Car Service – Port of Koper
Car PDI & PDS Centre Support
Challenge
In 2011 the company Avtoservis Koper situated in Port of Koper wanted to increase the efficiency and quality of services offered to its clients through IT computer support of the following procedures:
- marketing (demand, offers, negotiations, contracts, agreements);
- communication with clients about all vehicle data (order specifications);
- vehicle collection, handover;
- recording all services carried out on vehicles and providing information about the current state of vehicles;
- planning, monitoring and analysing the implementation of the operational work.
Solution
Together with the client we established an optimal solution which included the development of purpose web application ASK (see more photos), a wider use of the modules of the existing ERP – PANTHEON system and the development of a specific mobile software for managing processes on te field (vehicle data collection and handover).
The agreed technology platforms:
- ERP: Pantheon Slo SE00, SQL database on the Standard Edition of the MS Server;
- Ordering, planning and launching work orders for vehicles: purpose application, JAVA, ORACLE database, Linux;
- Field control and vehicle collection: purpose application for tablet computers (Android), equipped with a barcode reader, camera and GPS device.
Our development policy, enabling users of our applications to access their data from anywhere and from any device, the data being constantly updated and always available, focused on tablet computers using a two-way communication with the application and database in real time via a wireless connection to a local computer network.
The level of reliability was increased by the use of alternative paths (GPRS and WiFi) and the possibility to function in the off-line mode, when we transfer the operational data into the tablet computer, use them on field, refresh them with a local application and later transfer them in the operation database.
With the use of tablet computers we expanded the functionality and added value, since they enable the use of a bar code reader, the integrated camera enables optic scanning of bar codes as well as taking pictures (in this case during the creation of the record of damages), with the GPS device it is possible to register the geo location of an event or vehicle, the on-screen keyboard enables us to easily input texts, etc. In short, the range of usefulness suddenly expands when choosing a communication path.
Results
PDI & PDS center daily process between 250 and 350 vehicles with very different customer specific orders. All services from the arrival announcement, the current planning and work execution is monitored and recorded using tablet PCs with small barcode readers in the field. All the necessary documentation for billing and handover of vehicles to the Car Terminal in the Port of Koper is treated promptly with data exchange with system AVTI.
In this way, the time needed to service and deliver vehicles is shortened to one day.
(photo: BV)
