Pilot guided navigation: Information routes digital available for Veolia-drivers Germany

Drivers delighted about mobile system for the door-to-door collection of paper and cardboard

The knowledge of experienced drivers on how routes are driven in the most efficient way, is now digitally available for all other colleagues. “For Veolia Germany, this is one of the main benefits of guided navigation”, says Malte Zinke, Project Manager Logistics, who on behalf of Veolia Umweltservice Süd GmbH supervises a recently started pilot with AMCS Guided Navigation in the German area of Coburg. On request, he answers several questions, including the one why Veolia Germany decided to start the pilot with AMCS Guided Navigation, and what he expects are the main benefits of the mobile system.

• Veolia Germany started a pilot with guided navigation for the door-to-door collection of paper and cardboard
• Knowledge about how to drive routes from experienced drivers was made available to all the drivers digitally
• Drivers wish this feature was available to them sooner
• Veolia Germany expects to reduce waste collection times by 10 to15%
• Guided navigation contributes continuously to customer service
• Veolia Germany is provided with the possibilities to constantly improve their collection performance
• Another added value is with assuring compliance and the ability to promptly provide necessary information to the information to the municipal waste disposal companies, the öffentlich-rechtlicher Entsorgungsträger (örE, the Public Waste Disposal Agency)

How many collection vehicles are fitted with AMCS Guided Navigation?

This is a pilot project for guided navigation in the Coburg district navigation for the door-to-door collection of paper and cardboard. A few vehicles and drivers have been selected for this pilot. If the results are successful, the pilot will be expanded to the entire fleet of vehicles used in the district.

How was Veolia's collection process organised without guided navigation?

Initially the routes were strategically planned and, after that, the collection days of the individual municipalities were captured in a waste calendar. Based on that, the drivers and loaders where assigned to the available vehicles. Because of their experience, they know the routes inside out. One of the disadvantages of this way of waste collection is the lack of flexibility and that drivers can only be deployed on a limited number of routes. In the case of an illness or vacation, drivers with less experience must be deployed and be provided with the information needed to execute their work, such as maps and route lists.

Why did Veolia choose guided navigation?

With guided navigation, we hope that the route knowledge and experience of the longer-serving drivers will be digitised making that knowledge accessible at any time to all other driving personnel, including the inexperienced ones. In this way, we can ensure our customers that we can provide them with the best possible service, and that the collection performance constantly can be improved

How have drivers responded to guided navigation?

Actually, drivers wish this feature was available to them sooner. In addition to that guided navigation contributes to a safe working environment for drivers. Information is no longer available to the driver only as a map and street list but is also announced as a voice message and with this, in my opinion, immensely increasing driver safety because the driver is with both hands on the steering wheel at all times.

What are the results so far?

We expect to save approximately 10 to 15% of drivers time if unexperienced drivers use guided navigation. Where errors occur during the execution of orders, drivers can now fall back on the information provided to them digitally. For all other routes, we will be able to maintain the same customer service level.

How does this contribute to improving the service provided to citizens?

Guided navigation minimises the risk of making mistakes, for example missing bins, leading to a decrease in customers complaints. Besides that, guided navigation is also providing the possibility to answer customer questions like why at a certain address a bin hasn’t been emptied and what date the bin has been emptied for the last time. For us, this relevant feature will possibly enable us to offer added value to the örE (öffentlich-rechtlicher Entsorgungsträger, the Public Waste Disposal Agency). If we have questions about when our vehicles have been in which streets or at which addresses to empty them, we can promptly provide information so that queries can be processed quickly and transparently. This does not even require the use of an identification system in order to be able to prove a visit history, when there is a specific requirement too.

How does guided navigation contribute to Veolia’s business drivers?

With guided navigation AMCS is contributing to a series of Veolia’s business drivers, like less time needed to train the drivers, sharing route knowledge in a digital platform and improving the quality of the service, such as by not missing any bins. In addition to that, guided navigation is mitigating safety risk due to pre-planned routes contributing both to public and driver’s safety and with that improving overall road safety.

Veolia Group is the global leader in optimized resource management. The Group designs and provides water, waste and energy management solutions which contribute to the sustainable development of communities and industries. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources, and to replenish them. In Germany, around 12,000 employees work for Veolia and its affiliated companies at approximately 300 locations. In partnership with local communities, they serve more than 13 million people. In addition, there are tailor-made essential services for private and commercial customers, commercial and industrial companies.

Pictures: Veolia