In The News

Omnitracs' Roadnet Anywhere Reduces Costs, Increases Profitability for Kowalski Sausage Company

By Contributing Writer
Posted Mar 23rd 2016 12:00PM


Routing & Dispatching Solution Prompts Improved Performance with Control and Transparency

DALLAS, March 23, 2016  -- Omnitracs, LLC, a global pioneer of fleet management solutions to transportation and logistics companies, today announced it has reached a significant milestone with its Roadnet Anywhere customer: Kowalski Sausage Company. Since implementing Omnitracs' Roadnet Anywhere Routing & Dispatching in February of 2015, Kowalski Sausage has realized a notable increase in profitability, and has reduced routing expenses by more than an estimated 60 percent. The Roadnet Anywhere platform provides a more holistic view of fleets, consolidating views of routing, dispatching, proof of delivery, telematics, customer notifications and business analytics in one place.

An iconic brand across home-state of Michigan and beyond, Kowalski Sausage Company has cultivated a reputation for authenticity, with its food rich in tradition. From its three production locations, Kowalski Sausage Company delivers to est. 500 grocery stores, convenience stores, distributors and warehouse clubs across Mich. and Ohio. The company currently operates a fleet of 10 trucks, and its raw and unprepared foods require refrigeration during transport, making on-time service vital. Direct store deliveries are made via ten daily weekday routes, with service windows ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to six hours.

"For a company like Kowalski Sausage dealing with perishable food items, timing, control and transparency is non-negotiable, both for the company itself and its customers. In order to ensure they're operating at optimal performance levels, they require real-time, objective information—unfettered access and visibility to route factors such as distance, time and cost," said Kevin Haugh, general manager of Omnitracs Roadnet Technologies. "Our Roadnet Anywhere SaaS fleet management platform has been able to successfully address each of those needs. In less than a year, we transformed fleet operations at Kowalski, delivering data-driven insights they can then leverage to improve business decisions surrounding fleet size, delivery size, lease lengths and other investments."

From a big-picture perspective, Kowalski Sausage uses Roadnet to plan daily routes and uses dispatch tools for reporting and troubleshooting. In fact, Roadnet Anywhere Routing & Dispatching creates the lowest cost routes for each day's deliveries, all while adhering to any rules or variances the Kowalski dispatch team implements based on customer needs. They can now create routes and monitor actual execution throughout the day to spotlight exceptions and proactively address problems.

"We've built a 95-year brand heritage around a passion for quality, both in our products and across business operations; implementing Roadnet Anywhere has helped us continue to deliver on that promise to our customers," said Crystal Towery, assistant controller, Kowalski Sausage Company. "In contrast to our past solution, we now have monitoring resources and tools at our fingertips and everything is based on actuals, so there's nothing subjective in the process. That makes a big difference when it comes to running a company effectively and efficiently. We know exactly where we need to improve our performance for the betterment of our customers and ultimately our bottom line."

Outside of the tangible growth in terms of profitability, Kowalski Sausage Company has also improved relations with its drivers, leading to improved employee satisfaction and longevity.

Towery adds, "With Roadnet, we're able to identify where our driver issues are, sit down with the driver and explain our observations, ultimately troubleshooting to determine what adjustments need to be made to reduce extended travel and service times. Now, drivers are under less stress, which creates better attitudes at customer locations and increases customer satisfaction. We have had more driver compliments over the past three months than we have had over the past three years."

Kowalski Sausage Company is also using Mobile Premium, which provides upgraded features such as signature capture, picture notes, and auto arrive/depart. For more information on all of the features and benefits attached to Omnitracs' Roadnet Anywhere platform, please visit: http://www.omnitracs.com/platforms/roadnet-anywhere.

About Omnitracs, LLC
Omnitracs, LLC is a global pioneer of fleet management, routing and predictive analytics solutions for private and for-hire fleets. Omnitracs' nearly 1,000 employees deliver software-as-a-service-based solutions to help more than 50,000 private and for-hire fleet customers manage nearly 1,500,000 mobile assets in more than 70 countries. The company pioneered the use of commercial vehicle telematics over 25 years ago and serves today as a powerhouse of innovative, intuitive technologies. Omnitracs transforms the transportation industry through technology and insight, featuring best-in-class solutions for compliance, safety and security, productivity, telematics and tracking, transportation management (TMS), planning and delivery, data and analytics, and professional services.