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Quick Analytics

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A new feature has been added to the ANT-logistics toolbar — Quick Analytics. It allows you to display reports without going to the Analytics module. Thus, reports can be quickly retrieved from the service interface and compared with data from Documents or Directories.

Data display in Quick Analytics is set up in the Analytics module. Go to the report we need and select Visual Element Settings:

In the window that opens, on the On service tab, fill in the fields:

  • Link to table — select which Document or Directory on the service the selected visual element of the report should be linked to (currently available are the Directory of Sales Points, Directory of Vehicles, Document of Requests (Sales Points), Document of Routes, Document of Routes (Sales Points)). If there is no need to display Quick Analytics for the selected visual element — select No table;
  • Ignore filters — if necessary, select filters (fields) that you do not want to take into account when generating the report for Quick Analytics.

Click OK to save the changes.

After those actions, the selected visual element will be linked to the specified Document or Directory. Go to this Document or Directory, select any record (retail outlet, route, etc.) 1 and click the Quick Analytics button 2 — the linked visual element will be displayed (i.e., the table from Analytics). If multiple visual elements from Analytics are linked to one Document or Directory, they are displayed in Quick Analytics as tabs 3.

The tab names in Quick Analytics correspond to the Description in Analytics:

Below is an example of using Quick Analytics.

Let’s assume that we have a task to visually display information about the movement of the vehicle for the last three months, which is selected by the service during the route generation.

Let’s go to the Analytics — Route List and set the required period for generating report 1. Next, we will create the Route Report 2 visual element:

Select the necessary fields (in our case, these are Date, Vehicle Type, Distance, Travel time, Route Points Qty, Expences):

Let’s link this visual element to the Routes Document:

Information for the specified period will be displayed:

Next, in the service, go to the Routes Document 1 on the selected date, select the required record (for example, the route for MAN 1) 2 and click the Quick Analytics button 3. The Quick Analytics window will appear, which contains a table-extract from the associated Analytics report. The table displays all routes for the selected vehicle for the specified period:

If you select another record (route for Mercedes 1) and update Quick Analytics, the table content will change — it will display data for the Mercedes 1:

If, for example, you need to display data for all routes for the specified period in Quick Analytics, and not just for the selected car, then in Analytics, go to Visual Element Settings and in the On Service tab, in the Ignore filters field, set the filter «Vehicles«:

In this case, data filtering will not be performed by the «Vehicle» field and the Quick Analytics table will be displayed as follows:

To close the Quick Analytics window, click the Quick Analytics button again.

In addition, a search bar and a filter button for report fields have recently been added to Quick Analytics. The Route on the map are also available to our users.

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.

ANT-Logistics begins cooperation with LOGISTICON: new opportunities for logistics

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At ANT-Logistics, we are always looking for ways to make logistics easier, faster and more efficient. That is why we are pleased to announce our new partnership with LOGISTICON, an expert in the field of automation of warehouse and logistics processes.

What does this mean for our customers?

LOGISTICON offers modern solutions for warehouse management and analytics. Through cooperation, we will combine their experience with our technologies, complementing each other’s functionality, which will provide a comprehensive approach to managing logistics processes.

This will allow you to:

  • easily combine warehouse and transport operations;
  • automate processes that previously took a lot of time;
  • gain more control and transparency at every stage.

Why is this important?

Modern logistics is more than just delivering or storing goods. It is about the coordinated operation of all processes, where every second and every dollar counts. The joint work of ANT-Logistics and LOGISTICON will help our clients not only save resources, but also gain a competitive advantage through the use of modern technologies.

What’s next?

We are working to integrate the best LOGISTICON solutions into our platform as soon as possible. This is just the beginning, and there are many exciting changes ahead that will make your logistics even more efficient.

Stay with us — together we are creating the future of logistics!

Setting up route templates

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Many companies are faced with a situation where vehicles start their route from a garage, after which they need to drive to a certain gas station, load at a warehouse, possibly reload at intermediate warehouses (suppliers’ warehouses), make deliveries, return to the warehouse, to the garage. Is it common for you? Then set up a route template for each vehicle, specifying in it a sequence of visiting points for each day.

 Task 1. The vehicle needs to leave the garage, refuel at a certain gas station, load at the main warehouse, reload at the suppliers’ warehouses, deliver the goods to points, deliver documents to the main warehouse and return to the garage.
 
