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Manufacturing Industry

Tickets to go: new on-board computer technology may change the way producers handle customer accounts

Concrete Producer, The, March, 2005 by Rick Yelton

As Tommy Fox finishes delivering a load of concrete to AK Construction, something seems very different. Instead of handing the foreman a clipboard with a standard four-part paper ticket to autograph, the driver offers a small computer. The foreman makes his mark on the signing board using a blunt pointer.

Fox and his fellow drivers at Green's Concrete, a subsidiary of Moraine Materials of Franklin, Ohio, are the first drivers in North America to go paperless, using a recently unveiled ticket collection system called DigiTic, a recently unveiled handheld computer and ticket control system.

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Jack Delperdang, Moraine's former operations and IT manager and co-founder of Paradyme Technologies with INSINC Corp., the manufacturer of DigiTic, has helped spearhead this innovative approach of bringing the electronic age to concrete delivery. He also has formed an Integrated Software Technologies (IST) group consisting of industry leaders such as INSINC, Control Solutions, and Paradyme to develop software around DigiTic that is not only integrated, but is also designed and developed with shared technologies.

Delperdang looks at his involvement in the DigiTic software design as his legacy to the industry. Many of the innovations and features included in the package are based on his 31 years in the industry. "I'm sure some of my past employees and managers will discover themselves in what we've put together," he says. What began as a way to reduce the producer's back-office cost of handling paper tickets has become the look and the future of the whole delivery process.

A man on the go

It might be hard to catch up with Delperdang at this year's CONEXPO. He's planning to be the man on the go. Previously at trade shows like CONEXPO and World of Concrete, the industry veteran would look for new items to help his company. This year, he hopes Paradyme is the center of attention for his fellow producers.

After more than a year in development and several months of conducting two beta sites using DigiTic, Delperdang is eager to learn from his peers about his concept. "I think the industry's workforce is growing younger, so the opportunity to digitally connect drivers with the front office in all operations is a concept that will be accepted by many producers," Delperdang explains.

He isn't alone in his belief that digital is on the way. During the development phase, Delperdang researched his concept with others. Finding interest and support, he formed the IST work-discussion group. Engineers and software designers from concrete industry computer, software, and wireless service companies such as INSINC Corp., Control Solutions, and Paradyme Technologies have agreed to develop software around the digital ticketing computer's full capabilities.

With this support, Delperdang plans for DigiTic to be the key to a more productive ready-mix operation. "We designed the driver computer to be more than a keyboard, to be integrated with all levels of a plant operation by designing it and developing it to be shared with other technologies," says Delperdang.

For producers of all sizes

When Delperdang envisioned the digital ticketing system, he had the needs of small and medium producers in mind. "Many small and medium producers haven't embraced automation as fully as large companies," says Delperdang.

The digital ticketing system controls costs by handling tickets more efficiently. When the driver receives his ticket on the device before loading through existing WiFI technology, he now has all the information that will tell him when to load, what products he will need, give time to review the directions and mapping, load, and leave on time.

Each time the truck returns to any of the producer's plants, the software program will automatically upload the records contained in the DigiTic's memory through the producer's LAN or WAN network into its own SQL database at the host site. The file containing the ticket, batch weights, voice notes, and image information, including a copy of the job foreman's signature, is saved directly into the database.

"We plan to eliminate almost three days in our billing cycle," says Delperdang. While there is some advantage regarding quicker billing, the real savings comes when bookkeepers will no longer have to track down missing tickets. They will have all the ticket information they need and have the ability to pass that information on to their customers as quickly as the driver returns to the plant.

Initial reports from his beta testing on the digital ticketing system has shown a very quick payback. "Any methods with which a producer can eliminate paperwork without losing accounting accuracy is sure to save the operation significantly in operating costs," says Delperdang.

The key to his innovation is a rugged, yet powerful handheld computer. Similar to the units used by car rental companies, the DigiTic unit weighs less than a coffee thermos and is smaller than most lunch coolers, allowing it to be portable. A shoulder strap and case allow the driver to carry it with him at all times.

Manufacturing Industry

Tickets to go: new on-board computer technology may change the way producers handle customer accounts

Concrete Producer, The, March, 2005 by Rick Yelton

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