LF&E Refrigerated Transport has upgraded its Paragon routing and scheduling software to meet growing demand for specialist temperature-controlled logistics services in the heavily-regulated pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. The company has adopted Paragon Multi Depot to support the planned opening of a further MRHA-approved warehouse facility in Northampton later this year, which will enhance its ability to provide nationwide deliveries of high-value and sensitive products.

“We work with some of the largest pharmaceutical, medical, healthcare and clinical trial organisations in both the private and public sectors, so it is essential our capabilities meet strict regulatory requirements,” explains Jason Buckley, Managing Director at LF&E Refrigerated Transport. “In addition, service excellence is vitally important to our reputation and the growth of our business. Paragon’s routing and scheduling software ensures we provide our customers with on-time deliveries and effective communications, while being able to control costs and grow our service capabilities.”

Paragon’s routing and scheduling software has been used for the past two years to create daily transport plans from LF&E’s head office in West Yorkshire, for a fleet of 40 refrigerated vans and a highly-trained team of 55 full-time drivers. The company provides guaranteed and timed deliveries – typically Monday to Friday in two-hour windows – with text notifications the day before to increase delivery success. Using Paragon’s software, LF&E has continuously achieved a first-time delivery rate of 98.9 per cent for around 1500 consignments every week.

LF&E is also using Paragon’s routing and scheduling software as a strategic modelling tool to make informed decisions about the location of new sites. The company had already identified a number of potential sites for a new depot and was then able to use the software to analyse the impact of each on the transport operation and pinpoint the best location. In particular, LF&E was able to identify a potential 800-mile a day route saving for the Northampton site, which when fully operational will reduce cost per delivery and enable the fleet to handle more consignments.

“Maximising use of our vehicles and drivers is critical to the efficiency of our operation, but the nature of the work means we also need to be able to factor in longer visits for certain visits or patients. The flexibility of Paragon’s routing and schedule software allows us to achieve this essential balance between operational excellence and duty of care,” concludes Jason Buckley.

William Salter, Managing Director of Paragon Software Systems comments: “The pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors have increasingly complex supply chains with stringent planning, monitoring and auditing requirements for transport operations. By working closely with LF&E, we are able to help them use the wide variety of functionality available within our routing and scheduling software to deliver a quality and compliant service that supports business growth plans too.”

Paragon Multi Depot

About the Author: John Loughran