Logistics Idea

We need Customer Configuration to include the customer's delivery address so that the system can determine delivery destinations, plan routes, guide pallet loading, and track deliveries.

1. Customer Configuration

Store customer details, including their physical and delivery addresses.
Link each customer order (PO) to the correct delivery address.
Determine whether customers can have multiple delivery addresses.

2. Delivery Route Planning

When planning dispatch, retrieve all customer orders, delivery addresses, and pallet quantities assigned to a truck.
Determine the most efficient delivery route based on the destinations.
Consider travel distance, travel time, and delivery requirements.
Allow the Production Manager or responsible person to review and confirm the delivery sequence.
Use the confirmed delivery sequence to guide the loadout process.

3. Loadout Planning

Generate a pallet loading sequence based on the confirmed delivery route.
Follow Last In, First Out (LIFO), meaning pallets for the last delivery destination are loaded first.
Pallets for the first delivery destination should be loaded last so they can be unloaded first.
Track the actual order in which pallets are loaded onto the truck.
Link loaded pallets to their respective customer orders.

4. Delivery Execution

Drivers view their assigned truck, delivery destinations, and delivery sequence.
Drivers follow the planned route to each customer.
Upon arrival, the driver confirms the delivery.
The driver captures a photo of the customer's signature as proof of delivery.
The system updates the customer order's delivery status.
The driver continues to the next destination until all deliveries are completed.

5. Monitoring and Reporting

Production Manager can view delivery progress for each truck.
View customers whose orders have been delivered and those still outstanding.
View proof of delivery, including captured signatures.
Monitor planned versus completed deliveries.
Track which customer orders were received successfully.
View overall dispatch and delivery completion status.

6. Important Consideration — Is Route Optimization Necessary?

Before implementing automatic route optimization, we need to understand how deliveries currently operate.

For example, if a truck starts at the farm, delivers to Stellenbosch and Cape Town, and returns to the farm:

Route A: Farm → Stellenbosch → Cape Town → Farm.
Route B: Farm → Cape Town → Stellenbosch → Farm.

Assuming the same roads and distances in both directions, both routes cover the same total distance. However, travel times may differ because of traffic or delivery schedules.

Therefore, route optimization might not provide much value when there are only two destinations and the truck returns to the farm. It becomes more useful when there are multiple destinations, delivery deadlines, or changing routes.

Questions to confirm with Tehan:

Do trucks follow fixed delivery routes, or do destinations change daily?
How many customers does a truck typically deliver to on one trip?
Do trucks always return to the farm after completing deliveries?
Are there specific delivery times or deadlines for customers?
How are pallets currently arranged and loaded onto trucks?
Who determines the delivery sequence?

Important:

Route planning should happen before loadout planning.
The confirmed delivery sequence should determine the pallet loading order.
Automatic route optimization should only be implemented if it provides value to their existing delivery operations.
The initial approach could allow manual delivery sequencing, followed by system-generated loading instructions using LIFO.
Delivery tracking and proof of delivery would give the Production Manager visibility into which customer orders have been received.

Status: These are newly proposed requirements and questions for discussion, not confirmed requirements from the farm meeting.