The Challenge: Manual Allocation at Scale
Operating out of a 25,000 sqm facility in Melbourne's western suburbs, our client was processing upwards of 12,000 consignments daily. Their legacy process involved a team of four 'dispatch controllers' manually assigning carriers based on simplified zone maps and institutional knowledge. As order volumes grew, this manual approach led to significant inefficiencies: inconsistent carrier selection, missed cut-offs, and rising Cost Per Delivery (CPD).
The Solution: OneTracker Multi-Carrier Engine (MCE)
We implemented OneTracker's MCE to automate the decision-making process. By digitizing 22 different carrier rate cards—each with unique tiered pricing, volumetric constants, and suburb-level surcharges—the system could evaluate every shipment in milliseconds. The criteria included not just cost, but performance data and real-time capacity constraints.
"The transition from manual spreadsheets to automated API-driven allocation felt like moving from a telegram to a fiber-optic network. The speed is incomparable." — Operations Manager
The Results: 90-Day Impact
Within the first three months of implementation, the 3PL saw a 23% reduction in average Cost Per Delivery. This was achieved through:
- Optimal Carrier Selection: Automatically choosing the cheapest carrier that met the delivery window.
- Consolidation: Better grouping of orders destined for the same postcode, allowing for improved bulk rates.
- Ops Efficiency: The dispatch team was redeployed to high-value warehouse management roles, as the system now handled 99% of allocations automatically.