  1. Enter service points in the directory. Directories — Service points — add (+) — select Type (gas station or garage) — specify the Name — enter the Address — OK:
 
Add a gas station in the same way. In my case Gas Station 1.
 
To the main warehouse LVCenter, I added an intermediate one: LVC1. (there may be several warehouses)

2. Set up the template. Directories — Vehicles — select the desired vehicle — Route template. By default, the main warehouse LVCenter is picked up at the beginning and end of the route. These points need to be deleted from the template. Select point, delete 4:

The other points had to be also deleted.
 
  3. Add the required points to the route template. For this:
      — Press (+) :
      — in Point name — select the starting points of the route;
      — in Point type — Route start points;
      — Mandatory visit — Yes.
Then press the OK button.
In the same way, I added the Gas station 1 gas station, the main warehouse LVCenter and the intermediate warehouse: LVC1.
 
  4. Adding route endpoints, in Point type — specify End points of the route. The finished route template now looks like this:
The blue line in the template separates the start and end points of the route.
 
  5. Import delivery points, calculate the route, evaluate the result:
According to the template, the vehicle visited service points, warehouses, made deliveries, drove to the main warehouse and returned to the garage.
 
  Task 2. Now I will add 2 more intermediate warehouses: LVC2 and LVC3. But the conditions are such that you need to visit additional warehouses only if there is a product for delivery.
 
  1. I will add 2 more warehouses to the template as described above. 
Pay attention! Point type — starting points of the route. Mandatory visit — No:
Points with an optional visit in the template are highlighted in light gray.
 
  2. To display loading warehouses in requests, go to Directories — Table settings — Requests (SP) — Warehouse for loading — Show:

3. Now you need to make an Excel file for importing points. Add the column Warehouse_Name, and specify the loading warehouse (in my example LVC1 or LVC2):

4. Import points. Loading warehouses are displayed in the Requests:

5. Now you can calculate the route.

Despite the fact that the LV3 warehouse is included in the route template, it was not included in the route itself, because in this example, there is no unloadingt from it.

If you have 1-2 vehicles, routes can be manually adjusted by adding the necessary points to them. But, as you can see, you have to manage a fleet of at least 5-7 vehicles (and many of our clients have dozens of them), it is much easier to set up a template for each vehicle once. This significantly saves time while planning and eliminates possible errors.

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.

Wrapping Up 2024

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2024 is coming to an end, which means it’s time to sum it up. We are constantly working to make our service even more convenient and efficient. What have we managed to implement in 2024?

Firstly, when forming routes, you can now use actual data from visiting points. Accurate calculation parameters mean a balanced route, which means faster delivery.

Secondly, there is an opportunity to change the order of visiting points. You can quickly adjust the route, and no surprises, such as traffic jams, accidents on the roads or additional orders, will get you.

Thirdly, we also took care of drivers. When calculating the route, you can automatically schedule a break in work at the right time.

An option separately account for mileage and fuel consumption in the city and out of town will allow you to better control your budget and find ways to save.

And what about API 2.0? Our developers have worked hard and significantly expanded the capabilities of this version, adding new methods for working with mobile commerce data. Now API 2.0 has become much more convenient to use.

Do you want to receive up-to-date data instantly? We thought about that too. Quick analytics has also been updated — reports can now be created and edited directly in the interface.

If it’s important for you to transport goods under certain conditions, use the updated functionality for product distribution by sections. Thanks to it, the cargo will be placed optimally, and incompatible goods will not be mixed.

And what about the mobile application?

This year, it received important updates that expanded its capabilities and simplified user experience. Now, your smartphone has become a full-fledged payment terminal. As we promised, we’ve implemented payment acceptance via Tap to Phone technology. Additionally, you can accept payments in cash or via QR code. You can enable one or multiple payment methods, depending on the company’s needs. Thanks to integration with Defin and VchAsno.Kasa services, the app now fully supports payment fiscalization, meeting all legal requirements.

And of course, the main focus – increasing calculation speed. We are constantly working on this, and I hope you are noticing the results.

What’s next?

In 2025, we are preparing even more innovations. The service will become faster, and the mobile app will gain additional features. Planned updates include new options for route calculation, such as ‘alternative delivery points.’ There are also other ideas in the works that will be a pleasant surprise for users. And of course, we will continue to listen to your feedback and comments, as they are what help us grow.

