A programmable key system helped Schneider Logistics improve delivery operations.

Apr 1, 1998 12:00 PM, AC&SSI Staff

Getting products where they need to be, on time and on target safely, is what companies need and what people who deliver for them want to provide. As more and more deliveries are made at night to unattended facilities, security, accountability and tracking have become bigger parts of the equation.

The need to manage access to after-hours and unattended delivery sites prompted Schneider Logistics, Green Bay, Wis., to re-evaluate its key system.

Schneider provides transportation logistics management to many top companies in the United States. With that many sites to be delivered to, says Tim Hawkinson, carrier support manager for Schneider, the task of handling countless standard keys for mechanical locks became too much. Schneider found a solution in an electronic key box system made by Supra Products, Salem, Ore.

At first, notes Hawkinson, "There was some apprehension about switching systems. But everyone is comfortable with it now. The drivers like the convenience of the new system."

Before implementing the system a year ago, Schneider's delivery people relied on standard mechanical keys to gain access to delivery sites. Each driver used 25 or more keys per day. "It was a hassle," recalls Hawkinson.

The new, programmable system helps eliminate the need to carry traditional mechanical keys to multiple delivery points, and it tracks and records access and deliveries at each site - by location, time and date.

With the ability to provide independent verification of precise delivery time, Schneider now tracks its delivery times more accurately than was possible before.

"Before, it was very difficult to say when the deliveries were made," explains Hawkinson. "The carrier could tell us they were there, but now we have that visibility. It has really helped us from a compliance standpoint."

Key holders use a pager-size "intelligent" key, which works in conjunction with the key boxes to allow access only to authorized personnel.

The search for keys when an employee leaves, and the challenge of getting the right keys to substitute delivery in case of illness, are over for Schneider.

And using the electronic access control system is simple, adds Hawkinson. "I know our delivery people wouldn't want to go back."

As a delivery person arrives at a site, he enters his personal identification number into his electronic key and inserts it into the lock box. The box validates the delivery person's authorization to enter the building, and the delivery can be made. All of that is recorded by the electronic access system.

"We're now able to get fast and reliable information that can be passed back to our customers," explains Hawkinson of the long-range plans for delivery data.

Customer service at Schneider has been enhanced by the improved capability to make special drops, cover sick days more efficiently, and pick up return items. Since the drivers no longer need a key unique to each delivery location, they can make unscheduled stops whenever required.

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