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Innovative Software Technology Provides Solutions To On-Time Deliveries

Delivering exemplary customer service is the foundation upon which Pechter’s Baking Group, LLC has built its fortune and reputation. In addition to producing a variety of quality bread products, the 124 year old wholesale baking company has always implemented a customer service policy that guarantees on-time delivery of a fresh product. But this policy can often be costly and time consuming.

“Servicing the customer is the cornerstone of our business philosophy,” explains Gus Loukas, Vice President of Finance and Partner at Pechters. “But many times, when we’re hit with an unexpected delivery problem, we need to make special deliveries to our customers, and this can be costly to the company in dollars and manpower. Since we began using the Cubistix Location Analytics software, we’ve been able to change all of that.”

Cubistix is an innovative software company that provides location-analytics solutions and services to businesses such as Pechter’s. Built upon state-of-the art Microsoft® technology (MapPoint® 2004 and MapPoint® Location Server), the Cubistix suite of products enables businesses, such as Pechter’s, to facilitate superior customer service, target customers, and reduce costs.

In 2003, Pechter’s was invited by Cubistix to test the application of this software and, after a year of successful testing, Pechter’s began implementing the program with its sales force in the beginning of 2004.

Many of Pechter’s customers are hospitals, schools and nursing homes that fall within a large delivery area extending across New Jersey, Philadelphia, Manhattan and the five Boroughs. Failure to deliver a fresh product on-time can lead to the loss of that customer, as well as future customers. Although Pechter’s always made its deliveries regardless of circumstances, it was sometimes done at a cost to the company simply due to logistics and time constraints. That is all changing now with the use of Cubistix Location-Analytics software.

Pechter’s purchased a license to use the software to improve driver response time and reduce costs on their special deliveries. The software utilizes Microsoft® MapPoint® Location Server and works with Pechter’s database, extracting the information that is needed and providing delivery drivers with point-to-point directions and maps for all of their routes. The result is on-time deliveries, cost savings, and satisfied customers.

According to Tom Raba, Vice President of Sales for Pechter’s, the company has always had a mantra regarding delivery of its product. “If you need a dozen rolls in South Jersey at three in the morning, you’ll get it,” explained Raba. “And, we’ve always delivered on that promise.”

Raba went on to explain that in the case of special deliveries, when an unforeseen delivery problem arises, Pechter’s is now able to provide Just-In-Time customer service by pinpointing drivers in the geographical area of the customer-in-need, and making the delivery quickly and at less cost to the company.

“This makes the customer happy and it makes good business sense,” added Raba. “We’re very excited about using this software as a tool to provide us with a much needed business solution.”

Another business solution the software provides is in the case of the termination or loss of one of Pechter’s 60 distributors. “In that crisis situation,” explained Gus Loukas, “we are faced with the task of maintaining that distributor’s delivery schedule. By using Cubistix’ software, we can now quickly and efficiently create a driver route and stay on track with deliveries to these customers.”

The Cubistix software system implemented at Pechter’s will be demonstrated by Cubistix at the Microsoft Mobility Developers Conference in San Francisco the week of March 23rd. Microsoft has invited Cubistix to be featured in the launch event of the new Microsoft® Location Server at which time Cubistix will unveil their new software program.

“After almost 125 years in the baking business, Pechter’s still makes many of its products by hand,” explained Loukas. “Yet, here we are involved in this cutting edge technology,” After reflecting for a moment he added, “I guess you really could say it’s the best thing since sliced bread.”