Direct Window Supplies (DWS), manufacturers and suppliers of windows and doors, is using Podfather logistics software to streamline and automate its delivery service.

Serving trade installers across the south-west of Britain, DWS makes around 700 deliveries of PVC-U and aluminium products a month. Using Podfather’s planning, route optimisation and ePOD solution, DWS is reported to be saving hundreds of man hours a year, working towards paper free deliveries and reducing its mileage by between 8 and 10%.

In addition, Podfather’s automated ETA notifications and real-time tracking are said to be boosting DWS’s customer service.

“We have expanded at an exponential rate culminating in the opening of a new 20,000ft² aluminium production facility this summer,” commented Nick Trueman, general manager at Direct Window Supplies.

“We also celebrated our 30 years in business milestone. Both of these achievements have been made possible by our loyal customers, dedicated employees, and supportive supply chain partners.

“However, as we have grown, we realised that some of our legacy workflows and practices are not supportive of this growth trajectory,” he continued. “The planning and execution of deliveries had become a time consuming and resource intensive task, taking up to 2 ½ hours a day, and multiple sheets of paper per job. We were also receiving large volumes of calls asking for updates on when deliveries were due.”

Since implementing the Podfather delivery system earlier this year, Nick adds that DWS has reduced the time taken to plan next day deliveries from hours to minutes saving, on average, around 10 plus hours a week or 25% of the original resource. It has also removed physical delivery sheets from its workflow, reducing its paper consumption by more 1,500 sheets a month.

Podfather’s advanced route optimisation features are also said to have had a positive impact for DWS decreasing overall mileage, across the five-vehicle fleet, by between 8 and 10%.

“When we first started looking for a delivery solution it was imperative that any system we chose had to integrate with existing software used to manage sales and plan production,” Nick added. “After undertaking considerable background research, including customer reviews, in use case studies, and online tutorials, I reached out to the Podfather team as while something may look and sound good on paper it’s the people behind it that take it to the next level.

“The Podfather team did not disappoint. They have been supporting from initial query through to implementation and roll-out and I know that as we continue to find new ways of working and saving time and resources, they will be with us every step of our journey.”

In addition to the operational savings and efficiency gains achieved through the use of Podfather, DWS has also boosted its customer service with automatic ETA notifications and real-time updates including the ability for customers to self-serve and ‘follow my driver’.

This has been well received by customers, evidenced by fewer calls into the business, and DWS hopes to further extend its customer engagement with proactive delivery reporting including Damaged in Transit (DIT) notices. Other aspects of the Podfather system that are delivering change for DWS include automated vehicle checks carried out by drivers at the start of each shift using the app which are improving fleet maintenance with early notification of potential defects.

Direct Window Supplies started out in 1994 as a small plastics trade counter, buying PVC-U frames and trims and selling them on to the trade. Operating from a small unit on Kiln Lane in Swindon, the same road it is still on today, just on a much bigger scale, DWS sell directly to the trade only, with a vast product portfolio offering PVC-U windows and doors, composite doors, conservatory roofs & aluminium bi-folds along various other products at manufacturer prices.

DWS’s vehicle fleet enables it to service customers within a two-hour drive time from Swindon, with some customers benefiting from twice weekly deliveries, achieving a 98% complete and on time delivery rate.