had 802.11 Wi-Fi service as well as uninterrupted Internet
service into the security post—whether it was through a DSL
connection, cable Internet, or a T- 1 line connection.
The trickiest part for Kraft was getting that all-important
uninterrupted Internet service, according to Rae. “Having to
work with all the correct providers and trying to get them to
come and set up the appropriate lines took the longest time,”
she says. “The other equipment was done within a week.”
The difficulty was largely a matter of accessibility. “While
it’s easy to get a DSL or cable connection in residential
areas, distribution centers are in very remote locations,”
explains Gollu. “So sometimes we have no choice but to
order a T- 1 line to get an Internet connection.”
The shift to the new system required several minor
process changes. For one thing, the staff members at the
security posts are now entering the trailer information on
their laptops as opposed to using a manual paper-based
system. For another, the yard truck drivers, or “yard jockeys,” now receive their notice of truck movements via an
onboard computer rather than over a radio.
The transition has been an easy one, by all accounts. The
yard employees have welcomed the changes, since the new
technology and processes have helped streamline their jobs,
according to Rae. “Overall, it’s been received well,” she says.
The RTLS implementation has brought changes to other
areas of the operation as well. For example, the yard management system has made it possible for the staff at Kraft’s transportation operations center, which handles transportation
planning and scheduling, to view what is happening at the
yard in real time. This has greatly reduced the number of
phone calls between the site, the operations center, and the
carriers. Plus, yard personnel no longer have to field phone
calls about the status of loads and trailers. “[People] can see
the data exchange going on from wherever they are,” says Rae.
The new system has also enabled Kraft to work more efficiently with its carriers. Kraft’s carriers can access the yard
management system through a Web portal, called “Carrier
View,” that lets them determine the status of their trailers in
the yard. “Ultimately, that will help them be able to manage
their own trailer pool, with the anticipation for us that it
will lead to overall better rates,” Rae says.
Approximately 15 of Kraft’s carriers have signed up for
Carrier View to date, and Kraft is actively encouraging
more of its carriers to participate. “The more of them that
are proactively managing [their fleets], the more it helps us
on our end to more effectively manage our yard,” says Rae.
In addition, Kraft has set up a kind of “express check-in
and check-out” program with its key carrier partners. The
program allows these carriers to permanently tag trailers
that frequently enter and exit Kraft’s yards, enabling them
to be processed much faster.
A clearer picture
As for the results to date, it appears that the RTLS has done
exactly what Kraft hoped it would do: bring order to its
chaotic yards. Kraft now knows precisely where trailers are,
when they arrived, and when they left. The company also
knows, in real time, where its yard trucks are and if they
are moving a trailer or are idle. And Kraft no longer has to
rely on a manual yard check process, where a person walks
the yard and writes down where a trailer is located. “As
opposed to looking for the trailers, the yard truck drivers
can now actually drive [straight] to that trailer and move
it,” adds Gollu.
The yard management system has also made communications more efficient. Instead of radioing back and forth
with the site, yard truck drivers receive “move” requests
over their onboard computers, and the closest yard truck
can be assigned to the move. Communications with carriers have improved as well.
Currently, Kraft is analyzing data from the installed systems in hopes of identifying other opportunities for
improving yard tractor utilization and yard spotter productivity. The company has already been able to reduce
spotting hours and equipment as well as eliminate one
overflow lot.
Perhaps most important of all, the PINC solution is helping Kraft better understand its own operations. “Certainly
from a corporate perspective, it helps us get a little bit more
of a pulse on what’s going on out in the field,” says Rae.
