Hanson Plywood Limited: Improving customer experience through vehicle tracking technology

The challenge: Improving customer experience through vehicle tracking technology

Hanson Plywood, a provider of bespoke wood panels in the UK, has made a further commitment to its goal of being at the forefront in both environmental practice and technical standards, through the implementation of Geotab’s telematics services.

Established in 1987 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, the company boasts its own dedicated fleet of thirteen vehicles which deliver products to a wide-range of customers throughout the UK. For a medium-sized business however, having its own fleet brings with it a number of issues, namely the ability to track vehicles in real-time with the aim of sharing accurate delivery times with customers.

To solve this challenge and improve the customer experience, Hanson Plywood knew that it needed a fleet monitoring system that measured vehicle location as well as vehicle and driver performance. This is where Geotab and its innovative telematics technology – which also enables improved fleet safety, productivity and efficiency – came to the fore.

The solution: Geotab GO device and open platform

Prior to implementing a telematics system, Hanson Plywood was only able to locate drivers by phoning them. Not only was this distracting for the drivers, it was also potentially dangerous and put drivers at risk of breaking the law by using a phone while driving. To stop this practice in its tracks, the organisation set itself a goal to find and install a telematics solution that could track vehicles in real-time, helping its transport team to accurately and safely predict arrival times at customer drops and back at site.

Needing a comprehensive telematics solution that could support this business objective, the answer was Geotab’s GO device – a compact telematics device that attaches into a vehicle’s OBD II port. Offering state- of-the-art GPS technology, g-force monitoring, IOX expandability and engine and battery health assessments, the device is accompanied by MyGeotab software. This allows fleet managers at Hanson Plywood to view on one platform not only the location of their entire fleet of vehicles, but also all vehicle and driver information, from a desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet with the MyGeotab app.

The results: A more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective business

Through its use of Geotab’s solutions, Hanson Plywood reached its target and can now view real-time updates on vehicle locations. While this benefits customers by providing them with greater certainty on delivery times, it also allows the fleet managers at Hanson Plywood to plan drivers’ daily schedules more efficiently.

Alongside this, all members of staff have access to a Geotab account – be it goods inward, transport, sales or accounts – which, when used with the Geotab GO device, has allowed for better maintenance of the fleet by informing teams of faults registered by the vehicles’ on-board computers. Using this method, Hanson Plywood can manage its business in a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly way, all while ensuring customer satisfaction.

Joe Walshe, operations and systems manager at Hanson Plywood Limited said, “Geotab has gone above and beyond the initial goal we set out to achieve through vehicle tracking. Here at Hanson Plywood, we’re committed to helping the environment and while this has historically been through our use of properly sourced and sustainable resources, Geotab is helping our fleet become more environmentally-friendly – it’s a real bonus.”

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From the fleet manager

“We are now able to monitor and improve fuel consumption and predict CO2 emissions allowing us to monitor our environmental impact under our ISO 14001 certified environmental management system, all thanks to Geotab.”

— Joe Walshe, Operations and Systems Manager at Hanson Plywood Limited