we asked ourselves — is there a smarter way?€¦ · we asked ourselves – is there a smarter...
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We asked ourselves— is there a smarter way?
We asked ourselves – is there a smarter way? A smarter way to get more scheduling done, but with fewer schedulers? A smarter way to get control, without lifting a finger? A way to always find the cost optimal trip. In real time?
Today we have the answer – BX automated real time scheduling, the mother of all fleet controls. Our algorithms will make manual scheduling unnecessary. The BX engine calculates, monitors and administers trips 24/7. Converting real time data into more efficient trucking. Resulting in reduced cost in the office, reduced cost on the road and improved customer service.
Bottomline provides advanced planning & scheduling (APS) software to companies that schedule compartmentalized trucks in a multi-drop environment, based on the vendor managed inventory (VMI) concept. Our offering includes both scheduling software and scheduling services. By using our own APS software to provide scheduling services to our clients, we are able to fully understand the challenges they face every day with regard to their truck scheduling.
This combination also allows us to work on continuous innovation of our software. Based on this unique insight, we have developed BX – a whole new way to managing fleets.
BX is a SaaS solution that enables companies to implement the concept of automated real time scheduling. It will automatically, without human intervention, send a new cost optimal trip to the truck driver, immediately after the previous trip is finished. When connected to the BX platform, companies can move from “scheduling for tomorrow” towards “scheduling for right now”.
BX will reinvent the scheduling industry for shippers, customers, controllers, carriers and drivers. The concept will not only change the business model in the oil & gas industry significantly but will also be of great value in other industries, with similar logistics processes.
Welcome – try a smarter way!Léon van Rijswijk, CEO
Introducing BX Index
BX value 04
Business value 06
Unique selling points 08
BX platform 10
Business concept 12
Real time data 14
Business intelligence 16
Technology stack 18
BX process 20
Supply chain 22
Stakeholder applications 24
Business process 26
01 BX value04
Reduced cost in the office
Less employees needed, due to higher productivity
Less investments and operating cost in hard- and software
Less IT support needed
Higher dropsize, due to lower safety stocks
Better utilization of trucks, due to less left-on-vehicle
Lower trip distance, due to smarter order combinations
Better utilization of the truck driver work time
Less waiting time in traffic and at depots
Less disrupting emergency deliveries
Supply chain cost optimization: depot, transport and inventory
Less errors by planner and truck driver
Reduced cost on the road
Faster response to emergency orders
Less delivery site runouts
Better and more extensive notifications
Faster functional improvements and fixes
Improved customer service
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Value Details
BX will provide companies with the following business value.
Business value
Why go from A to Z when you can go from B to X?
Smarter ways
System agility is all about creating a rock solid system environment that ensures the BX platform has a 100% uptime, is scalable, cost efficient and easy to integrate with providers of real time data. The use of Docker containers and Kubernetes enables us to scale-up quickly and only pay for what is used. We have a release process that includes automated testing, building, releasing and recovery that enables us to upgrade our BX platform almost continuously in an agile and risk-free way.
User experience is all about offering stakeholders a user friendly environment to work in. For each stakeholder we have developed a customized application with only the data required for managing or monitoring their part of the process.
Business intelligence is all about data analysis and the development of cutting edge algorithms. Bottomline has partnered up with expert suppliers with regard to algorithm development. Algorithms are the key parts of the BX Engine, existing of a forecasting algorithm and scheduling algorithm for trip creation, a geofence algorithm for trip monitoring and an OCR algorithm for trip administration.
Unique selling points 08
BX stands out in the areas of user experience, business intelligence and system agility.
Introduce automated real time scheduling to the world.
Our vision
02 BX platform10
The BX platform enables companies to implement the business concept of automated real time scheduling. This requires cutting edge algorithms that make manual scheduling unnecessary, as well as a rock-solid platform that is up and running 24/7. BX delivers both.
Business concept 12
The BX Engine is the beating heart of our solution and contains the algorithms that are required to calculate, monitor and administer trips. Real time data is key to achieving the highest level of efficiency. Real time data flows continuously into the BX engine from miscellaneous sources: direct stakeholders as well as external data providers.
The BX Engine kicks off the BX Forecaster algorithm and BX Scheduler algorithm when substantial data changes are detected. Once a truck driver has finished his trip, BX is able to provide the truck driver instantly with the next trip that is optimized based on the latest received real time data.
