Glanbia, one of Ireland’s major food companies, has won recognition for its carbon reducing initiatives from the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).
Transport technology played an important part in winning the peer-reviewed CILT Environmental Award, with a computerised routing and scheduling solution from Paragon Software Systems taking a key role in reducing Glanbia’s environmental impact, while improving the efficiency of its delivery operation.
Glanbia has been using the Paragon routing and scheduling system since September 2009 for its chilled distribution fleet. The system has enabled the company to reduce the size of its fleet while improving efficiency and service. The solution includes Paragon Route Execution software for integrated satellite vehicle tracking, allowing Glanbia’s transport management team to compare actual fleet activity against the delivery plan.
“This award recognises the positive impact on carbon emissions that optimal routes and schedules can play in assisting a reduced carbon footprint. The ‘green agenda’ is now a function of a company’s corporate and social responsibility policy. Operational and supply chain functions can contribute to this area given the levels of carbon emissions from distribution centres, transport operations, manufacturing plants and packaging consumption. Paragon is a world-class routing and scheduling system that takes our customer requirements, adds in any over-riding delivery constraints and optimises the transport costs via construction of logical routes. Such optimisation ‘greens’ the supply chain,” says John Mee, Supply Chain Manager, Glanbia Consumer Products.
Glanbia received the prize at the second Irish Logistics and Transport Awards held at Dublin’s Burlington Hotel on 10th February 2011. The awards were presented before a full house of industry representatives from all over Ireland. The event attracted sponsorship from the CILT, Ireland’s Health & Safety Authority, the Irish Independent newspaper, the mobile computing firm Heavey RF, consultants Solving Efeso, courier Nightline and Pallet Network.
“We are delighted to have won this award and we are proud of our achievements. We are working hard towards providing a carbon neutral transport service and have already reduced our CO2 emissions by approximately 16 per cent over the last two years. The Paragon routing and scheduling system has helped us achieve outstanding performance towards this and it is also reducing our delivery costs by improving the accuracy of our transport plans,” says Denis Conway, Logistics Manager, Glanbia. “Our overall environmental delivery performance has increased significantly with this technology.”
Glanbia also made the final nominations in the category of “Supply Chain Integration” for its work on network modelling.
Glanbia is one of Ireland’s largest food companies and is the supplier of Yoplait, Avonmore and Kilmeaden dairy produce. The company’s Consumer Foods division is the largest branded food supplier into the Irish grocery sector with more food brands in The Top 100 than any other supplier. Using its Paragon planned fleet, Glanbia makes over 2,500 deliveries a week to a wide range of customers, including most supermarkets and convenience stores operating throughout Ireland’s 26 counties.
Photo Caption: Paul Mallee, President of CILT presents the Environmental Award to Glanbia’s Logistics Manager, Denis Conway.
