OpenTAS RDM (Replenishment & Distribution Management) OpenTAS® RDM (Replenishment & Distribution Management) as a special solution for oil logistic contributes to intelligent industry-specific procedures. It offers all the functionalities to optimize and automate the complete service station supply. This leads to higher performance and quality and minimizes logistic expenses.
Order Taking
Orders placed on time, ensure on time delivery. Two factors influencing the right moment to place an order are the available stocks and the forecasted sales. Thanks to its integrated approach, OpenTAS RDM offers exactly the flexibility that is needed for effective order taking.
Manual order taking is still very common. The service station tenant controls the stocks and orders by phone. The integrated SAP OGSD solution (optional) optimally supports telephone sales. Caller ID, the clear-cut masks and detailed information about the buyer ensures that the order is taken care of quickly, and service oriented.
OpenTAS RDM plays its strengths in the automation of processes. When it comes to order taking the integrated OpenTAS ASR functionality (Automated Service Station Replenishment) is exceptional. The software independently monitors the available service station stocks by resorting to data in the integrated fuel dip sticks. The intervals for these automatic inventories can be defined individually.
By means of the stocks the ASR module can calculate when, at a certain prior sale, the stocks will be depleted. Its high prognosis security is achieved by referencing a multitude of historical data. Included here for example are actual previous sales. The period of time that should be taken into consideration can be configured. The operating experience is already in the system.
OpenTAS ASR doesn't calculate obstinately straight forward, it also takes into consideration the fluctuation between day and night as well as special events like public holidays, school holidays, etc. Thanks to all this information the system can calculate the optimal and most efficient point in time for a new order.
Thanks to the information supplied by OpenTAS RDM the customer is always well-informed about the on-site situation. If needed, the system can generate an updated stock report. It is possible to define the type and depth of the information required. This could be the fuel products stocks, but it could, for example, also be the prior sale in the shops through the integration of the cash-register systems.
Planning & Optimization
Whether manually entered or automatically conveyed from the OpenTAS ASR module, the challenge now is to carry the order out as efficiently as possible. The TDO functionality (Truck Dispatch Optimizer) offers the optimal system support. It ensures that the personnel and the vehicles are employed in the best possible manner.
In the ideal case the truck is completely loaded once and completely unloaded at the service station. It saves unnecessary driving and it means that the personnel and vehicles are employed optimally. The drop-rate is 1,0. A positive side effect: in this complete unloading, simple and thus cheap trucks that don't need to be equipped with complex measuring instruments suffice.
In reality the ideal rate of 1,0 is not always reachable. OpenTAS RDM allows customers to come as close as possible to this rate. Calculations show that companies using OpenTAS managed to decrease their drop-rates reaching values that competitors can only dream of.
Route plans need to be compiled intelligently and need to be as updated as possible. They are the key to success in logistical as well as commercial aspects. Here money is really lying around in the streets.
Thanks to the TDO module a route plan can be compiled that optimally uses the customer's resources. Timing is also the deciding factor for route planning. If the planning takes place too early, then current orders cannot be processed anymore or only under high operating expenses. The deciding factor is to plan as currently as possible but at the same time keeping the planning security in mind.
The TDO module always keeps the overview. By means of existing orders it firstly takes over a rough planning that is updated automatically. At the decisive point in time a final shift schedule is available, that also puts the latest developments into practice.
Execution: Onboard Computer / PDA
The route planning generated by the OpenTAS module TDO is transmitted electronically to the driver's PDA. In this way the driver has an overview of upcoming tasks.
OpenTAS PDAs in the trucks are connected to the central OpenTAS system via GPRS. Communication format is mainly XML.
Also during the execution of the order the system offers the customer maximum transparency. The control center is always informed about what is happening in- and outside the facilities Thanks to the PDA communication the control center knows for example when the driver starts and when he reaches which depot or service station; he can also inform them when he has finished loading/unloading. Thus the control center can react quickly.
The processing of real data shows the superior functionality. The current data delivered by the driver is used by TDO to control the compliance with the route plan. If starting or unloading takes longer than planned, the plan is changed immediately. Like this the disposition is always informed in a timely manner, when for example an additional vehicle is needed.
Reconciliation
During reconciliation OpenTAS checks, sorts and enriches the data before connecting it to the SAP business workflow.
Reconciliation data comes back to OpenTAS in three ways: manual input in OpenTAS, closed trips from truck computers and via OpenTAS WEB-Interface. Reconciliation data can be customized. In case no truck computers are in use, all trip data (distances, times, quantities, etc.) could be entered manually or through the WEB-Interface.
Reporting
Standard reports are provided via the OpenTAS report engine; additional customer specific reports can be created. The results are provided in real-time & in various formats.
Trucks: e.g. efficiency (distance, hours, quantities, payload rates – all trip, drop, shift), truck control (gains and losses per truck, tour, driver, drop), cost evaluation (cost vs. freight rates). Average values for drops/tour, qty/drop, hrs/drop, distance driven/drop, cost per drop are of special interest in this section for rating the logistics efficiency.
Stations/Stock: e.g. gains and losses per station, per product, per pump manufacturer, cumulative and average sales, gains and losses, tank temperatures, cumulative and average deliveries, sales forecast per station, local area, country, region with associated depot quantities.
Depots: e.g. quantity comparisons (with temperatures and densities), depot quantities vs. delivered quantities, differences cumulated by depot with depot ranking.
Drivers: e.g. similar to trucks, used for driver evaluation and control.
Carriers: e.g. carrier comparison with remaining quantities, payload rate, drop rate, filling rate.
Benefits of OpenTAS RDM
Increased quality of planning Continuous generation and re-assessment of replenishment orders Smooth execution due to strong integration Reduced number of process disruptions Increased customer service level Reduced safety stocks and inventory carrying costs in stations Full visibility = high reactivity Integrated end-to-end landscape Minimized infrastructure costs Less exceptions requiring manual intervention Reduction of human error and effort
