JOHNS CREEK, Ga., April 2, 2020
/PRNewswire/ -- Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAIA) announced today that
Saia LTL Freight has deployed the industry-defining software
RouteMAX, developed by Optym, an Optimization Intelligence (OI)
company. Optym's RouteMAX is a dynamic route optimization software
designed to streamline and speed pickup and delivery operations for
the less-than-truckload (LTL) industry. Through the ability to
quickly and accurately build routes, RouteMAX allows inbound
planners to reduce fuel and labor costs, while consistently meeting
all service commitments.
"Through this partnership, RouteMAX was developed to provide
improved planning, allowing for greater efficiency," said Saia
Chief Information Officer, Rohit
Lal. "RouteMAX's unique combination of route optimization
and intuitive user workflows has delivered better visibility, rapid
route planning, and improved utilization of our drivers and
equipment."
Saia inbound planners use RouteMAX daily to build routes across
all 169 terminals. The software's intuitive user workflows combined
with an optimization engine results in productivity gains for the
users. RouteMAX also sends proactive notifications to planners
about impending issues in the plan based on real-time data changes
from linehaul and dock, such as heavy traffic, new bills,
re-weighs, and more.
Optym's RouteMAX team worked closely with Saia's operations and
engineering teams to understand the day-to-day needs and
intricacies of the carrier's city, or daily pickup and delivery,
operations.
"RouteMAX's team sat with our inbound planners to gather insight
into our processes, pain points, and areas of opportunity for
efficiency," explained Lal. "From the beginning, the goal of this
partnership was to develop software that would boost productivity
and improve the quality of routes to allow Saia's planners to be
more proactive."
"RouteMAX's dynamic routing in congested, high-density areas is
an important step in optimizing the operation," Lal added. "Because
of this optimization solution, Saia planners are able to create
dense routes without compromising service quality."
"Saia partnered with Optym because of Optym's track record of
working with other industries, such as airlines, which we believe
closely align with the LTL world," stated Lal. "Optym's unique
combination of diverse skills, bringing together UX, sophisticated
algorithms, and knowledge of the network businesses, helped to
build a product that creates both optimal and practical
routes."
According to Patrick Sugar,
Saia Vice President of Linehaul and
Engineering, adoption of the software across the carrier's network
of terminals was seamless.
"Optym helped us to onboard over 200 users," explained Sugar.
"The software is intuitive and most planners were able to
understand the majority of the features with limited training.
Driver and dockworker feedback has been strong as well. The
training and support platform delivers rapid responses to planners
and an in-app chat feature is available. End-users can easily
contact the RouteMAX engineering and Saia support teams to suggest
future enhancements and ask questions."
The Optym and Saia teams completed a network-wide rollout of
RouteMAX to 169 terminals in less than four months.
Optym Director of Trucking Solutions Raguram Venkatesan said,
"Much of the LTL industry is still working on legacy systems that
are difficult to maintain and make route planning complicated and
slow. With Saia's leadership and partnership, we developed RouteMAX
with the goal of making planning simple and fast. Together, we
introduced an industry-first dynamic routing solution that is
designed to create the most efficient routes possible without any
zip-code boundaries."
"We are excited to partner with Saia and use RouteMAX to
redefine pickup and delivery optimization for the LTL industry,"
said Optym Chief Executive Officer Vic
Keller. "Route optimization when done right results in
multiple benefits including reduced fuel and labor costs, lower
carbon footprint, and most importantly, improved customer
experience. With RouteMAX, we want to make transportation
efficient, one route at a time. RouteMAX represents an important
milestone in the LTL industry, and we look forward to continuing to
lead OI and technological advancements in the logistics and
transportation industries."
About Saia, Inc.
Saia, Inc. (NASDAQ: SAIA) offers customers a wide range of
less-than-truckload, non-asset truckload, expedited and logistics
services. With headquarters in Johns Creek, Georgia, Saia LTL Freight operates 169
terminals across 44 states and employs over 10,000 people
nationwide. Saia LTL Freight has been recognized by the American
Trucking Associations Safety Management Council for its outstanding
safety record. For more information on Saia, Inc., visit
www.saia.com.
For more information, contact:
Jeannie S. Jump
Saia
Corporate Communications
Phone: 770-232-4069 · E-mail jjump@saia.com
For Optym:
Loretta
Prencipe
202.658.9024 | email
lprencipe@makovsky.com
About Optym
Founded in 2000, Optym is making the world more efficient
through optimization. Optym's software solutions determine the best
decisions for complex optimization problems encountered in
different industries, including airlines, railroad, trucking,
automotive, and others. Optym builds mathematical models for
solving complex business problems that enumerate and evaluate
millions of feasible solutions and find the optimal solution. For
more information about Optym, go to www.optym.com.
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SOURCE Optym