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MobileDOCK: coordinate supply-chain management

The Bestrane Group has developed a new ‘smart-city’ technology application that is revolutionising dock deliveries and optimising value for companies, councils and communities in congested areas.
Bestrane’s MobileDOCK application is a new concept in dock appointment, scheduling and monitoring. The award-winning technology coordinates delivery docks with suppliers, carriers, receivers and buyers through mobile devices and internet-connected computers.
MobileDOCK transforms delivery docks that still rely on antiquated manual planning and execution. Such docks often struggle with excessive congestion because they do not use technology to coordinate delivery-dock stakeholders.
Inevitably, unannounced or unscheduled arrivals and incompatible vehicles clog the dock, causing lost productivity for property owners, retail tenants and logistics companies. Costs rise because delivery-dock labour is used inefficiently. Deliveries take longer and revenue suffers if retailers cannot get stock fast enough, or if too much building space has to be allocated to delivery docks instead of tenants.
Risk management is another issue. Manual delivery-dock systems can have no auditable proof of delivery, limited real-time visibility, and higher safety risks because there is less scrutiny of who enters and exits the dock. The chain of responsibility is weakened.
MobileDOCK’s role in smart cities
These problems are magnified in crowded cities. Inefficient docks add to city congestion as trucks wait longer to deliver goods. Precious CBD spaces that could better serve pedestrians or cyclists, or be used for other city-enriching purposes, are lost to traffic congestion.
“The costs of inefficient delivery docks are vastly underestimated,” said Bestrane Group managing director David Sanders. “No organisation can afford haphazard delivery dock processes that add to costs and create safety risks. And no council should tolerate unnecessary traffic congestion because of delivery docks that use old processes.”
Mr Sanders said population growth is driving demand for smart-city technologies such as MobileDOCK. “Competition for space will intensify as capital cities become more populated and built-up. Technology enables stakeholders to work together to reduce the volume and duration of delivery dock trips, and take more trucks off city streets. It could lead to the removal of more loading zones and far better use of city space.”
That thinking inspired the launch of MobileDOCK last year. Its platform technology can be used across retail centres, distribution centres, city precincts, shipping ports, airports and construction. “Any organisation that wants to connect a ‘community’ of delivery-dock stakeholders, to improve efficiencies, can take advantage of MobileDOCK,” said Mr Sanders.
Strong industry response to MobileDOCK
Some of Australia’s largest organisations have embraced MobileDOCK. Westfield shopping centres at Sydney City and Bondi are using MobileDOCK to coordinate deliveries to more than 1,400 combined retailers.
MobileDOCK is also being used to manage entire city precincts, such as the giant Barangaroo development in Sydney. When complete, Barangaroo will be home to retail, commercial and residential developments and is expected to have more than 30,000 workers. MobileDOCK’s state-of-the-art technology now coordinates the precinct’s operators manage tens of thousands of deliveries each month.
MobileDOCK is also being used in traditional distribution centres owned by OneSteel, SnackBrands Australia, Myer Holdings and Super Retail Group.
Super Retail Group’s supply chain planning manager Paul Armitage said: “Bestrane has given us a much more accurate view of our capacity and labour requirements, plus a means of managing congestion issues before they happen.”
Mr Sanders said leading organisations are attracted to MobileDOCK’s low set-up costs, ease of use and ability to create tangible early gains. “In the short term, clients see real results in delivery dock efficiencies when they move to our system. Longer term, they know our technology is helping them better manage delivery dock risks.”
How MobileDOCK is helping Baranagaroo 
The 22 hectare, $6+ billion Barangaroo precinct has redefined the western edge of Sydney Harbour and will be a lasting legacy for future generations.
The first stage of development known as Barangaroo South is a mixed use precinct with commercial office buildings, residential apartments, a landmark international hotel, shops, cafes and restaurants and waterfront promenade.
Construction of International Towers, the three commercial skyscrapers located in Barangaroo, commenced in 2013 and ended in mid-2016. They form the core of the commercial, residential, retail and leisure development at Barangaroo South.
The Barangaroo development is serviced by a single driveway from Hickson Road Sydney into 120 underground loading docks. These loading docks all have different capabilities and are shared between the Barangaroo communities
Through MobileDOCK, more than 90 per cent of deliveries to Baranagroo are now made and approved automatically online. No interaction is required from dock management. The site is free form vehicle queuing, turnaround time and dock congestion. In addition, MobileDOCK also provides a unique messaging platform to broadcast messages to the delivery community regarding site operations including site lockdowns and/or emergency incident management.
“Recently, traffic access around Barangaroo was significantly reduced given a compromised sewer line. This impacted all incoming deliveries. Barangaroo was able to relocate the loading docks to street level, with MobileDOCK used to filter and continue our dock operations as usual. It worked an absolute treat,” said Shane Mulcahy, engineering  services manager, International Towers Sydney, Barangaroo.
“Barangaroo is a unique community right on the edge of the Sydney CBD. It is a great example of a development that has the foresight to recognise that this community extends outside the physical boundaries and that the network of carriers and suppliers are critical to its efficient function,” said Mr Sanders. “MobileDOCK was designed to make this connection and deliver benefits to all parties .”
Smart Conference site visit
This site visit represents a unique opportunity to understand how Barangaroo and its communities are able to manage their logistics without congestion and with full visibility. Site visits conducted on Friday 31 March. For further details and to register go to www.smartconference.com.au.
 
 

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