Logistics company streamlines and gains more transparency into operations using ESP Maestro.

October 15, 2024
Client: Waterfront Logistics
Location: Fort Worth, Texas

INTRODUCTION

Waterfront Logistics optimizes supply chain operations while reducing workload on resources and assets using ESP Maestro

Waterfront Logistics provides comprehensive supply chain solutions across major transportation and port gateways. Their services encompass intermodal drayage, FTL, dedicated fleets, transloading, warehousing, distribution, and trailer and container parking.

Because of the complexity and time involved in managing multiple operations, Waterfront Logistics uses ESP Maestro to streamline operations and provide more visibility into what was happening in each area of the business. Maestro also leveraged Esri Technologies to assist with mapping and the application of location intelligence.

“… Visibility and actionable data are critical within the supply chain to improve speed to market and reduce cost. The ESP platform provides us that ability to consolidate our operating systems into a single platform, digest data, and action meaningful outcomes...”

Bill Peratt, CEO, Waterfront Logistics

CHALLENGE

Waterfront Logistics faced a common industry challenge- siloed operations that did not provide for real-time monitoring, predictions, visibility, and reporting across the organization. This resulted in limited real-time data for informed decision-making.

Like many expanding transportation companies, Waterfront accumulated multiple standalone technologies over the years, requiring employees to spend hours compiling data from multiple sources to generate reports or gather relevant information to solve problems. Employees spent more time on administrative work and data combing, reducing their time to concentrate on running operations.

The systems didn’t talk to each other giving the company an unclear picture of what was really happening with things like loads, pickup status, and capacity availability.

Example of real-time asset and terminal monitoring

SOLUTION

ESP integrated all Waterfront’s telematics, dispatching, and yard management systems, as well as data from IoT devices into Maestro. Real-time sensor data, historical data, and business data such as dispatching and resource hours, were used to establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for ongoing predictive and actionable insights. This integration advanced Waterfront Logistics’ reporting capabilities, automated alerting, and streamlined communications.

Combining dispatch data with real-time telematics provided focused insights and visibility into driver movements within and outside terminals and yards. Waterfront Logistics now had real-time detection of unscheduled movements, predictive terminal and yard wait times, and identification of anomalies such as bobtails, excessive dwell, and idling.

ESP Maestro uses learning models to better understand the patterns of movements across the entire fleet. For Waterfront Logistics, patterns were created by combining dispatching, terminal, and driver availability data. This helped them streamline their asset sequencing, maximizing fleet productivity.

Maestro used the power of Esri technologies, to create a digital twin representation of their yard with real-time container data, giving managers access to real-time information on container locations, ownership, type, temperature, motion state, and door state. Onscreen and mobile alerts for employees and yard security were also added.

Illustration of the ESP Maestro Learning Cycle

BENEFITS

Waterfront Logistics has seen improvements in ease of reporting and insight into idling, dwell, and driver performance. These advancements have led to current initiatives that include machine learning-based events, real-time messaging, a holistic network understanding, and enhanced movements, turn times, and leg counts, ensuring more visibility and profitability.

Employees’ ability to go to the Maestro dashboard and access all the information gathered from each existing system enables them to spend more time concentrating on improving operations and problem solving, increasing worker productivity.

In the future, as Maestro's machine learning continues to grow and gain deeper understanding of Waterfront Logistics’ operations, it will continue to generate stronger and stronger actionable insights and improvements.