Responsible for:
- Real-time fleet monitoring
- Delivery data management
- Forecasted cost of transport with trends
- Strategic and operational reporting
Watson is a custom built logistics software platform at the Spar Western Cape Distribution Centre that tracks deliveries to 400+ retail stores
Watson includes a real-time fleet monitoring system that processes alerts from the on-board telemetry system with a system to monitor and escalate issues. Watson functionality includes features to manage driver scheduling and delivery data management with automated feeds and manual overrides. Watson also provides a forecasted cost of transport as well as data dashboards for strategic and operational reporting.
About the Spar WC Distribution Centre
The Spar WC Distribution Centre sends perishable and dry goods to 400+ retail stores across the Western Cape and Namibia, using a combination of their own fleet and 3rd party transport operators. Orders are sent out on a daily basis and tracked using a combination of telemetry devices and paper capture.
Watson
Spar WC Distribution Centre Retail Stores
A view of the Watson Bureau, which allows operators to monitor and respond in real-time to issues related to delivery.
A view of the Watson Delivery Report that allows quality assurance over the individual deliveries.
An example of a store-level report.
An example of an operational report of drivers.
Other fully supported features
- Picker incentive scheme: An independent system that allows Spar to incentivize and manage warehouse pickers
- Outsourced transport reconciliation: This allows Spar to manage third-party agreements and reconcile predicted costs with actual costs
- Driver scheduling: Allows Spar to schedule drivers via SMS and manage their hours for compliance and payment purposes
“Prior to Watson, we were managing many of our processes with Excel and there was much friction and pain. Watson has alleviated that pain and has also delivered incredible value. It has become an incredibly robust tool that we rely on daily.”
Mike Wood
Spar Divisional Distribution Director – Western Cape and Namibia