Link streamlines its fleet management with Punch Telematix
3 May 2010 by EV
- 200 lorries equipped with CarCube
- Connected document scanners
- Integration in the transport management system
Boosting competitiveness through investment in technological innovation: To update its fleet management, the Polish company Link SP. z o.o has installed the Punch Telematix CarCube solution in 200 of its lorries. The onboard computer can locate individual vehicles in real time as well as offering a wide range of additional functions, including logging of driving and vehicle data, navigation assistance, text message communication and transmission of transport orders from the InterLAN shipping application. As an extension of the telematics system, Link is also using a document scanner which is capable of importing original DIN A4 documents and transmitting them without distortion to the accounts department.
"In the international freight business, it can take weeks for drivers to deliver their freight documents. The document scanner means that we no longer need to wait for the driver to return. We can now create invoices immediately after delivery of the goods, which in turn reduces payment times," says Pawel Moder, Link's Vice President. This real-time data transmission gives the company's head office in Wiazowna direct access to all the documents required for billing immediately after the delivery documents have been scanned.
Link, a specialist in the transportation of part and full loads, has been using telematics systems since 2002. At the start of 2009, the company decided to look for a more stable and powerful fleet management system. After analysing the leading telematics products on the market, Link opted for CarCube from Punch Telematix. "We put all the telematics applications on the market through their paces. CarCube clearly stood out from the competition thanks to its innovative functions, such as interference-free GPRS data communication and a document scanner," explains Moder.
It took Punch Telematix just two months, with no disruption to Link's operations, to install the onboard computer and document scanner in 200 lorries. The scanner was very easy to install and manage: the device, weighing 390 grams and measuring 30 centimetres wide, was connected directly to CarCube via a USB cable. After scanning, the fully equipped onboard computer transmits the imported document as a GIF file to Fleetworks, Punch Telematix' Internet-based fleet management system. The documents can then be downloaded by employees at the company's head office in Wiazowna or automatically emailed to the billing department.
Link has also integrated the solution in its InterLAN shipping software, creating an end-to-end process, from receipt of an order to its transmission and status confirmation. "We place great importance on streamlining our internal transport processes. Thanks to the interface between CarCube and our InterLAN SPEED software, we can even use the recorded activities for automated expense and payroll accounting," says Moder.
Punch Telematix has been marketing CarCube via its own branch in Poland since 2009. "After an order for 140 onboard computers from the Polish company Miratrans, we were delighted to receive another large order from Link. This gives us a great boost in relation to establishing our market position in Poland," says Carsten Holtrup, Punch Telematix' Vice President Sales & Marketing.