Route Optimisation Integration for Epicor
Epicor manages your manufacturing and shipping. Locate2u optimises which truck carries which orders and in what sequence to visit every customer, reducing fleet costs for manufacturers who self-deliver.
Epicor Ships Orders. Locate2u Optimises the Delivery Fleet.
Epicor is purpose-built for manufacturing, managing production orders, inventory, and shipping documentation. When orders are ready to ship, Epicor generates packing slips and bills of lading. But for manufacturers who operate their own delivery fleet rather than using third-party carriers, Epicor provides no intelligence about how to deliver efficiently.
Which truck should carry which orders? In what sequence should the driver visit 15 customer sites? How do you prevent one truck from being overloaded while another runs half-empty? These are vehicle routing problems that Epicor was never designed to solve. Locate2u adds AI-powered route optimisation that pulls shipment data from Epicor, assigns orders to vehicles based on weight and geography, and sequences every stop for minimum drive time and fuel consumption.
Delivery Routing Challenges for Epicor Manufacturers
Epicor Cannot Assign Orders to Trucks
Epicor creates shipment records but has no logic for deciding which truck carries which orders. Shipping managers manually assign orders to vehicles based on intuition and rough geography, often overloading some trucks while others leave the facility half-empty. This manual assignment wastes vehicle capacity and increases the number of trips required.
Heavy Products Mean Costly Wrong Turns
Manufacturing deliveries involve heavy products: machinery, building materials, bulk components. An inefficient route wastes more fuel per wasted kilometre than light parcel delivery. A truck carrying 2 tons of steel travelling 15 unnecessary kilometres burns significantly more diesel than a van carrying parcels over the same detour.
Customer Receiving Docks Have Strict Windows
Manufacturing customers (factories, construction sites, warehouses) often have narrow receiving windows. Miss the window and the truck sits idle waiting or gets turned away entirely. Without optimisation to sequence stops around these constraints, late arrivals are frequent and costly.
Mixed Delivery and Pickup Runs Unmanaged
Manufacturers often need to deliver finished goods and collect returns, empties, or raw materials on the same trip. Planning these mixed runs manually is especially complex because vehicle load changes at each stop. Without algorithmic tracking, trucks risk exceeding capacity mid-route.
From Epicor Shipment to Optimised Delivery Route
1. Import Shipments from Epicor
Locate2u pulls shipment records from Epicor Kinetic via REST API. Customer addresses, order weights, product dimensions, and delivery requirements flow into the optimisation engine without manual data transfer.
2. Assign to Trucks and Optimise Routes
The AI engine assigns shipments to vehicles based on weight capacity and geographic efficiency, then sequences every stop to minimise total fleet drive time. Heavy-load constraints and receiving windows are factored into every route.
3. Deliver and Confirm in Epicor
Drivers follow optimised routes with turn-by-turn navigation. At each stop, they capture proof of delivery including signatures, photos, and condition notes. Completion data syncs back to Epicor shipment records automatically.
Route Optimisation Built for Manufacturing Delivery
AI-Powered Optimisation
Evaluates all possible truck-to-order assignments and stop sequences to find the combination that minimises total fleet driving distance. Designed for heavy-load operations where every wasted kilometre costs significantly more fuel.
Receiving Window Constraints
Enforces customer receiving dock hours as hard constraints. The optimiser sequences stops so that every delivery arrives within the customer's available window, eliminating costly wait times and refused deliveries.
Weight and Volume Constraints
Uses part weight and dimension data from Epicor to calculate load per vehicle. Prevents overloading while maximising the number of deliveries each truck can complete in a single run.
Real-Time Re-Routing
When production delays push shipment readiness or urgent orders need same-day delivery, Locate2u re-optimises active routes to accommodate changes without disrupting the remaining schedule.
Multi-Vehicle Planning
Assigns shipments across your entire fleet based on weight capacity, vehicle type, and geographic efficiency. Flatbeds, box trucks, and specialised vehicles each get routes matched to their capabilities.
Drag-and-Drop Adjustments
Shipping managers can override AI assignments by dragging orders between trucks or resequencing stops. Weight and capacity indicators update instantly so overloading is immediately visible.
Route Optimisation Impact for Manufacturing Delivery
Reduction in fleet driving distance
Fuel cost savings for heavy-load deliveries
Receiving window compliance rate
Additional deliveries per truck per day