GIANT FOOD GOES WIRELESS WITH TRUCK TRACKING

KIM ANN ZIMMERMANN

LANDOVER, Md. -- Giant Food here is installing wireless computers in its 225 trucks to provide instantaneous and cost-effective communication, alerting store managers of an approaching shipment and signaling drivers of changes in routes and schedules.

The project should be complete next month, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Giant Food declined to comment on the specifics of the project.

"Our old method of communicating with our drivers resulted in more than 1,200 phone calls per day, an expensive and highly inefficient method of communicating," stated Pam Sanford, general manager of transportation for the 172-store retailer, a division of Ahold USA, Atlanta. "With this new system we expect a one-year return on our investment from increased driver productivity, improved store service and more effective utilization of our capital assets," Sanford said.

The on-board computer is linked to the global positioning satellite network, so that the location of the truck is known at all times.

When the truck is within a short distance of the store, the wireless computer automatically sends a signal to the store manager. Many retailers are faced with improving the efficiency of unloading deliveries to the store. This system gives managers a more precise time frame of when a delivery will arrive, allowing store personnel to make the best use of their time.

"In addition, the system allows retailers to shorten the time drivers spend at the store, because the manager has a better idea of when the truck will arrive. The driver doesn't have to wait while the manager pulls people off of other jobs to unload the truck," the source said.

The system also improves driver efficiency on the road, according to the source, because they do not have to stop and call into headquarters numerous times each day to find out if there have been changes in their route.

Giant Food is using wireless terminals from Symbol Technologies, Holtsville, N.Y., and communication technology from Telcordia, Red Bank, N.J. The mobile system is linked to a transportation management system from Noblestar Systems, Reston, Va. The transportation management system, which runs on Unix hardware, automates transportation activity reporting, including equipment movement, delivery scheduling and driver assignments.