Paragon Software Systems, Inc., a provider of vehicle routing and scheduling optimization solutions, announced that Colorado Boxed Beef Co. (CBBC), a major distributor of refrigerated and frozen meat, cheese, and other food products, has implemented Paragon’s route planning software to manage its complex delivery network.

Paragon was implemented in July across CBBC’s operations, bringing efficiencies to delivery operations in the densely-populated Dallas region, as well as Florida and Oklahoma. The company has already seen positive results. 

CBBC makes more than 1,000 deliveries per week out of its Dallas-area facility, using 20 tractors and 25 drivers, with a total of 6,000 deliveries a week company-wide. The branded product lines it distributes include High River Angus beef and Diamond Reef seafood. Customers range from supermarkets and restaurants to cruise companies, military bases, and schools, and they all have very different delivery requirements.

One thing most have in common, however, is the requirement to meet very strict, very tight delivery windows because of the time-sensitive nature of food operations. It’s essential that deliveries arrive promptly so that meals can be prepared on time or food is available when consumers want to shop.

Previously, routing for CBBC’s ever-changing pattern of orders was handled using an AS 400 system, which routed individual orders exactly the same way each time, leaving no flexibility for CBBC to cope with fluctuations in order volumes. Now, often, the software’s algorithms plot hyper-efficient routes. Paragon’s software also allows drivers and dispatchers to enter information about specific delivery locations and individual customer needs, to bring continuous improvement to the routing process.

CBBC will be adding Paragon Route Execution in the near future to link the route planning software with its telematics solution. This will allow the company to compare planned vs actual routes, adding to the ongoing improvement in routing efficiency, as well as providing the ability to easily track progress of KPIs such as on-time delivery.