Cēsu alus, the largest brewery in Latvia, manages a fleet of 64 vehicles and has been using Mapon’s services since 2010. Although at the start of the cooperation, only a few cars were equipped with tracking devices, in recent years, the company has gradually connected more and more units to the Mapon platform.
Cēsu alus has now equipped almost its entire fleet and, in January 2024, also connected the Mapon Driver app for easier communication with employees. So, we decided that now would be a great time to talk to Cēsu alus safety specialist and fleet manager Imants Pūce about the company’s experience with Mapon solutions.
Improved route planning and real-time tracking
With Mapon, sales managers’ daily working lives have clearly improved. Among the most useful solutions are real-time vehicle GPS tracking, route planning, and geofencing. Now, sales managers can easily follow the schedule and ensure that the sales representatives have visited all planned stores and customers.
The data also helps managers prepare for upcoming work as they plan and adapt routes based on this information. Creating geofences can help with planning since managers can set up alerts about staff activity there.
In addition, real-time location also helps the company in emergencies. Imants notes:
“Mapon is very useful in situations where you need help on the road. With real-time vehicle tracking, I can quickly find where the car is located and organise help.”
More effective driver performance review
During the conversation, the company shared its experience with two other valuable solutions – fleet efficiency and driver behaviour analysis. Cēsu alus monitors the employees’ driving speed to ensure that they follow the road laws. For example, Imants shared that he immediately finds out about violations – he receives automatic notifications when an employee is speeding. Cēsu alus looks at driver performance not only to avoid violations but also to improve driving culture and overall fleet efficiency. The company representative also hints at the potential for a safe driving school to help maintain a positive driving culture in the long run.
“We measure driving speed and efficiency; I see the efficiency levels for each driver. Low performers are told they must improve their driving style because we try to work on efficiency so that [the results] are not in the red. Harsh cornering or harsh braking are things to keep an eye on,” says Imants.
The Mapon platform measures driver performance on a scale from A (most efficient) to F (least efficient) based on several factors, such as excessive idling, harsh acceleration, and harsh braking.
Easier communication with employees
During our conversation, we were happy to hear that Cēsu alus has improved processes and information exchange with the Mapon platform and the Mapon Driver app. Previously, information had to be entered and gathered manually – accounting contacted employees once a month and fleet control every 3-4 months. Now, all the necessary data is automatically available in report format. The company mainly uses monthly and daily reports to look at the kilometres travelled.
Another feature that facilitates interaction with employees is the communication section built into the Mapon Driver app, which makes it easy for employees and managers to communicate with each other anywhere, anytime.
Readily available support
The company praises the easy implementation process of Mapon Driver. Before connecting the app, company representatives had the opportunity to test it and see if the functionality is useful. From the very start the app itself was intuitive and easy to use, with four main sections: summary, planned routes, communication, and route history.
Imants adds that he is satisfied with the technical support, as it is available throughout the whole country. Accountant of Cēsu alus emphasises the positive cooperation with the Mapon team and the availability of all necessary resources:
At the end of the interview, Imants emphasised that he would recommend Mapon to others as a good fleet management platform because the software, the equipment, the customer service, and the attitude are of a high standard.
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