Tank trucks. Distribute products by vehicle sections

 Recently, we faced a non-standard task - our client, a large manufacturer of cheeses and other dairy products, needed to build routes taking into account the distribution of goods by sections of vehicles. According to the client's requirements, while calculating routes, it was necessary to take into account the carrying capacity and number of sections in vehicles, the specific order of filling sections, as well as industry rules for mixing products.

As a result of solving the task, a new functionality appeared in ANT-Logistics, which allows you to build traffic routes, taking into account the most efficient distribution of goods among vehicle sections. This option will be useful for companies involved in the transportation of petroleum products, liquid food products, chemical products and other cargoes, for which vehicles with a division of the cargo compartment into sections are used.

To understand how the new functionality works, let's take the following example.

The company has a fleet of Milktrucks divided into sections of different carrying capacity. When collecting milk from points, it is necessary to separate different types of milk into different sections of vehicles. Milk is divided into 3 types:

1. milk of the 1st category;
2. milk of the 2nd category;
3. skimmed milk.

To distribute products by vehicle sections and calculate routes, perform the following actions:

1. Let's go to Service-Settings. On the Accounting tab 1, in the Use product groups field 2 , select Yes. Then, in the Keep records in kg (weight) field, specify Yes, in the fields Keep records in units (pcs) and Keep records in m3 (volume) - No 3

Pay attention! While calculating using sections, it is always necessary to select accounting for goods by weight, even if the actual goods are not by weight and are measured, for example, in liters.

2. In the Product Groups  Directory 1, using the +  button 2, create several groups: Milk 1, Milk 2, Skimmed Milk. For each group, we indicate a separate type of product 3 (not Auto).

3. In the Products Directory 1, we will create a product, assigning each of them a product group 2.

4. Add a warehouse to the Directory Warehouses 1 - in our example, this is Factory.

5. In the Vehicle 1 Directory , we will add vehicles. For each Milktruck, in the General 2 tab, we indicate the Load capacity (in accepted units - in our case, in liters). 

6. In the subwindow of the Vehicle Directory in the Sections 1 tab, using the buttons of the control panel 2, we will enter sections for each vehicle, indicating their capacity 3.

Pay attention! The total load capacity of the sections can either coincide with the load capacity of the vehicle or exceed it. In any case, when filling sections with goods, the service controls that the total load capacity of the machine is not exceeded. For example, with a total vehicle capacity of 10,000 accounting units and a carrying capacity of three sections of 5,000 accounting units, the goods can completely fill two sections of 5,000 accounting units or partially fill three sections so that in total they do not exceed 10,000 accounting units.

7. Go to the Editing Record window for each created vehicle and in the Loading sections 1 tab, enter all valid templates for filling sections 2. In the templates, specify the order in which sections are filled using the numerical designations of the sections and the “-” sign between them. For example, 1-3-2 means that section #1 will be loaded first, then section #3, and section #2. In our example, for a three-section Milktruck, we will indicate all possible loading options: 1-2-3, 1-3-2, 2-1-3, 2-3-1, 3-1-2, 3-2-1.

If the section filling patterns are specified incorrectly, the service will generate an error at the route calculation stage.

Pay attention! While calculating, a section is considered conditionally filled if at least one product in any volume falls into it. For example, if section № 1 with a capacity of 3000 liters gets a product with a volume of 10 liters, then the next section can already be filled (according to the templates). In the future, section № 1 can be supplemented with goods of the same type. It should also be noted that a product from one application can occupy several sections.

Prepare an Excel file for importing delivery points by specifying the weight and product code (QtyW, Product_Id):

Pay attention! If there is a need to pick up different types of products from one point, then it is necessary to create several requests - table rows (as in our example it is indicated for WRE1,WRE4,WRE11).

9. Upload the file to the server. When generating routes, in Additional parameters 1, select the Compatibility tab 2. In the Vehicle section control rule 3 field, select Separate and  account for compatibility.

10. In the Additional parameters on the General tab, the selected settings for generating routes will be displayed:

11. While forming routes, the service will distribute the goods among milk trucks, taking into account the types of goods at points, the number and load capacity of sections of vehicles, as well as patterns of filling sections. 

In the above example, routes were calculated with the distribution of goods into sections based on the basic settings of the service. But to solve practical problems, the presented new functionality is successfully combined with all the other features of Ant Logistics: profitability calculation, creation of geo-zones, etc.

It should also be noted that the settings specified in the example are performed once, and the routine process of importing applications is significantly accelerated after integration with the user's accounting system.

If you are interested in the described functionality, we are ready to demonstrate its operation, perform the necessary settings and provide access to the service. To do this, leave a request on the ANT-Logistics website.