Foodservice supplier says new delivery management system has helped the business deal with more challenging customer requirements
Major UK catering supplier Bidfresh says adopting the logistics platform Podfather has helped it to reduce unnecessary mileage, offer customers better transparency on delivery status and timings, and have clear visibility of delivery performance across all its sites.
The multifaceted company supplies fish, fresh produce and dairy to the catering and hospitality sectors. It decided to adopt Podfather’s logistics software to boost customer service, improve efficiencies, and inform reporting across its expanding nationwide foodservice operation.
Bidfresh, a subsidiary of Bidcorp UK, currently consists of 10 individual businesses, which operate from separate regional depots but under the central brand of Bidfresh.
Together they make around 15,000 deliveries a week – 750,000 a year – to Michelin-starred restaurants, pubs, hotels, schools, colleges, and contract caterers, using a fleet of approximately 180 vans.
Podfather includes route planning and optimisation tools together with electronic Proof of Delivery features.
“Since we originally implemented Podfather, Bidfresh and its Direct Seafood brands have continued to grow both in scale, geographic coverage, and complexity,” said James Cartwright, supply chain and logistics director at Bidfresh.
“Product ranges have broadened, the market has resulted in order profiles becoming more fragmented, with smaller drops and tighter delivery windows, and customers are expecting and deserve their deliveries on time with real-time information and a smooth service.
“The business is also operating in a more cost-pressured environment with fuel, labour, and compliance requirements all impacting how transport is managed.
“As the business continues to grow and react to challenging operating environments and conditions, the ability to scale, without losing control or visibility is critical, and Podfather plays a central role in achieving that.”
Since implementing Podfather, Bidfresh has seen a growth in the volume and complexity of its delieveries, with more daily deliveries across more sites, and more time critical drops. It has also witnessed higher expectations from customers around ETA accuracy, proof of delivery, and issue resolution.
Bidfresh uses Podfather across all depots and its headquarters in Southport. Sitting alongside the company’s order management and ERP systems, Podfather automatically receives delivery data to build, plan and manage routes, providing drivers with clear and sequenced instructions via the Podfather driver app.
Using the app, drivers are also guided to complete pre- and post-use vehicle checks to help ensure timely notification and resolution of any defects or issues.
Once a route is initialised and underway, customers are automatically sent ETA notifications and updates which include the ability to self-serve live tracking data for their delivery.
When on-site, the driver captures date, time, and location stamped signatures and photographs as proof of delivery, together with any issue or exception reports. This information is shared, in real time, with the customer – either the kitchen contact, ordering department, or both, and feeds back into Bidfresh’s internal processes to support customer service, invoicing and issue resolution.
“As we continue to grow, Podfather will remain a key enabler supporting smarter planning and execution as delivery profiles evolve,” Cartwright concluded.
