The Podfather system automates LDF’s delivery management and eliminates paper with Electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD), digital vehicle checks and real-time tracking. Prior to implementing Podfather, LDF relied heavily on printed picking sheets, schedules and delivery notes. Not only was this resource heavy to produce and process, it was damaging for the environment and had the potential for errors with lost or incorrectly completed forms.
“Our motto is ‘judged by those who know’,” commented Dan Austin, Managing Director at Lake District Farmers. “And this applies across our entire business. Our suppliers judge us on how we handle the superior product they raise, our customers judge us on the quality of meat we deliver and the service we provide, and we are open to scrutiny from external agencies to ensure compliance with relevant food standards. Podfather helps us stand up to these expectations, achieving the best possible standards at every stage. In addition, using Podfather we can capture, record and share evidence to support these service claims.”
LDF uses Podfather’s vehicle check functionality at the start of every run to ensure that all vehicles are well maintained and that any issues are reported and resolved quickly. These checks also include the vehicle’s refrigeration system which is then continually observed with real-time monitoring and recording to ensure the meat is transported in optimum condition.
“Our farmers work to the highest possible animal husbandry standards with respect not only for the animal but also for the environment in which they farm,” added Liam Keogh, Distribution Manager at Lake District Farmers. “So, it is imperative that we don’t undo all their good work. Podfather helps us minimise our environmental impact by ensuring that our vehicles operate as they should and that we don’t produce unnecessary paperwork."
Vehicle tracking meanwhile gives back-office staff total visibility of the mobile operation meaning they can keep customers informed and react to changing circumstances and schedules whilst advanced electronic Proof of Delivery features including date, time and location stamped photos record when and where a delivery was made, even down to which fridge it was left in, and who signed for it.
“Podfather means that we can apply the same care to our products as our farmers applied to their livestock,” Keogh continued. “We know where it is, we know what temperature it is being transported at, we know when it was delivered and we know where the product was left. Equally as important we can prove all of this in case of a customer query or an external audit for example by the Food Standards Agency.”
Lake District Farmers is a meat processing business that supplies top quality products to a number of three Michelin Star restaurants in the UK. The business sources stock from around 50 traditional Cumbrian Hill farms, focusing on quality, paying above market rates to ensure higher margins and therefore sustainable business for suppliers and premium products to satisfy customer expectations. Podfather enforces LDF’s commitment to sustainability within the supply chain, respect for the animals and farmers, and transparency for producers, customers and auditors.
