Case Studies

Impulse Worldwide Reduces Operating Costs 9% with Intermec Handhelds

Play Video »

Download PDF »

Impulse Worldwide was founded in 1988 in London as a premium international transport and logistics company specializing in door-to-door delivery operations worldwide. Its clients include a range of corporations with international presence including advertising agencies, law firms and multinationals which require quick and secure transport of documents and other items. Impulse’s drivers make over 150,000 deliveries a year in the UK and the company works with partners in countries the world over to offer international coverage.

Challenge

Since it was founded, Impulse had worked with a paper based system that involved processing all information by hand. The only communication between drivers and the main distribution centre was via two-way radio. This meant that typically tracking data was not available until the drivers finished their daily route and the information about packages they had delivered or picked up was entered into computers manually. Impulse’s drivers were forced to write down information about new pickups called in throughout the day, and determine on their own how to modify their routes to fit in all pickups. The company decided to look for a technology-based solution for these difficulties.

“The old system was a nightmare,” stated Pilar Martinez-Vidal, Managing Director at Impulse. “We had to have a number of people work nights just doing data entry to get everything input in time to get it shipped out and delivered. The system in its previous state was slow, inefficient, and unable to provide the levels of service we were seeking to give our customers.”

Solution

In order to remedy these problems, Impulse decided to purchase Intermec CN3 handhelds for each of its drivers.

There were several concerns about switching from the existing system. The drivers were used to the way things were already done, and there were concerns over how they would cope with a system that was highly technological. Additionally, the solution would have to be able to integrate with Impulse’s existing IT infrastructure, and work with its existing barcode printers.

Impulse considered handheld computers from both Intermec and its competitors, but settled on the Intermec CN3. Intermec was chosen because of its extensive range of robust, compact, multi-functional devices. Additionally, after looking at all the options, Impulse believed that Intermec’s products were much easier to use and more user friendly, which was essential for its drivers.

The reason that Impulse settled on the CN3 from Intermec had to do with the size of the handheld which made it convenient for drivers to carry. The built in scanning capabilities for 1D and 2D barcodes of its integrated area imager were also important for speed and accuracy in scanning. Another feature that attracted the company to the CN3 was the built in GPS system, which allows for route planning to save time and petrol costs. Signature capture facilities were also essential for purposes of providing proof of delivery. Cellular networking capabilities over a range of networks ensure that drivers are always in communications range. Also important was the fact that although the CN3 is compact, its keys are a big enough that drivers do not have trouble hitting the correct ones. Finally, battery life had to be long enough to last an entire shift away from the distribution center without charging.

Results

Thanks to the Intermec solution, Impulse is now able to track shipments from the moment they are picked up. Data collection and updating of tracking details is done automatically and instantaneously. Customers can now also see a digital version of the receiver’s signature online. Additionally, errors in terms of mis-delivered shipments have been virtually eliminated thanks to the solution decreasing the risk of human error. The CN3 has reduced Impulse’s overhead as it has decreased the need for personnel to manually input shipping data, and every part of the process has become more efficient. This is thanks to reduced time filling in paperwork, as well as superior route planning thanks to the CN3’s GPS capabilities.

The new CN3 based system has resulted in measurable savings for Impulse Worldwide. Operating costs have been reduced by over 9% thanks to savings on fuel from the CN3’s GPS and route planning capability, as well as reduced costs for staffing, stationery, and fines as the system alerts drivers that they have entered the London congestion charge zone. The solution has also reduced misdelivered packages to virtually nil and produced overall efficiency gains of 12% across the enterprise.

These benefits have allowed Impulse to deal with larger companies than it could previously, enabling it to compete directly with the leading courier companies in country.

Impulse is so pleased with the solution that they plan to phase out their current barcode printers and invest in Intermec products instead. “The Intermec solution began providing improvements to our processes almost immediately,” continued Martinez-Vidal. “The most significant improvement was the increase in our customer service offering thanks to automatic updates of tracking details, signature capture, and just generally being able to provide more information about their package when they want it.” implementing Intermec’s system across our network, and after Marietta there are 12 other plants in the US lined up that we are keen to upgrade. This is an important project for the company and we are eager to see the benefits of it as soon as possible. Worldwide we plan on rolling out the project to over 40 warehouses in 17 countries.”

After global implementation at each warehouse, Impulse has calculated that it can expect a 10% increase in worker efficiency through the expected time savings and increased productivity this new technology will bring.