Turn Building Supply Challenges Into Business Advantages

Every delivery challenge in building supplies is a potential opportunity

Increase fleet utilisation

Optimise delivery schedules and routes of vehicles to improve efficiency.

Better customer experience

Automatically notify customers of delivery times and any changes to the ETA.

Meet sustainability goals

Reduce miles driven to minimise fuel usage and CO2 emissions.

Attain faster time-to-invoice

Digital proof of delivery eliminates errors and time-consuming paperwork.

Here’s how to turn problems into progress:

• Cut Costs, Not Corners

The Challenge:

Fuel prices, labour costs, and inefficiencies eat into profit margins.

The Opportunity:

• Smart Routes: Cut fuel costs with optimised, fuel-efficient delivery plans.
  • Maximise Delivery Capacity: Optimal scheduling increases delivery density, saving time and money.
  • Streamline Operations: Reduce downtime and get the most out of vehicles and drivers.

The Result:

Save thousands while delivering more efficiently

• Simplify Delivery Operations

The Challenge:

Traffic, last-minute changes, unexpected delays and tight timeframes make every delivery unpredictable.

The Opportunity:

• Adapt to Changes: Optimise routes with Machine Learning that adjust routes to road and traffic conditions.
  • Driver Confidence: Equip drivers, planners and support staff with increased visibility and tools to engage with customers.
  • Proactive Planning: Predict disruptions before they happen with advanced analytics.

The Result:

Deliver on time to meet customer expectations

• Deliver Transparency and Control

The Challenge:

Customers expect accurate updates, but visibility across operations is lacking.

The Opportunity:

• Live Tracking: Monitor every delivery and keep customers informed in real time.
  • Data Insights: Analyse fleet performance to find inefficiencies.
  • Seamless Updates: Provide precise delivery ETAs to maintain customer satisfaction.

The Result:

Increased customer trust and loyalty

• Lead the Sustainability Revolution

The Challenge:

Customers want eco-friendly deliveries, but decarbonising fleet operations isn’t easy.

The Opportunity:

• Decarbonise: Cut your fleet emissions with electric or low-emission vehicles.
  • Green Routes: Reduce mileage and fuel use with “green slots”.
  • Track Impact: Use real-time data to measure and improve your carbon footprint.

The Result:

Attract eco-conscious customers and reduce costs

Your Challenges Are Your Road to Success

At Descartes, we don’t just help you solve problems — we help you uncover new opportunities to get the most out of your fleet operation.

Ready to transform your delivery challenges into your business advantage? Get Started Today!

Building Supply Case Studies

“With the Descartes solution, we now have real-time visibility into deliveries as they are made—and proof of delivery when customers receive their orders,”
Nicholas Chesna - Fleet Assistant Manager
On-time delivery has improved
Real time visibility of deliveries
Great delivery capacity
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“We were impressed by the investment and support that Descartes put into this product and the roadmap. This technology has allowed us to be agile, forward-thinking and work optimally with our fleet with benefits on costs, sales and satisfaction across the business and with our customers.”
Edward Corbett - Head of Programme
Delivery capacity increased 25%
OTIF deliveries increased 15%
Fleet size 500+
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“We’re delighted with the solution and the service we have received from Descartes. Ultimately, Descartes is helping us minimise our operational costs through its route planning and optimisation solution and is actively contributing to our corporate and social responsibility and sustainability efforts.”
Simon Macdonald, National Transport Manager
Avg distance driven/delivery reduced 2%
Manual processes Replaced
Nationwide stores 300+
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“Working with Descartes, we’ve saved 13% on annual fuel costs, which equates to approximately 354,000 fewer miles driven.”
Lee Holmes, Transport and Logistics Director
Annual Fuel bill reduced 13%
Productivity improved 56%
Annual savings £2 million
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“Overnight our business was transformed. Our planning team and drivers love using Descartes.....Since introducing Descartes, Stop Start’s daily delivery volume has increased 50%. This rate of growth would not have been sustainable without digital planning tools.”
Andrew Bayne, Managing Director
Daily planning time reduced 75%
Annual distribution costs saving £450k
Delivery capacity Increased 12%
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“Descartes ePOD solution has unlocked considerable benefits for both our business and our customers. We have seen the number of requests for PoD decline dramatically and have received increasingly positive feedback from our customers.”
Peter Russell, IT Director, Carpet & Flooring
Customer POD requests reduced 80%
Successful 1st time deliveries Increased
Delivery operation costs Reduced
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“Our clients place a high value on timely, precise, and flexible deliveries. Our mission is to deliver on-time and provide excellent customer service. That is why in Norway, Sweden and Finland we complement our solution in Denmark with route planning from Descartes.”
Per Rimkjaer, Project & Transport Manager
Customer Service Enhanced
OTIF Deliveries Increased
number of outlets 180
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“Introducing Descartes’ ePOD has translated into substantial daily savings of 16.5 staff hours as a result of more efficient customer delivery and invoice processes”
Rachael Adamson, Director – South-East
Daily time saving 16.5Hrs
Paper saved daily 1000 sheets
Site safety Improved
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“By optimising planning, scheduling and routing, we’ve lowered our distribution costs: we’re getting more capacity out of our fleet and have reduced the number of returned loads by ensuring the right product is loaded onto the right truck.”
Mark Parsons - Managing Director
Reduced cost of distribution
Increased delivery capacity
Reduced number of returned loads
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“We now have the tools to automate formerly manual processes, which increases our efficiency in vehicle routing, asset tracking, fleet maintenance, Department of Transportation (DOT) compliance and more”
Barry Crane, Director of Logistics at Wimsatt Building Materials
Efficiency Improved 20%
Customer Service Improved
Lower Operational Costs
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“Our objective was two fold, to improve our customer service and to continue to drive our operational leverage...both of which we have seen significant improvements in. But one thing we have realised is technology isn't the answer to everything, that people and process play a big part of that.”
Joe Zanette - Solution Manager
Transport costs saved $3 million
Number of deliveries utilising POD 600,000