PRESS RELEASE  

Evergreen Exterior Services Ltd transform their delivery operation with ‘PODStar’ Proof of Delivery system from Touchstar Technologies

14th August 2020: Manchester, UK

Background

According to ‘Horticulture Weekly’ Evergreen is now one of the top 10 Independent Plant Nurseries in the UK.  

In 1988, Evergreen began its journey operating from just a small unit at New Covent Garden Flower Market and a corner shop in London. The strategic aim was to retain its position at the prestigious New Covent Garden, which necessitated a rapid move to a larger unit. In parallel, Evergreen management were also progressively expanding Evergreen’s horizons as a company.  

The company started sourcing commercially grown plants from annuals to mature specimen trees from the UK and across Europe. This new direction was so successful that they subsequently opened their current headquarters at Banstead, where they have grown to become a leading wholesale nursery.  

The Business Objectives  

The business has grown over the years; however, Evergreen continues to be an independent, owner-operated business and because they are not owned by anyone else, they have greater flexibility and are better placed to serve their customers' individual needs.

Evergreens’ extensive fleet of vehicles distribute client orders daily to their preferred nationwide locations and optimal customer service is a continuing management priority. As Evergreen Director, Craig Marshall, remarks: “We pride ourselves on our truly unique logistics and delivery procedures. Speed and precision are given to all our orders. The strategic aim is always to enhance our working practices and fine tune efficiency throughout the distribution process, from plant management to logistics, resulting in a superior customer experience.” ”

To meet their strategic objectives, Evergreen continue to invest in the latest technological innovations and industry solutions and sought a system that would optimise its delivery operations. After an exhaustive examination of available systems, the management team selected the ‘PODStar’ Electronic Proof of Delivery system from Manchester-based Touchstar Technologies.  

The Cloud-based PODStar system offers a planning tool that automates existing manual processes. Via an API link to their current ERP system, Evergreen can utilise up-to-date information to create job runs and to allocate drivers and vehicles. Once a manifest has been created it is then automatically sent out to the drivers. Once downloaded the driver can receive their jobs and, ultimately, provide electronic proof of delivery in real time. The delivery drivers are equipped with smart phones with the handheld device used for both proof of delivery / signature capture and tracking of the driver location.

Back at the Evergreen Headquarters, management can view a real-time update on a ‘jobs table’ and the driver’s location, as well as additional data on the job status and driver performance. The system has also proved invaluable for asset tracking the valuable ‘Danish trays’ utilised for plant transportation.  

The Outcome  

Lukasz Pliszka, Transport Manager, for Evergreen headed up the implementation, working closely with the project management team from Touchstar. He describes how the early benefits derived from the adoption of PODStar; “We have only been using the system for a short period of time, but it has already proved to be an asset for managing POD’s and for locating the drivers on their deliveries. The immediate receipt of POD information means we can optimise invoice generation which is great for cash flow.

We are delighted by many other features of the system, including being able to give customers an ETA for their deliveries. The PODStar mobile app is very easy to use and required minimal driver training. We have rolled the system out to all our drivers with no disruption to our operation and I would highly recommend the PODStar solution.”