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“Our MANNtrak system via Macquarie Telecom’s GPRS VPN is helping to keep us in front
of our competition. GPRS is delivering significant productivity improvements for us and substantial
customer service edges for our client base.”
Andrew Cope, Division Manager,
Mannway Logistics Pty Ltd
Overview
For Mannway Logistics, business is about more than just moving goods from A to B. The company’s
expertise extends to contract transport, warehousing and intermodal distribution services.
Its blue-chip clients are household names and include the country’s largest steel producers.
With business growing exponentially in recent years, Mannway developed a new, in-vehicle
computer system to communicate with its hundreds of drivers.
Called MANNtrak, the system uniquely integrates handheld computers, mobile phones and Global
Positioning System (GPS) technology to provide accurate, real-time communication and vehicle
delivery tracking data for the benefit of the company and its clients.
Finding a reliable carrier and secure wireless technology to provide the communication
platform for this system was essential. After careful assessment, Mannway chose Macquarie
Telecom’s General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Virtual Private Network (VPN) solution.
This GPRS VPN now provides Mannway’s MANNtrak system with secure, always-on connectivity
across Australia.
The Opportunity
In business since 1979, Mannway Logistics has a fleet of 600 vehicles, 800 staff and an
annual turnover of $150 million. The company offers comprehensive logistics solutions involving
road, rail, warehousing, cross docking and/or transportation using different types of vehicles.
Intermodal terminals and eight distribution centres in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are
significant components of Mannway’s business and are strategically located to serve Australia’s
eastern seaboard.
One of the keys to Mannway’s quarter century of success has been the information technology
it has developed to underpin its day-to-day operations. In 2004-2005, the company began in-house
development of MANNtrak, an enhancement of the “Opus” system out of the UK that would make
it easier and faster to communicate with its fleet of drivers and to track consignments.
MANNtrak provides a constant flow of data between Mannway’s hundreds of vehicles, its distribution
centres and head office. It was designed to increase the amount of information gleaned from
each vehicle’s operation, while reducing the amount of paperwork generated by each driver.
Mannway wanted to achieve greater fleet accountability by accurately tracking the location,
performance and profitability of each vehicle. It also wanted to provide its customers with
immediate and more accurate information regarding the delivery status of their goods.
Once programming of the MANNtrak system was complete, the next step was to find a reliable
telecommunications platform that could operate at the highest levels of availability and security.
The Solution
Mannway found that Macquarie Telecom’s GPRS VPN solution could cost-effectively answer
all of MANNtrak’s technical requirements. Macquarie Telecom was already working with Mannway
to drive down the cost of its 250-plus mobile phone fleet through greater cost control and
increased fleet management capabilities. A substantial degree of understanding and confidence
already existed between the two organisations.
To implement the MANNtrak system, Macquarie Telecom purpose built an interface between
the GPRS network, its managed hosting facility, the Intellicentre and Mannway’s data network.
This included:
- Establishment of access via the Macquarie Telecom Private APN (Access Point Name)
with secure dedicated connection to Mannway’s head office in Hampton Park, Victoria.
- An authentication server at the Intellicentre to ensure that only trusted devices
are able to access the solution via the APN. This also ensures Mannway’s mobile devices
can only connect to its head office via the GPRS network when the correct username and
password associated with the mobile service are entererd.
- High-availability, multi-carrier, dual accesses between the GPRS network and Macquarie
Telecom’s Intellicentre to ensure increased coverage on highways across Australia.
- Seamless connectivity for each allocated GSM SIM to an IP address located in Mannway’s
internal network delivered via Macquarie Telecom’s frame relay service.
Macquarie Telecom’s GPRS VPN solution was designed to provide constant secure access to
Mannway’s data network, its corporate applications and the internet. Only the GSM services
with an allocated IP address are able to communicate with Mannway’s own internal network.
The packet switching inherent in the technology platform means that GPRS radio resources
are used only when data is sent or received. This cost-effective and efficient use of valuable
radio resources means that large numbers of Mannway GPRS users can share the same bandwidth.
This private and secure access link provided by Macquarie Telecom’s GPRS VPN also allows
Mannway to develop and upgrade the range of its applications at will. This means the company
can enhance productivity, improve its customer service and increase the safety and job satisfaction
levels of its mobile workforce into the future.
Results
The rollout of the MANNtrak system on the Macquarie Telecom GPRS VPN network has seen the
technology deliver on its promise to reduce paperwork and increase operational efficiencies
and customer service innovation. It also provides real-time data so managers can accurately
assess the profit generated by each vehicle on the network. Driver safety is enhanced by the
network’s real-time link to home base, coupled with the system’s GPS location module.
“It is no secret that most drivers hate paperwork,” said Cope. “This was a chore they used
to face at the end of every job. Now data is electronically streamed back to us in real-time
via the mobile data network.”
The MANNtrak system enables the vehicle supervisor to accurately forecast arrival times
of vehicles at customers’ premises. Should any delays jeopardise deadlines, the supervisor
can either call by phone or type a message onto the driver’s MANNtrak screen. Customers are
also able to access MANNtrak, which provides the status of product deliveries via the Mannway
website.
“We can now keep track of every work order performed by every Mannway truck, every day
which means we can now accurately track profit in real time,” he said.
“We are confident that our MANNtrak system via Macquarie Telecom’s GPRS VPN is helping
to keep us in front of our competition. GPRS is delivering significant productivity improvements
for us,” concluded Cope.
“Macquarie has delivered on its service promise, taken joint responsibility for driving
costs down and willingly embraced any new projects we threw at them.”
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