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Every day, plenty of trucks enter the factory plant to load and unload goods and deliver products to various places. They have to go through multiple checkpoints such as completing security checks at the gate, weighing the truck at the weighbridge, finding the right bay park for loading and unloading, waiting for their turn to complete the loading and unloading process and then exiting the plant.
The entire process is time-consuming, but it has to be done with precision to ensure just-in-time delivery and promote transparency in the supply-chain process. However, since so many activities occur within the plant, truck drivers could get held at some stage. It is the responsibility of the companies to ensure that truck drives don’t waste time because of inefficiencies in the processes. For example, the onus lies with the company to ensure that the truck is on the right route within the plant or parked at the right bay. This can help reduce the truck driver's waiting time during the loading and unloading process and enhance their experience within the plant.
To ensure just-in-time delivery and optimise the experience and safety of truck drivers, companies must invest in situational awareness. Situational awareness offers companies smart technologies to create awareness for truck drivers within the plant and improve their experience.
Let’s look at how companies can create situational awareness in their plant.
A truck driver has to wait at different areas such as the gate, parking lot, and driver’s waiting room. Sometimes the driver might miss the route if he isn’t alerted about it on time or if there are no proper signages within the plant. This eventually delays the whole process. That’s why Public Address (PA) systems and smart displays are so important. The drivers and other stakeholders within the plant can be alerted about their turn via the auto-generated PA system. The announcement can be modified depending upon the situation, such as at the gate, QC area, parking lot, or the waiting room. The benefit of a smart PA system is that the command is automatically interpreted, and the audio is auto-generated. Companies can also install smart displays to display real-time information at every stage. The smart signage will change dynamically as per the situational requirement. This will save the truck driver’s time and guide them to the right destination. Companies can further improve situational awareness and driver’s experience by integrating smart PA systems and signages.
Real-time monitoring of trucks in a large plant can be complex, especially when plenty of them are on the premises. Sometimes the truck may enter the wrong route or may have to be rerouted. By the time the truck is rerouted, the company loses vital time, subsequently impacting the supply chain. To guide the trucks to the right direction within the plant, companies are using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). BLE-based beacons are attached to the truck to track their movements within the premises. The truck driver has an embedded device or a smartphone that provides real-time directions. Considering that the truck’s precise location and schedule are known, companies can allocate the bay on time. This helps the driver to go to the assigned bay, and quickly complete the loading/unloading process. The security and plant material handling staff can make quick and informed decisions based on real-time data.
The security at the plant’s gate has to validate the truck details, driver details, and complete the registration process. At the exit gate, the truck’s details are logged once again. Given that several vehicles go in and out of the plant, monitoring each of them manually can be quite an arduous task. It can also become time-consuming if there are plenty of trucks awaiting their turn. To reduce the waiting time and provide a hassle-free experience for truck drivers, companies can validate the truck details at the entry gate and provide them with an RFID tag. The RFID tag will comprise the truck and driver’s details. The RFID antennae will read the RFID tag and log the details. The RFID tag will be read at the exit gate once again, and the truck's movement will be logged. This will help in reducing the driver’s waiting time and streamline the truck movement.
By now, it must be evident that trucks need to follow a precise workflow to complete the transportation process. A slight delay or wrong routing could create chaos and congestion within the plant and impact other supply-chain operations. That’s why technologies such as RFID, IIOT sensors, BLE, and smart PA and display systems have become so important at every stage of the process. These technologies ensure that the drivers are fully aware of their turn and wait time and are able to complete their tasks seamlessly without any stress.
At QodeNext, we build smart truck management solutions to aid truck drivers to stay aware and ensure timely supply and delivery. In one such example, we built situational awareness in the plant of India’s largest paints and allied chemical manufacturer, which helped the company reduce the turnaround time of trucks within the plant and ensure transparency in the supply-chain process.
To know more about our solutions, contact us.
