Case Study
How a Large FMCG Conglomerate Reduced Logistics Cost by 5% and Gained Control Over Freight Decisions Across a National Distribution Network.
Dispatch Planning, Route Optimisation, Load Consolidation and Freight Cost Intelligence for a HighVolume FMCG Distributor.
Industry: FMCG / Consumer Goods
Network:National Dealer Distribution
Freight: Full-load and Partload
Dispatch: High-frequency, multi-route
Stage: Legacy Systems and Manual Processes.
Impact At a Glance:
5% | 10–15% | 20-30% | 8-12% |
|---|---|---|---|
Logistics Cost Reduction Across the national distribution network | Vehicle Fill Rate Improved, Fewer underfilled trips, less empty mileage | Dispatch Planning Cycle Optimised, Replacing manual calculation | Freight Cost Variance, more consistent freight decisions across routes |
BACKGROUND & SITUATION
The Operating Environment:
At national FMCG distribution scale, freight cost is one of the largest controllable variables in the supply chain. A business dispatching across hundreds of routes, serving a large dealer network with a mix of full-load and part-load freight, needs every planning decision to be financially grounded.
Vehicle fill rates, route choices, and load consolidation decisions add up across thousands of dispatches. When planning is manual, those decisions are inconsistent. Some planners optimise well; others do not. Freight calculations vary. Consolidation logic is informal
TRIGGER FOR CHANGE:
The Cost Control Imperative:
Freight costs were growing without a clear view into where the inefficiency was. Vehicle fill rates were inconsistent across routes and dispatch windows.
THE CHALLENGE:
Key Barriers to Freight Efficiency:
Manual dispatch planning and the absence of optimisation logic created persistent freight cost and efficiency challenges at national distribution scale.
Manual Dispatch Planning:
Vehicle and route allocation depended on planner judgment, not optimisation logic, creating inconsistency across teams.
Full-Load vs Part-Load Not Evaluated:
Full-load vs part-load trade-offs not evaluated systematically, leading to suboptimal freight choices and higher costs.
Inconsistent Freight Costing:
Freight costing inconsistent across routes, vehicles, and planners, making it hard to audit or benchmark performance.
Weak Load Consolidation:
Load consolidation was weak, with vehicles frequently dispatched underfilled, inflating cost per delivery.
No Plan-vs-Actual Visibility:
Planning deviations went undetected and uncorrected, compounding into larger cost and service problems over time.
THE SOLUTION
Optimisation-Led Dispatch Planning & Freight Intelligence Platform:
Enmovil replaced manual dispatch planning with an optimization-led process. Route allocation, vehicle assignment, and drop sequencing are now driven by a planning engine that factors distance, load requirements, vehicle type, and freight cost simultaneously, removing the variability that came with planner-by-planner judgment.
A dynamic freight cost engine calculates costs based on route type, weight slab, and vehicle category, giving every dispatch decision a consistent and auditable financial basis. Freight calculations that previously took time and varied by planner now happen automatically with the plan.
Full-load and part-load scenarios are compared automatically before a dispatch is confirmed. Plan-vs-actual monitoring was introduced across routes and loads so operations teams can identify patterns and make corrections before they compound into larger cost or service problems
CAPABILITIES DELIVERED:
1. Dispatch Planning & Route Optimisation:
•Dispatch planning and route optimisation engine
• Drop sequencing and vehicle allocation
• Load consolidation across routes and destinations
2.Plan-vs-Actual Monitoring:
• Plan-vs-actual monitoring across routes and loads
• Exception flagging for planning deviations
• Corrections actioned in near real time
3. Freight Cost Intelligence:
• Dynamic freight cost engine by route type, weight slab, and vehicle
• Full-load vs part-load cost comparison
• Route-wise freight cost visibility
4. Planning Intelligence:
• Scenario comparison for dispatch decisions
• Planning intelligence dashboards
• Scalable planning operations without proportional headcount growth
KEY VALUE DRIVERS
Cost & Efficiency | Operational Performance | Control & Scalability |
|---|---|---|
• 5% reduction in total logistics cost across the network • Distance and fuel spend reduced through route optimisation • Empty kilometres cut through better load consolidation • Freight cost per dispatch made consistent and auditable | • Vehicle fill rate improved across the delivery network • Dispatch planning cycle reduced significantly • Full-load vs part-load decisions automated across all routes • Drop sequencing and vehicle allocation standardised | • Plan-vs-actual tracking introduced across routes and loads • Route-wise freight visibility across all transport partners • Planning deviations flagged and correctable in near real time • Planning operations scalable without proportional headcount growth |
STRATEGIC IMPACT:
Freight decisions that depended on individual planner judgment now follow consistent optimisation logic. The business has visibility into route-wise cost, better control over vehicle utilisation, and a planning process that scales with the network without adding planning complexity.