During execution a BX Executer algorithm monitors if the driver takes the right road and visits the right sites. After execution, an BX Administrator algorithm digitalizes the scanned documents as input for automated administration. Issues, identified by the algorithms, are made available in BX Controller for review by the fleet controller.
Delivery notifications are sent to the customers every time the deliverystatus changes, i.e. when the delivery is scheduled, loaded, delayed and confirmed. After delivery has taken place, the customer receives an electronic delivery ticket and a scan of the delivery document.
BX Engine
BXForecaster
BXScheduler
BXExecuter
BXController
BXAdministrator
Real time data
Sales f
orecas
tsScheduled trips
Confirmed trips Exec
uted tri
ps
Deliverynotifications
Sales data Sales data at delivery sites
Knowledge of expected sales
Customer
Customer
Financial data Credit information
Product prices at loading sites
Product prices at delivery sites
Transport prices for spot capacity
Shipper Shipper
Customer
Carrier
Order data Call-in orders
Emergency orders
Customer
Customer
Traffic data Traffic data
Depot waiting times
Data provider
Shipper
Weather data Temperature data
Windchill data
Data provider
Data provider
Inventory data Actual inventories at loading sites
Actual inventories at delivery sites
Loading site contractual target
Left-on-vehicle inventory in trailers
Shipper
Customer
Shipper
Driver
Capacity data Available truck capacity
Available driver time
Carrier
Carrier
Category Real time data Source
Delivery data Confirmed deliveries Driver
Real time data 14
The more real time data is offered to BX, the more efficient forecasting and scheduling BX can provide back.
Business intelligence
Algorithm DescriptionThe BX Executer is a geofence algorithm that monitors if the truck driver is following the optimal road and visits the right sites. The driver gets a warning if he is leaving the geofence or stops outside the geofence. Also the controller and carrier get notified about these deviations.
BX ExecuterThe BX Forecaster is a forecasting algorithm that runs every hour for tanks for which new real time data have been imported. Main input for the BX Forecaster is historical sales. These sales are received from point-of-sales systems or derived from inventories coming from automated inventory measurement systems.
In addition we also look at other historical data (e.g. price and weather data) that have a known correlation with historical sales. Finally we take into account knowledge provided by customers with regard to the expected effect of future events on future sales.
BX Forecaster
The BX Scheduler is a scheduling algorithm that calculates a complete new trip schedule for the coming week, based on available trucks and expected demand. The reason for looking ahead 7 days in the future is to ensure that we make smart decisions with regard to peak shaving if on certain days there is less truck capacity (e.g. weekends, national bank holidays) or more demand (e.g. price action days).
The BX Scheduler is using the new real time data that has been received to calculate a new trip schedule, including a reconsideration of the trips that are underway. For these trips the BX Scheduler locks all delivery sites that have been visited already. But all other delivery sites on the existing trip could be changed if the remaining product on board can be better delivered somewhere else, for example due to an emergency.
BX Scheduler The BX Administrator is an OCR algorithm that digitalizes the scanned load and delivery tickets and compares this with data entered by the driver or received from external systems. In case there is a 100% fit, the load and delivery data is confirmed automatically and is immediately sent to the customer as a delivery notification and to the shipper as input for invoicing.
BX Administrator
The BX Engine contains the following algorithms.
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Innovative technologies at the heart of BX
Bottomline has developed the BX platform making use of innovative and proven technologies used by thousandsof companies.
Being a SaaS solution serving many customers, it’s architecture is based on reactive principles which rely on the world-class streaming platform of Kafka for message driven communication and being managed by the top-notch production grade orchestration platform of Kubernetes for elasticity and resilience. This enables us to implement our solution on a wide variety of cloud platforms, as well as on premise environments.
Our software is built as a service-oriented architecture using the cloud aware framework of Spring, and mainly realized with Kotlin and Java. These services are packaged in Docker containers for machine independent deployment.
For the front-end solutions the web-based portal uses the latest Angular framework. For Android apps, native development is done using Kotlin. Our data (structured as well as non-structured) is spread over a number of PostgreSQL databases, for isolation and sharding purposes. Caching is done using the popular distributed in-memory Redis Database, to ensure high responsiveness.
Security is handled internally by the Kubernetes platform. Externally, the multi-layer security service of Auth0 is used, to ensure enterprise grade security.
Our AI algorithms are written in C++ and use dedicated libraries and solutions for this task, like Google‘s Tensorflow and the fast, mathematical programming solver of Gurobi.
