Prima Distribution

Designed to please

Prima Distribution operates a fleet of vehicles delivering fashion garments to the UK’s major High Street retail chains.

With 30 trucks based in the UK and 32 delivering goods directly to customers’ warehouses from Eastern Europe, the company needs to be able to track each consignment, giving accurate delivery information to its customers. The Navman
Wireless solution, running over the Vodafone GPRS network, is giving Prima exactly what it wants.

Prima Distribution is a well-known name in the fashion industry, delivering more than 40 million garments a year to the leading names in High Street fashion, such as New Look and Matalan. Operational headquarters are based in London, with depots in Weymouth, Leicester, Oldham and Stoke-on-Trent. Prima Distribution collects and delivers clothes from warehouses to major volume fashion stores across the UK, and also collects from across Eastern Europe and delivers directly to the customer’s warehouse. 

Vehicle tracking eliminates the guesswork

As there can be around 20,000 fashion garments in each truck, it is vital that head office has timely and accurate information about every journey.“Essentially, it’s about providing quality customer service,” said Managing Director Ray Halford. “Our customers need to know when they can expect their consignments to be delivered, and with the new system, we can give them an accurate update on exactly where the truck is and what time it will arrive. “Before this, we would have to telephone the drivers, who would tell us roughly where they were and give us an estimated time of arrival.

They could be held up in traffic, or have to follow a diversion, and we would then have to call again to find out where they were. “Now, we can look at a screen and see exactly where they are at any one time and tell our customers. We no longer have to guess.”

The permanent connection and speed of Vodafone’s GPRS technology, is a tremendous boost. Information is updated constantly, and head office gain a whole range of useful information, such as start and stop times for each delivery and which route the driver has taken.

“Having the Navman system installed in our trucks has removed the human element in tracking our deliveries,” added Ray Halford. “We also know exactly how many miles each driver has done, at what speed and what route has been taken. This provides us with very useful historical data.

“Now, when we discuss the route chosen by drivers, we can show them that an alternative might have been a better option. “This gives us opportunities to reduce our mileage with better route planning, and means less time is wasted on deliveries.”

Prima Distribution implemented the Navman solution after an earlier tracking system proved to be disappointing. Six months after installation, the organisation is very satisfied with the new system, especially as mobile costs are being reduced.
Ray Halford has also seen his landline costs decrease, as he no longer needs to make several calls to drivers to check on progress.

“Our customers need to know when they can expect their consignments to be delivered, and with the new system, we can give them an accurate update on exactly where the truck is and what time it will arrive.”

“Essentially, it’s about providing quality customer service.”