Happy New Year!

We announce the possibility of international routes

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More than 900 clients in different countries of the world have routes using our service. Clients, who are engaged in international routes, increasingly began to contact us. Nevertheless, international routes were technically complicated, so we had to refuse them. But  ANT-Logistics reaches a new level — international routes.

Now international carriers will have access to:

  • Control over the actual turnover of transport units;
  • Formation of analytical documentation;
  • Accounting of profitability;
  • Fuel consumption accounting.

If you want to know more about this functionality — leave your application on the ANT-Logistics site or contact to your manager.

Password: how to save your personal data

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A password is the foundation of security that many people neglect by using simple passwords or passwords that are the same for all resources. Of course, it is easier to use a short password that is easy to remember, but this can become a serious threat to your online security. To protect yourself and your information, you need to choose long, reliable and complex passwords. At the same time, it is desirable to keep them relatively easy for one’s own memorization.

You might be wondering, why do I need a strong password? Of course, most sites are well protected, but there is always a small chance that someone will try to access your information. Therefore, a strong password is the best way to protect it from hackers.

Undoubtedly, large services take care of the security of their customers. E-mails, social networks and online banking always require the use of passwords that meet the necessary security requirements, because these resources contain important information.

Logistic services also store confidential user information: names and addresses of customers, vehicle routes, analytical and financial data, etc. Therefore, the logistics service must provide not only optimal routing, but also reliable storage of personal data.

In the cloud service for transport automation of ANT-Logistics, the requirement for the security of personal data is implemented as follows: each user can set the desired level of password reliability depending on the importance of the information uploaded to the service:

  • there are no password requirements;
  • the password must be strong (contain at least 8 characters, include upper and lower case letters, as well as numbers);
  • the password must be strong and changed every six months (the service will remind you of the need to change the password).

Moreover, the developers of ANT-Logistics have a plan to add two-factor authentication in the near future. This will provide a more effective protection of the account against unauthorized access. Today, two-factor authentication is one of the most strong protection mechanisms.

It is worth noting that large services take care of the security of their users’ data, but often small forums, online trackers, and online stores neglect this and become a delicacy for hackers. Therefore, it is not recommended to use the same passwords for different services.

And finally, don’t ignore simple opportunities to strengthen your data protection. Maybe it’s time to change your password on important resources?

Directories: User Fields

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Many clients of ANT-Logistics successfully use user fields that allow you to enter and transfer auxiliary information. Some of these clients are faced with the necessity to “save” user fields, since their limited number does not always make it possible to display all the data. We decided to fix this issue — now we have created a new User Fields Directory, in which you can create an unlimited number of fields, as well as edit and delete them.

Let’s go to the Directory User fields and add an entry by pressing +. Fill in the fields in the box that opens:

  • Code — filled in automatically, but can be changed;
  • Name — the name of the user field;
  • User ident. – identifier that is used for loading data via the API;
  • Belongs – the entity to which the field will belong (Sale points, Vehicles, Requests (Sale points));
  • Data type – field format (string, date, time, etc.).

Created user fields are displayed only in properties by default. To change, go to the Directory. Table settings 1.

Click on the required lines 2 (Directory/sale points, Directory/Vehicles or Document/Requests (Sale points)).

In the sub box, by double clicking on the line with the previously created user field 3, we will call up the Edit Record 4 box, in which we note the need to show or hide this field. 

After the performed actions, the user fields will be displayed in the corresponding Directory (Sale points,Vehicles) or Document (Requests) 1.  To enter information into them, you need to open the Editing Record box 2 and fill in the corresponding field 4 in the User fields tab 3.

Pay attention! User fields created in the User Fields Directory are marked with u (user) 5.

User fields, by analogy with other fields of Directories and Documents, can be imported, exported and displayed in the analytical module.

We believe that the completed revision will allow our users to use the service as efficiently as possible and enter all the information necessary for work without unnecessary “savings” of fields.

 

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.

Sending links to done routes

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 Often it becomes necessary to share the generated routes with colleagues from related departments. For example, it is important for the sales department to understand by whom and when the order will be delivered to the client. 