18Technology stack
Spring Gurobi optKubernetesDockerAuth0PostgreSQLRedisKafkaGoogle Cloud Platform
03 BX process20
The shipper sells and delivers products to customers. The shipper contracts a carrier, who organizes vehicles and drivers, to do the physical transportation of products to the customer‘s delivery sites. The shipper appoints a controller, the spin in the web, to coordinate and administer all activities in the supply chain.
The controller doesn’t have to worry about scheduling, as this is taken care of by the BX platform. The main tasks for the controller are to ensure that all required data is accurate, capacity and demand is in balance and supply requirements are met. In case any issues occur, the controller gets notified, investigates and resolves, in close communication with involved stakeholders.
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Each stakeholder that operates in the supply chain will get access to our BX platform through the offering of a customized BX application.
Supply chain Roles & responsibilities
Driver
Customer
Shipper
Carrier
Controller
Party that coordinates and administers the physical delivery of products to customers.
Analyse key performance indicators
Check master data completeness
Review demand-capacity balance
Review loaded volume vs. target volume
Review replenishment- and trip status
Review reported issues
Review trip administration
BX Controller BX Customer Party that consumes or sells the products.
Enter call-in orders
Enter delivery issues
Enter product prices for competitive sites
Maintain master data for delivery sites
Review order status and delivery notifications
Review reported issues
BX Shipper Party that sells and delivers products to customers.
Analyse key performance indicators
Determine optimal volume and vehicles per loading site
Enter supply cost and target volume per loading site
Maintain master data for loading sites and products
Review reported issues
Party that executes the physical delivery of products to customers.
BX Driver Consult outside office hours e-assistant
Enter delivery issues
Enter trip administration
Navigate to loading and delivery sites
Scan and process load and delivery documents
BX Carrier Party that organizes the physical delivery of products to customers.
Analyse key performance indicators
Enter available trucks, trailers and truck drivers
Maintain master data for trucks, trailers and truck drivers
Review reported issues
Application Stakeholder Main features
24Stakeholder applications
An overview of the main features for each stakeholder application.
Business process 26
BX Customer
B
X Driver
BX Engine
Cus
tom
er
Realtime dataWeather data
Tra�ic data
Sales data
Order data
Inventory dataFinancial data
Delivery data
Capacity data
DriverTrips
Input
Del
iver
y no
tific
atio
nsC
usto
mer
Supp
lier
Ship
per
Issu
es
20:30 load inAntwerp 45 S+
22:00 deliver inGouda 24 S+
23:20 deliver in
Rotterdam 6 S+
23:50 deliver in
Botlek 15 S+
Cont
rolle
r
Carrier
BX Shipper
BX Controller
BX C
arrier
01 02
0304
This graph shows an overview of the business process including the role of each stakeholder and the customized BX application that each of them is using.
01 Real time dataThe real time data is imported into the BX Engine.
02 Issue resolutionBased on real time calculations performed by the BX algorithms, issues are generated that are disclosed to the shipper, controller or carrier.
03 Scheduling processBased on resolved issues (correct data) trips are generated and sent to the driver for execution.
04 Delivery notificationsDelivery notifications are sent to the customer about the scheduled delivery. Updates follow in case of delays and also when the delivery is made.
Offer our customers smarter ways to create business value, fuelled by user friendly, cutting edge and rock-solid software, and delivered by agile, capable and reliable employees.
Our mission 28
If you feel BX from Bottomline could improve your business, it’s about time to find out what the actual value is.
Bottomline is able to offer a proof-of-concept (POC) to identify the value of the platform. Our POC is a live test in one of your small regions that replaces your manual planning for a period of one month. The objective is to show you the value of our BX solution in a production environment, including the effects of real time data.
Get connected and find a smarter way with us.
If you are interested in our BX platform, please contact us at [email protected]. We look forward to meeting you soon.
Bottomline Software Wolfskamerweg 22 5262 SJ Vught The Netherlands
Bottomline.eu/bx
Bottomline controlling Get in touch
BX gives you not only a step change in cost and service levels, but also full control over your business process as well as full transparency of performance and data.
When connected to the BX platform, you can choose who you want to have in charge as your fleet controller. When you are a shipper, you could choose between doing it yourself or outsourcing this key role to a carrier.
Bottomline offers an alternative. In addition to providing the BX platform, Bottomline can also act as your controller. We have been in the business of fleet controlling since 2003. We are specialized, independent and able to provide you with the best optimization, service and conditions.
