While big data holds many promises for field service organizations looking to improve systems and lower costs, it also poses challenges when it comes to harnessing and acting on resulting insights. However, UPS believes that they have found a solution to put the data they receive from the field to work for their business.
Recently, UPS launched a platform called On-Road Integrated Optimization and Navigation (ORION), a routing software that collects data from the field and analyzes it to determine the most efficient routes for UPS drivers to take. The platform is currently being released across North America, says Jack Levis, senior director of process management at UPS, and will be complete in 2017. The days when a supervisor had to ride along with a driver to analyze performance are long gone.
Today, UPS collects data from more than 200 engine sensors in every delivery truck while monitoring seat belt usage, rear door positioning and when the vehicle is turned on or off. Levis explains, “We then marry that information with GPS data from the vehicle and data from the driver’s handheld computer. The data is then combined and analyzed, giving us a detailed picture of what happened while the driver was on the road.” After a supervisor analyzes a route and the system’s summary of information, he is able to give drivers feedback to help them improve their methods and reduce vehicle idling time.
Read more at Field Technologies Online
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