This is easy to do in the Ant Logistics service. Just copy the link to the route and send it to the right person or department:

Click on the desired route — click get link — copy the link — send to the selected recipient:

By clicking on the link, the recipient can see the route, the order of detour points, but cannot make changes to the route. By clicking on the point, in the properties, information will be displayed with the name and address of the delivery point, the number in the route and the time of arrival at the point:

Similarly, you can send links to the actual completed routes. Sending links to routes to the right departments will save you from unnecessary calls and save time.

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.

Routes: statuses and editing restrictions

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We received many requests to add functionality that would prohibit making changes to routes, for example, after they have been approved. We have added this feature. The new system of restrictions and prohibitions of editing routes can be customized by the administrator individually for his own, already established, processes. Choosing one or another status, you can completely or partially prohibit editing routes by users. As a result, from such a route it will no longer be possible, for example, to delete points, change the order of visiting them, etc.:

By going to the Route Statuses directory, you can use statuses by setting up prohibitions and accesses in them. Let’s consider an example of editing the Verified status. To do this, double-click on it, and in the Name field change the name to Waiting for verification:

Going to the Forbidden tab, we will set restrictions on the execution of actions to edit the route to which this status will be assigned. For example, let’s choose 2 prohibitions: Delete route and Remove points fom the route. 

The last tab is Access, here you can restrict the logistician’s rights to change this route status. If you select a Logist, he will be able to change the status of the route to any other to which he has access. If you leave Administrator, the logist will not be able to change this status. In this example, we will prohibit the logist from changing this route status:

After pressing the OK button, the changes made are saved:

Now let’s go to Routes, double-click on the route that needs to be changed to the status Waiting for verification. Set this status in the Route status field, and save the changes by clicking OK:

Now any user who has access to this route through the web service will not be able to remove points from it and will also not be able to delete this route:

If a user with Logist access tries to change this status, such an attempt will be blocked, and a corresponding notification will be displayed on the screen:

According to the described principle, you can edit other statuses, or create your own, giving them your own names, setting up prohibitions and accesses to change statuses.


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. 
 

Automation of the online store delivery service

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We all had to be in the role of a buyer of an online store, and if we order goods for home delivery, then everyone knows what it means «delivery will be approximately in the afternoon», i.e. the recipient needs to allocate almost a whole day in anticipation of delivery, which can be performed even in the evening. You must admit, it will be very convenient for you, as a client, specify the exact time range during which the order will be delivered to you. This article describes how, using the ANT-Logistics service, you can deliver orders to your customers at a specified time. Your customers will quickly appreciate it and will certainly come back for new purchases.

In order for the system to correctly generate a schedule for the movement of cars by delivery points, the following parameters must be entered:

     •  Average vehicle speed — if you do not know the average speed of vehicles on the route — indicate 25 km/h 1;

     •  If delivery is carried out by trucks (vehicles that fall under the signs restricting the movement of trucks) — indicate the type of vehicle Truck 2. If delivery is carried out by vehicles with a carrying capacity of up to 3.5 tons — indicate the type Cars for such vehicles.

     •  Also indicate the beginning and end of the driver’s working 3:

Pay attention! If you are delivering bulky, heavy goods, you must select the required units for accounting for the capacity of vehicles: pieces, kg, m3, and set restrictions of their capacity in the properties.

The list of applications must be uploaded as an Excel file, in which:

     •  In the column Unload_Time — you need to specify the average time the vehicle is at one or another delivery point;

     •  If the client ordered delivery within the specified time range — in the TimeWork_Beg and TimeWork_End columns — indicate the beginning and end of the working time for delivery to the point:

In the Service — Settings , set the values as in the illustration below:

Note! If you also take into account the capacity of vehicles — Penalty coefficient for vehicle overload, m/kg, set to High.

After calculating the routes, make sure that there are no delays to the points and there are no overworkings of the driver (there are no warnings in the route number area) and the specified time  for individual points are observed, in the example, this is point Kangoo 364 with a specified delivery time window of 11:00-12:00. Now you can send an SMS notification to your customers with the delivery time:

For those online stores that combine the delivery of customer orders and the collection of goods from the supplier, the functionality of «intermediate loading warehouses» is offered. Routes in this case are optimized in such a way that delivery to customers is carried out on the way to the next supplier. Assistance in setting up and training this functionality is provided by ANT-Logistics experts. To receive it, you need to make a request to support@ant-logistics.com

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.