Cardinal Logistics wanted to improve customer service and reduce costs by providing delivery drivers with a single mobile device for proof-of-delivery documentation, activity tracking, and hours-of-service logging. Supply Chain Services provided Zebra TC56 and TC57 mobile computers, enabling drivers to complete tasks more efficiently with less paperwork while maintaining compliance. This resulted in greater delivery visibility for Cardinal Logistics and its customers.

1. Supply Chain Services
and Zebra help Cardinal
Logistics enhance service
and delivery visibility
Zebra® TC56 and TC57 mobile computers enable
the 3PL provider to increase proof-of-delivery
transparency and maintain service-hours compliance,
with less paper.
Challenge
Cardinal Logistics’ leadership wanted to improve customer service
and reduce operating costs and paperwork without equipping delivery
drivers with multiple devices and paying for multiple data plans.
Solution
Supply Chain Services provided Cardinal Logistics with Zebra mobile
computers, most recently TC56 and TC57 Android devices, to gain
a more efficient user interface and more application programming
flexibility and security.
Results
Drivers now use efficient activity-tracking and hours-of-service
applications and document more POD data points for greater delivery
visibility, both internally and among customers.
SUCCESS STORY
CARDINAL LOGISTICS
SUMMARY
Customer
Cardinal Logistics Management Corp.
Concord, NC
Zebra Partner
Supply Chain Services
Oakdale, MN
Industry
Transportation and Logistics
Challenge
Enable delivery drivers to maintain hours
of service compliance and improve proof-
of-delivery (POD) efficiency for better
customer service.
Solution
• Zebra Android™ TC56 and TC57 mobile
computers
Results
• Less paperwork and greater driver
efficiency
• Fewer devices overall and lower
technology costs
• More detailed and visible POD
• Better driver hours-of-service
compliance

2. 2 zebra technologies
SUCCESS STORY
CARDINAL LOGISTICS
Digital transformation reaches
beyond the warehouse to front-line
delivery
Improving the efficiency of the numerous tasks 4,000 drivers perform
throughout the day and enhancing proof of delivery (POD) while
cutting operating costs were three concurrent goals behind Cardinal
Logistics’ recent deployment of new Zebra mobile technology from
Supply Chain Services, a Zebra Premier Solution Partner. Mobile
computers, including—most recently—Android-based TC56 and
TC57 touch computers, have enabled Cardinal Logistics to extend an
operational paper-to-pixels transformation beyond the four walls of the
warehouse to front-line delivery.
Before Cardinal Logistics adopted its current mobile computers,
drivers updated their hours-of-service logs on paper. Mobile
technology promised to make it much easier for drivers to keep
up with the task of logging service hours than maintaining paper
logs ever did. Similarly, the multiple functionality of the new mobile
computers is making POD more efficient for drivers—and offering both
the company and its customers greater visibility into order delivery.
Considering drivers’ recordkeeping and communications tasks,
equipping them with multiple devices would be understandable—
if the Zebra mobile computers weren’t available. These versatile,
ruggedized devices consolidate the computing power of back-office
computers, the scanning capability of a separate barcode scanner
and the multi-modal communication platforms and camera of a
smartphone at front-line drivers’ fingertips.
“We’ve tried to solve several problems with this device,” says
Cardinal Logistics Chief Information Officer Clay Holmes.
“One is having multiple devices in the cab, which is very
confusing for the driver. Also, you have to have several
different data plans. By combining everything into a
single device, we’ve been able to reduce costs and the
number of devices we have in the pool.”
These mobile computers, which Cardinal Logistics can
move from truck to truck, are one example of how a
Zebra partner can find a solution in Zebra’s portfolio
of mobile devices built to address a customer’s unique
business challenges. “Every customer we’re working
with on a day-to-day basis has unique needs and Zebra,
with its breadth of products, gives us an opportunity
to supply different ideas and products to serve their
needs,” says Supply Chain Services Chief Operating
Officer Dave Green.
“By combining everything
into a single device, we’ve
been able to reduce costs
and the number of devices
we have in the pool.”
Clay Holmes
Chief Information Officer
Cardinal Logistics

