BFS is a transport and retail business which delivers grocery products in Western Australia using 34 trailers, 21 prime movers, four rigids and five ancillary light vehicles.
Sapphire's GPS and mapping software enables BFS to use PDA technology and, via a single screen, make decisions about how to best organise deliveries and minimise costs.
Allan Price, general manager at BFS Metro and Regional Logistics, said all drivers have the Sapphire system on a PDA in their trucks so they can see their tasks and schedules.
This puts each driver in charge of their load and able to record all the information needed in real time, resulting in much less paperwork, he said.
Price told CRN that his first introduction to the technology was an ad for TransLogix's product in a transport magazine.
"This was cemented after a presentation in Perth and a second presentation the same day to our customer IGA, which won the IGA guys over," he said.
"It took a while [for the deal to go ahead] because until we won the IGA contract we didn't need the TransLogix solution as we already had a perfectly adequate system in place.
"Once we won IGA we needed another level of technology - a Rolls Royce system. Since then we have added more functionality and continue to work closely with TransLogix to develop new features."
Price said mobility is a very important part of its business and its fleet management.
"It gives us information in real time, which allows smart decisions to be acted out in a prompt manner," he said.
"It also allows transparency of our business to be viewed by clients, thus providing value for money in the service we offer."
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