Über 80 Over 80 new features have been packed into the latest CAPcargo release based on Microsoft Dynamics AX2012 R2 CU7. Major enhancements are now available in the areas: tour planning, subcontracting and supply chain integrations.

CAPcargo veröffentlicht in der Regel einmal pro Jahr einen größeren „feature release“. Mitte Juli 2014 – zwei Wochen früher als erwartet – war der Release bereit. Die Inputs und Erfahrungen, die das CAPcargo Entwicklungsteam direkt von bestehenden oder neuen Kunden erhalten hat, sind die wichtigsten Treiber für solch kontinuierliche Produktinvestitionen. Oliver Franz, verantwortlich für das CAPcargo Produktmanagement, betont: „Wir sammeln und werten Marktanforderungen systematisch aus. Dank der engen Zusammenarbeit mit vielen unserer Kunden, können geplante Verbesserungen vorgängig besprochen werden. Mit diesem Ansatz stellen wir sicher, dass wir im Einklang mit den Anforderungen der Branche sind und unseren Kunden zusätzlichen Mehrwert durch unsere Lösung anbieten können. “

Tourenplanung: Denken in Alternativen

One major question was driving the latest developments: How can we relieve the dispatcher from repetitive work and provide a better decision base? The challenges are not the same for all the different areas of transportation. For those companies who have to handle a large quantity of orders, the dispatching process to split the orders into legs and dispatch them into tours, can now work fully automatized. Orders can now be dispatched without interaction. The planners can focus on those tours, which need special attention.

A further support of this process is the new system capability of proposing the ideal sequence of the tour stops. Did you already have the question, whether the shorter or the faster route makes more sense economically? Exactly to this question, we can give an answer now. But not only the classical navigation options are considered, far more, an optimization is provided, which takes into account all further aspects of cost & margin calculation (toll costs, activity/waiting times, resource cost, etc.) The system is now thinking in alternatives and can calculate [and graphically display] several route options. This is the perfect decision base for the planner. Sometimes with surprising results!

Fremdvergabekostenberechnung: Abhängig vom Kundentarif

Some transportation companies maintain a very close cooperation with their subcontractors. This fact is underlined with the way, how the freight costs, the partner is receiving, are calculated. In such cases, the subcontractor earns e.g. a certain percentage of the revenue the transportation company invoices to their customers. CAPcargo has introduced this functionality with a high degree of flexible conditions. For instance is it possible, to calculate with different margins depending on the sub-contractors resource, the geographical relation or the loaded cargo type. The calculation and self-billing process is fully automatized.

Supply Chain Management for manufacturing and Distribution

The requirements sound trivial the CAPcargo team hears often from customers: “We would like to see, on which truck we have to load which order”. Imagine how easy it would be if the sales clerk simply could press a button and the order would be dispatched. “Yes of course, day specific routing must be respected.” “No question, certain item can’t be loaded on the same truck.” “We certainly can’t track, if a customer is placing several orders per day.” “But yes, they need to be dispatched together.” “We definitely can’t wait with the planning, until the picking is completed.”

The “magic stick” on the sales order form makes imagination become reality. The CAPcargo supply chain functionalities are opening the potentials of building the bridge between sales, warehouse and transportation. Three parallel workflows seen as one big process. The sales clerk can see in a detailed way the dispatching resp. delivery status of an order, the warehouse team knows by when the order must be picked&packed and the transportation crew can see the picking status of every single item in their already prepared tours. A deep understanding of the AX item transaction logic is needed to ensure a smooth synchronization logic or even intercompany transactions.

The new CAPcargo release brings a big added value. A big thanks goes to our customers, who have supported us in sharing their understanding and business know how with us.