office and wasted driver hours. It’s taking a lot less time for my dispatchers to do their routing.” – Steven Torres, Senior Transportation Manager at Honor Foods
Working with Trimble has enabled us to build a system that operates efficiently and supports our processes. It has made what we do easier. We want to thank our Partners at Trimble for the time they have invested in helping us implement this new software. They have been dedicated to ensuring this new system works for our Team and delivers the best results for our customers. We are excited for the future of our foodservice redistribution logistics as we continue to grow.
Collaborate with Honor Foods
Are you ready to collaborate with a redistribution partner committed to speed, reliability, and innovation? Get in touch with our Team to explore partnership opportunities.
Honor Foods, a Burris Logistics Company, was founded in 1949 as a pick-up only, broadline redistributor. Since then, Honor Foods has grown into the Mid-Atlantic region’s premier provider of frozen, refrigerated, dry, protein, and dairy products, representing
more than 800 brand-name food suppliers and carrying more than 7,000 in-stock items. Honor Foods brands R.W. Zant and Sunny Morning provide additional protein and dairy expertise on the West Coast and in the Southeast. In addition, our exclusive house brands — Colony Lane,Valley Fresh, Sommer Maid, and Sunny Morning have a well-earned reputation for top quality and value at competitive prices.
Great products and prices are just part of the Honor Foods value-add. We pride ourselves in having a Team of dedicated professionals who manage each partnership. Our commitment to your business needs is what makes us unique.
