Transport modelling for a national textile services business
PTL Co modelled a national collection and delivery network to identify practical route, vehicle and resource improvements.
THE CHALLENGE
Improving a complex national route network
Client
Commercial services and industrial laundry/textile rental.
Sector
Textile and commercial services
Scale
4,000 customers
Engagement
Logistics network design & transport routing
PTL Co modelled a national service network covering around 4,000 customers and 35 vehicles to identify practical transport improvements. The business operated a complex collection and delivery network with fixed service commitments, varied customer frequencies and geographically dispersed routes. It needed to understand whether the existing structure remained efficient. Historic route patterns and local operating practices made it difficult to judge whether vehicle resources, mileage and customer coverage were properly aligned. The client required an objective baseline and a set of credible alternative scenarios that could be tested without undermining service obligations. Any recommended options also needed to recognise practical constraints, including delivery windows, collection frequencies, vehicle availability and the operational impact of changing established routes.
4,000
customers
35
collection/delivery vehicles
5
operating sites
54,000
collections/deliveries per year
WHAT WE DID
Delivery framework
PTL Co compiled customer, route and vehicle data, baselined the current network and modelled alternative route scenarios while testing service, vehicle and operational constraints. The work created a factual view of how established routes were performing and allowed improvement options to be assessed against real customer geography, collection and delivery frequencies, vehicle availability and service commitments rather than relying on historic operating patterns alone.
1. GATHER DATA
Compile customer, route, site and vehicle data to establish the current shape of the national service network.
2. BASELINE NETWORK
Measure current mileage, route structures and resource use so the existing operating model could be assessed objectively.
3. MODEL SCENARIOS
Test alternative route structures and service territories to understand where efficiency could improve without weakening customer cover.
4. ASSESS SERVICE
Evaluate operational implications including customer frequency, vehicle use, route practicality and the impact of changing established patterns.
5. DEFINE OPTIONS
Present practical network improvements that gave the client choices rather than a single theoretical model.
WHAT WE ACHIEVED
Outcomes delivered
The client gained an objective network performance baseline and practical route improvement options, with clearer visibility of mileage, vehicle resources, operating impacts and future planning choices. The modelling helped separate genuine improvement opportunities from changes that would simply transfer work between routes or depots, giving the business more confidence in which options could be pursued without compromising service obligations.
Network performance baseline.
Current routes, customer coverage, mileage and vehicle resources were quantified, giving the business a factual view of how the existing national service network was performing.
Alternative scenarios.
Practical route structures and service territory options were modelled and compared, showing where efficiency could improve without weakening customer coverage or service commitments.
Resource visibility.
Vehicle, site and operating implications were made clearer, helping the client understand how route changes would affect workload balance, fleet use and day-to-day operational practicality.
Planning options.
The client gained evidence for future transport decisions, with route, vehicle and service options that could be reviewed against operational constraints rather than historic patterns alone.
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