Braehead Foods Faces Future with Podfather Delivery Software
Overview
Braehead Foods, based in Kilmarnock, operates from a purpose-built 45,000 sq ft warehouse and factory. Now part of the Reynolds group of companies, the business stands as one of Scotland's largest food wholesalers, delivering everything from chilled, ambient, and frozen foods through to bespoke products made exclusively for chefs in their Production Kitchen.
The company services over 1,300 hotel and restaurant customers, executing deliveries across Scotland from Peterhead to Portree and Aberdeen to the Isle of Arran. To handle its complex multi-temperature distribution networks, Braehead Foods coordinates a delivery fleet of more than 20 vehicles.
Challenge
Prior to adopting the software, Braehead Foods managed its nationwide delivery requirements using traditional, manual transport planning methods that constrained operational efficiency. The lack of automation restricted corporate agility and became unsustainable when navigating sudden market disruptions.
- Transport schedules were built through manual planning processes that heavily consumed administrative resources.
- Back-office teams had to manually call drivers to check their exact locations and estimate arrival times at customer sites.
- Delivery workflows were slowed down by manual, paper-based tracking processes that delayed invoicing because the finance team had to wait for drivers to return physical paperwork to the office.
Solution
Braehead Foods implemented Podfather's fleet planning, route optimisation, and electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) functionality across its mobile network, integrating the solution directly with the company's ERP systems. The platform utilizes algorithmic rules to automatically allocate orders to vehicles based on vehicle capacities, customer delivery windows, opening times, and specific access constraints.
The deployment equips drivers with basic Android smartphones running the intuitive Podfather app to receive optimized routes and record daily walkaround information. The setup leverages the app's real-time tracking to grant customer service teams total visibility of the schedule as it unfolds, while automating the field collection of customer proof of delivery data.
Results
The rollout of Podfather has successfully streamlined logistics for Braehead Foods, slashing administrative planning time and delivering an annual financial saving of £80,000 through reduced mileage and fuel consumption. The customer service department has seen a substantial reduction in incoming inquiry calls because the real-time tracking provides office staff with total visibility over driver schedules.
On-site, drivers use the mobile application to digitally capture date, time, and geo-coded photographs and signatures, eliminating physical paper documents entirely. This automated data capture simultaneously shares transaction records with customers and back-office teams, unburdening customer service staff and allowing the finance team to issue invoices instantly without waiting for physical paperwork to return to the depot.
COVID, and the associated restrictions, changed the face of our business overnight. We went from 20 plus vehicles serving more than 1,300 hotel and restaurant customers across the UK to managers delivering to frontline services in the local vicinity. With support from Podfather and a gradual return to normality, we have bounced back and are now stronger that ever as we face the next chapter in partnership with Reynolds. Using Podfather, on a daily basis, ensures our current delivery operation is as streamlined, cost effective and customer friendly as possible.
Stephen Loye
Transport Manager, Braehead Foods
