Descartes Systems Group, the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, has announced that Blueleaf, a leading provider to the care home industry, is using its route planner and mobile electronic proof-of-delivery (ePOD), and Descartes’ driver vehicle safety check solutions to improve delivery accuracy, efficiency and driver safety, whilst reducing the environmental impact of its fleet operations across the U.K. and Ireland.

“The pandemic has put immense pressure on the health and social care sector, and we wanted to further improve our internal operations to help care homes navigate the complexities and continue to deliver outstanding care,” said Rob Meredith, Group Head of Operations at Blueleaf. “The integrated route planning and ePOD solution allowed us to eliminate inefficient and ecologically unfriendly paper-based processes, provide customers with a COVID-safe ePOD option, and improve delivery documentation accuracy. Descartes also helped to improve safety across the fleet, ensure compliance and minimise driver risk.”

Blueleaf’s fleet delivers a wide range of products to care homes across the U.K and Ireland, including bedding, furniture, cleaning products, personal protective equipment (PPE), incontinence care and specialist equipment. In the wake of the pandemic, as the care home sector became a high-risk environment for the daily distribution of essential products, Blueleaf adapted its existing delivery practices to make them COVID-safe. In addition, the Descartes’ solution allowed Blueleaf to streamline the overall delivery process, ensure compliance with daily walk-around vehicle safety checks, and facilitate more environmentally-friendly delivery decisions.

Descartes’ route planner and mobile solution provides an easy and affordable way to optimise and dispatch routes as well as track delivery status in real-time. This cloud-based route optimisation and execution solution combines sophisticated planning and exceptional functionality in an easy-to-use environment. It optimises delivery routes by considering geographic location, customer time windows, vehicle capacities and other physical constraints. Descartes’ vehicle safety check app records the time, location and duration of essential checks. This ensures that any vehicle issues are identified and reported in real-time so that they can be rectified to maintain vehicle and driver safety.

“We’re pleased to support Blueleaf’s ability to deliver to care homes safely and efficiently, supplying them with the resources they need to provide exceptional care,” said Pol Sweeney, VP Sales and Business Manager UK for Descartes. “Our routing and mobile solutions not only allow fleet operators to maximise productivity and automate delivery tracking processes, but also to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”