CrossCape, SA`s largest express road freight company, has contracted with Progress Software independent software vendor StarTrak Systems to develop a bespoke parcel tracking system (PTS) for its parcel deliveries.
The parcel tracking system allows CrossCape to track individual parcels` exact location and records the full transit history of each parcel. This is achieved by using barcodes and scanning, which dramatically improves the speed of loading and unloading, and increases the accuracy of the information regarding the parcels handled. CrossCape plans to implement the parcel tracking system in eight of its 15 branches in SA.
Colin Vyvyan-Day, national projects manager at Crosscape, says: "The greatest benefit of using the StarTrak system is that it plugs neatly into our existing waybill control and accounting system which is also written in Progress.
"It is strategic in that it aids us in achieving our goal, which is to be the most effective break bulk express road distribution company in the country."
The system has enabled CrossCape to handle far larger volumes of freight and better control the receipt of freight from large clients. StarTrak developed a customised system that suits CrossCape`s requirements.
These included the ability to handle large volumes and to control security and flow of freight. The system needed to give CrossCape control over all parcels coming in and going out of a branch semi-automatically as opposed to manually.
"We chose StarTrak because they had developed a similar system for our sister company Skynet, and they are familiar with our industry and most of our requirements," says Vyvyan-Day. Jean de Klerk, director of StarTrack System, says: "The CrossCape system was fully specified to determine where the customisation was required.
"Once the areas requiring customisation had been identified, changes could be made to allow the system to fully meet their needs."
Rick Parry, MD of Progress Software SA, says: "There is an additional benefit for CrossCape in the fact that StarTrak is a local developer, which makes it easy for CrossCape to receive in-depth support and maintenance services.
"Any customisation required to the system is done locally and cost-effectively, to meet CrossCape`s requirements."
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