Between September and November 2018 Handsfree carried out 4,634 cradle swaps for DPD, over a 90-day period. The cradle swaps were to accommodate a nationwide device upgrade, with the CT60 replacing the CN70, across DPD Group’s delivery fleet.
Approximately 88% of the swaps were completed on Mercedes Sprinters both in DPD’s Operating Fleet and in the Owner Driver Fleet (ODF) vehicles. The remaining 12% of vehicles in the project scope were carried out on lite vehicles and 7.5 tonne vehicles. Most of the lite vehicles were Peugeot Partners and Ford Transit Connects but also included a small number of Mercedes Citans. The lite vehicles were originally fitted with CN70 cradles attached to suction mounts; therefore, full wired installations were necessary on these vehicles.
Challenges
The Project Management team liaised directly with IT along with the Integration and Implementation team to deliver a seamless project completion for both Handsfree Group and DPD Group. This included the installation of the new cradle charging stations being delivered in line with our engineering schedule. All work was performed in a controlled area that was risk managed by being well ventilated and traffic cones being used to control the flow of vehicles. We also put in a failsafe by leaving addition cigarette lighter charging cables and the previous cradle as if the system did not operate correctly the following day they had a backup until the system was implemented perfectly which made the project have 0% impact to their operations. The IT Management team was provided with a demonstration of how to operate the device to support for the rollout delivery. The Project was completed within forecasted scope. Install times were significantly reduced over the course of the project as Engineers gained experience and confidence in the work package.
Solution
The cradle swaps were carried out on-site across 64 of DPD Group’s national Hubs and 11 DPD Local sites. Multiple Handsfree Group Engineers and kit were dispatched to each DPD site on a pre-arranged evening schedule along with a dedicated Site Coordinator. The Site Coordinator’s role was to ensure all DPD drivers passed through the Handsfree Group Cradle Swap Station and allowed our engineers to carry out necessary works.
