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FLEET MANAGER���S GUIDE says. ���That means the ability to be more efficient with their assets, both equipment and drivers, and doing it in real time to improve customer satisfaction and their overall operations.��� When it comes to foodservice, Cadec aims to give companies a more complete view of the cold chain as they enhance their products and services in 2013. Historically, ���we have focused on the in-transit piece of the supply chain���once a trailer is coupled to a tractor, we have custody of that temperature data until we deliver it to its destination. But, that���s not really a 360-degree view of the cold chain,��� says Smith. ���During the course of this year, we plan to build a true cold chain solution with partners that have the other pieces of that temperature data, such as the temperature of the product inbound to the warehouse, the temperature inside the warehouse, during staging, once it was loaded onto the trailer, et cetera, and marrying it up with what Cadec already has available. For the foodservice provider, it���s about taking cold chain data from disparate databases, broadening it, and presenting it in one actionable control panel or dashboard.��� In addition, Cadec is working on ���coupling the telematics world with the mobility world for a seamless user perspective,��� Smith says. ���Right now, if you look at the telematics market, people can use a telematics product that uses a mobile device display, and then you can buy software for the mobile device that does things like POD, scanning and so on.��� Cadec has been a little different, explains Smith. About seven years ago, the company really began concentrating on a process that focused on creating one user interface. ���We know that we can���t be insular, and of course not everyone is going to want to buy our products, so again through partnership we want to bring that seamless environment where it all looks the same to the driver, it all acts the same, they���re not going from one application to another application,��� says Smith. ���Through the use of intelligent workflows, between ourselves and our partners, we���ll bring a seamless user experience to the driver. So simplicity, productivity of the driver, seamless data integration on the backend, and a conversion of the technologies in the foodservice���conversion is a theme for us in 2013.��� Indeed, mobility is increasingly on the minds of fleet managers, affirms Mike Mulqueen, senior director, product management at Manhattan Associates, especially as capabilities become more robust and price becomes more affordable. ���Low cost communications networks that offer really strong coverage are one example,��� says Mulqueen. ���Before it was just satellite, but now cellular coverage is very good and the cost for data is fairly inexpensive.��� In addition, the mobile devices themselves have become more affordable and ruggedized. They can also be customized to provide pick-up and delivery applications, information on damages, and so on, which eliminate paperwork. ���It���s as simple as transmitting data back to the dispatcher and/ or the enterprise,��� says Mulqueen. The addition of geographic information systems (GIS) and dynamic content to the fleet manager���s toolbox is also delivering impressive results, Mulqueen points out. Recently, one of Australia���s biggest baking companies, Goodman Fielder, implemented a suite of planning, mapping, routing, scheduling and optimization solutions from MapMechanics. The suite includes a GIS solution, called GeoConcept, which the company used to optimize delivery routes for its driver/contractors. ���We wanted to make delivery routes more sustainable for our contractors���to ensure that they had an optimal mix of larger and smaller customers, and were using the right vehicle types. But, we simply didn���t have the time or necessary information to make informed judgements. We needed the right tools to help us make strong commercial decisions,��� remarks Paul March, Goodman Fielder���s national supply chain business analyst. The company used GeoConcept to map traffic flows, rebalance territories and even out the distribution load among its contractors. Overall, the results have been a ���quantum leap��� in helping the company control costs, says March. ���We���ve been able to optimize the number of trucks, we���ve reduced mileage and fuel costs, and we���ve provided more sustainable earnings for the independent contractors who do our deliveries, reinforcing their commitment to our business. Everybody wins.��� ��� A Solar Powered Alternative for Fleets D iesel fuel is one of the major costs associated with fleet operations. Not only are the direct costs felt at the pump, the cost of complying with emissions regulations and noidling laws along with diesel engine maintenance costs also add to the bottom line. At the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) Joint Industry Supply Chain Conference in early February, Jeff Flath, president and CEO of eNow, Inc., joined Bryan Hansel, CEO of Smith Electric Vehicles and Mark Slover, business development manager of Clean Energy Fuels Corp., for a panel presentation on alternative energy for fleet vehicles. 32 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 eNow designs, manufactures and sells renewable energy management systems, which aggregate power from inputs such as solar, power from the grid, regenerative brake systems, exhaust recovery systems, ��� FOOD LOGISTICS and other potential recovery systems currently in development, like shock absorbers, CO2 recovery and wind, and from the alternator itself. eNow���s systems manage how the power is produced, stored and used. According to the company, ���Unlike other diesel powered auxiliary units on the market eNow���s systems are powered by the sun. Our systems do not use diesel fuel to operate, saving thousands of dollars per year in fuel and maintenance costs and reducing greenhouse gas (C02) dramatically.��� Furthermore, ���eNow���s proprietary technology (provisional patents pending) enables us to produce significantly more solar power than the current thin film solar products available. This technology allows us to produce clean renewable energy at a very affordable price to the transportation industry. In most cases, the payback periods are between one and a half to two years.��� www.foodlogistics.com