Contact

How We Created a Smart Algorithm to Optimize Delivery for a Cold Chain Logistics Company

A Brief Glimpse Into Our Client

Smart Delivery, a logistics and transport business based in the EU reached out to Brainium to develop a custom algorithm that automatically creates an optimized delivery plan for their fleet of trucks, after calculating multiple parameters.

Our client Smart Delivery, is primarily involved in the logistics and transport sector in Sweden. At present, Smart Delivery is one of the leading companies offering safe and environmentally certified cold chain deliveries throughout Sweden.

They help both large and small companies with refrigerated transport to homes. Understanding the vital need for an unbroken cold chain, our client ensures that all their last-mile deliveries are characterized by high security, a state-of-the-art logistics platform, and personalized service.

Brainium’s team of experts built a smart algorithm that powers the platform our client utilizes to manage their entire cold chain logistics. The solution we developed gives our client complete control over their transport and logistics processes. Brainium’s custom algorithm has helped to make our client, Smart Delivery, the top-rated last-mile delivery platform available in the market.

Industry

Transport & Logistics

Tech Stack

Python, Laravel, MySQL, HTML, CSS

Country

Sweden

The Challenges We Faced Along the Way

In the beginning, our client struggled to find experts in custom algorithm development. After a series of unsuccessful discussions with developers, they finally reached out to Brainium’s IT consultants. Our first step was to thoroughly understand their pain points and define their specific requirements for a smart logistics platform.

The primary challenge was optimizing the delivery of temperature-sensitive products through an unbroken cold chain, ensuring safe last-mile deliveries to homes.

This issue arose because, with thousands of deliveries to make each day, human agents could not manually create optimized route plans for multiple trucks or calculate the minimum number of trucks required for efficient delivery.

Our Primary Approach for This Project

In our initial approach, we applied a standard ‘shortest path’ algorithm from graph theory, combined with the Google Routes & Distance API, to calculate optimal routes for deliveries. However, this method failed to produce the expected results in terms of both accuracy and efficiency. To overcome these limitations, we developed a customized algorithm tailored to handle complex delivery conditions, ensuring improved performance and more reliable results.

This new algorithm accounted for a variety of critical parameters, including:

Multiple drop-off locations:
Calculating the most efficient sequence for deliveries to multiple locations.

Consumer-preferred delivery times:
Factoring in the desired time windows for customer deliveries.

Real-time traffic updates:
Ensuring routes were adjusted to minimize delays and avoid traffic bottlenecks.

Geographic constraints:
Adapting routes to local geography, ensuring that all deliveries could be made safely and efficiently.

We utilized a combination of Python, Laravel, and MySQL to implement and fine-tune this customized solution. Extensive testing and quality assurance were integral to perfecting the algorithm, ensuring it could scale to handle an ever-increasing volume of deliveries while maintaining the accuracy and efficiency needed for Smart Delivery's operations.

Our Primary Solution for This Project

To optimize Smart Delivery’s logistics, we created a custom algorithm that considers multiple variables, enhancing route assignment accuracy, operational reliability, and scalability for complex delivery scenarios.

Brainium’s team of specialists in algorithm design, machine learning, and software development, built a custom algorithm for our client’s platform. The algorithm was designed to calculate factors like multiple drop locations, drop time overhead, breaks (rest time), and working hours.

We began by defining the routing matrix. Every delivery location became a node, each linked to factors like:

consumer-preferred delivery times
delivery agents’ working hours
near real-time traffic updates
characteristics of the local geography

The robust algorithm we crafted took into account all these interconnected variables.

The development process involved extensive brainstorming and quality assurance (QA) iterations to enhance the algorithm’s accuracy, reliability, and ability to handle complex delivery scenarios.

The resulting algorithm that we built for Smart Delivery, efficiently manages multi-level use cases, delivering significant improvements in route assignment accuracy, operational reliability, and scalability.

Results

Precise Route Assignments

The system enables accurate route assignments, significantly reducing missed or delayed deliveries.

Seamless Handling of Customer Preferences

The algorithm tailors deliveries based on customer-preferred times and driver schedules, ensuring better service.

Improved Scalability

The solution allows Smart Delivery to handle increasing delivery volumes while maintaining performance and accuracy.

Traffic-Optimized Routes

The system accounts for real-time traffic data, minimizing disruptions and improving delivery efficiency.

Fulfilling Client Needs One Step At A Time

The custom algorithm we developed has drastically transformed Smart Delivery’s operations, enabling them to achieve greater efficiency, scalability, and improved customer satisfaction. By automating the optimization of delivery routes, we helped Smart Delivery reduce manual interventions, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks. The solution not only addressed Smart Delivery’s immediate challenges but also equipped them with a scalable system that can grow alongside their expanding business needs.

Join Hands With Us

Hear From Our Client Their Experience Partnering With Us

I can’t thank the Brainium team enough. Our delivery system was quite chaotic. They created an algorithm that factored in our highly complex delivery needs with ease. Thanks once again for enabling us to be the market’s sharpest last-mile platform.