Direct Window Supplies Saves Time, Money and Environment
Overview
Direct Window Supplies Ltd. (DWS) is a manufacturer and supplier of windows and doors. The business caters to trade installers across the south-west of Britain, distributing an extensive range of plastic and aluminium products.
To meet the distribution demands of its customer base, DWS manages a dedicated delivery service. The operation coordinates and executes approximately 700 deliveries a month across its geographic service area.
10 %
mileage reduction
700
deliveries a month
hundreds
admin hours saved
Challenge
Prior to selecting the delivery management platform, Direct Window Supplies operated a traditional transport framework that required manual administrative support. The company needed an agile system that could effortlessly sync with its existing manufacturing software to prevent operational friction.
- Delivery scheduling and routing workflows required substantial manual intervention, taking up valuable administrative resources.
- Trade installers lacked real-time visibility into oncoming shipments, increasing dependencies on manual tracking check-ins.
- The system was restricted by an absolute requirement for integration with specialized software used to manage sales and plan production.
Solution
DWS implemented Podfather's integrated logistics solution to automate its route building and digital execution workflows. The software sits alongside the company's daily processes, utilizing route planning and optimization tools to automatically structure delivery runs.
The deployment equips the transport network with real-time tracking and electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD) components. At the same time, the platform introduces automated ETA notifications that alert trade customers via text or email as their order schedule unfolds.
Results
The rollout of Podfather has successfully transformed distribution operations for DWS, saving hundreds of man-hours a year by replacing manual tasks with automated route planning. The transition has driven significant progress toward entirely paper-free deliveries while reducing total mileage by between 8 and 10 percent.
By utilizing live tracking and automated ETA updates, DWS has noticeably boosted its customer service and improved corporate visibility. Furthermore, selecting the platform provided a robust integration with their existing sales and production systems, ensuring accurate data flows and seamless communication back-office loops.
When we first started looking for a delivery solution it was imperative that any system we chose had to integrate with existing software used to manage sales and plan production. After undertaking considerable background research, including customer reviews, in use case studies, and online tutorials, I reached out to the Podfather team as while something may look and sound good on paper it's the people behind it that take it to the next level.
Nick Trueman
General Manager, Direct Window Supplies
