Cheetah
Revolutionizing Speed Of Service

Global e-commerce, sophisticated supply chains and interconnected logistics networks result in numerous smaller transactions that take time and meticulous overseeing. Cheetah, based in Westlake Village, CA, is a logistics company that aims to help companies get the right products to the right place at the right time, at the lowest cost and with the best service. Cheetah provides optimized routing that continuously adjusts to changing conditions, provides automated dispatch and customer service, and gives access to real-time supply chain information across an organization.

The backbone of Cheetah’s solutions is its Logistics Operations Optimization Platform (LOOPTM), an integrated system of sophisticated tools that combine to provide the industry’s most advanced real-time logistics system. The Cheetah LOOP solutions provide optimized scheduled routing that enables more stops with fewer trucks, while the power of real-time dynamic routing allows for the scheduling and automatic routing of ’on-demand’ pickups and order changes. Cheetah’s freight, delivery, drayage- and courier-enabled transportation, delivery and logistics help companies to reduce operating costs by significantly increasing the efficiency of route planners, dispatchers and customer service representatives.

To enhance field efficiency, Cheetah has introduced Cheetah Mobile, a next-generation smartphone application that puts the power of Cheetah LOOP into the hands of drivers and technicians. Cheetah Mobile connects field workers with dispatch, customer service, management and customers in real time with the help of two-way messaging, dynamic ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) updates and immediate POD (Proof of Delivery) verification. To further improve the field process, the company’s solutions are equipped with voice navigation — providing turn-by-turn directions which are driven by live pickup and delivery information, along with barcode scanning, signature capture and high-quality images.

Cheetah’s solutions allow immediate, real-time access to information enabling proactive operations management across the entire supply chain.

Provides optimized routing that continuously adjusts to changing conditions

Cheetah serves companies such as Macy’s, Ward Trucking, Cardinal Health, FedEx Office, JS Logistics, Central Freight and Exel, serving industries such as retail, logistics, transportation and healthcare. Ward Trucking, a less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier headquartered in Altoona, PA, was trying to turn to wireless technology to streamline its operations, increase efficiency and improve its profitability. Its old manual tracking techniques relied heavily on a dispatcher system, which was inefficient as it required clerical data entry and continual voice instructions for drivers over two-way radio. To overcome this challenge, Cheetah offered its Cheetah Freight dispatch automation and real-time logistics optimization solution. Cheetah Freight allowed Ward to track the movement of its fleet, offer accurate ETAs to customers and supply updates on shipment progress.

“Cheetah has enabled us to eliminate many hours of data entry for pickups at the end of each day, and to eliminate up to an hour each day of drivers’ waiting time for pickup assignments. We’re making 10 percent more stops with 6 percent fewer miles, saving more than $1,000,000 a year in direct operating costs, along with $500,000 in dispatch labor costs,” said VP of Asset Management, Ward Trucking.

The trend toward mobile computing and the need for ever-improving carrier efficiency are two of the most important industry movers that are defining Cheetah’s strategy moving forward. The company is in the process of introducing its next generation of Cheetah LOOP applications, specifically a complete overhaul of the customer-facing applications that depict the sophistication of its backend systems. "The objective of the company is to provide a complete, automated, real-time, end-to-end supply chain showcase and optimized solution to its customers," says Jeff Groenke, VP, Sales & Marketing, Cheetah.