3. 3 zebra technologies
SUCCESS STORY
CARDINAL LOGISTICS
“Most companies that have ruggedized devices focus inside the
warehouse—they actually had a plan for going out on the road,”
Holmes says of Zebra. “In addition to that, one of the biggest
benefits of working with Supply Chain Services is that we’re able to
do procurement easily. We have a pretty hectic and unpredictable
ordering schedule and their ability to provide us with the devices
when we need them, with little notice, is very important.”
More efficient hours of service compliance, POD
Cardinal Logistics has reduced drivers’ paperwork burden while
helping them to maintain compliance with U.S. Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration Hours of Service regulations and document
POD more efficiently and in more detail. Not only are their records
centrally accessible and complete—the administrative time they save
by using the Zebra mobile computers also enables them to make
more deliveries in a typical day.
J.C. Mullinax, a driver based in the Piedmont, SC facility, recalls
that forgetting to transfer an entry from one service category to
another on the company’s previous hours-of-service paper logs was
a common error that created the potential for fines. The Omnitracs
XRS application Cardinal Logistics now uses for hours-of-service
documentation displays actual driving and on-duty time versus 11-,
14- and 70-hour limits, continuously updating the data in real time
on the Zebra mobile computer’s intuitive color-coded Android user
interface. With a screen tap, Mullinax changes his duty status and the
application updates the activity categories.
Using a Cardinal Activity Tracker (CAT) application, drivers record
arrival and departure times at their stops, and estimated times of
arrival, with similar ease. That information gives customers real-time
insight into delivery status—and Cardinal Logistics’ dispatchers
analyze the data to optimize routes and minimize truck mileage.
When a driver completes a delivery, they scan the barcodes on the
packages using the mobile computer’s built-in scanner and hand the
device to the customer for an electronic signature confirming receipt
of the order. The driver also takes a photo of the bill of lading, which
the customer can also view online and print.
Previously, the company used technology such as an automated
phone system to update order and driver status, but POD was a
paper-driven process. “In the old days, before we used this device,
you had to match each piece to a bill of lading on a piece of paper,”
Holmes says. “Now all we have to do is scan the product and the
device tells us when we’ve completed that order.”
“Their ability to provide
us with the devices when
we need them, with little
notice, is very important.”
Clay Holmes
Chief Information Officer
Supply Chain Services

4. 4 zebra technologies
SUCCESS STORY
CARDINAL LOGISTICS
Effective application development and device support
Holmes has found that the Zebra Android operating system offers much
more value than other OS options by supporting Cardinal Logistics’ own
application development. Plus, Zebra’s OneCare® technical support
protects the company’s technology investments reliably.
“We moved to Android because other operating systems in the market
are not as easily programmable,” Holmes says. He adds that other
OS were more restrictive as far as allowing developers to customize
company-specific applications such as the CAT application. In contrast,
Zebra’s Enterprise Mobility Development Kit (EMDK), which has a wide
range of application programming interfaces, is flexible and easy to
program, Holmes says.
Also, Cardinal Logistics deploys its software, or new versions of
it, remotely—this need not occur at the device level. Drivers don’t
have to interrupt their routes to get version updates. These Zebra
Android advantages also make it easier for Cardinal Logistics, a Zebra
Technologies Independent Software Vendor and third-party software-
as-a-service (SaaS) provider, to better serve other companies that run
its applications on Zebra devices.
Zebra OneCare maximizes Cardinal Logistics’ device uptime, according
to Kathy Pearson, field support manager. “We have more than 4,000
devices in the field with six to eight applications each,” Pearson points
out. “The support team at Zebra is always reliable. They get back quickly
with information and keep us up to date with their technology.” Also,
“We get repairs within three to five business days.”
In addition, with its LifeGuard™ for Android solution, Zebra typically
provides security for Cardinal Logistics’ mobile computers beyond
the standard 36-month support for consumer devices. When a new
Android version becomes available, Cardinal Logistics receives regular
security updates for its current Android OS for a full year before
migrating to the new version. “LifeGuard gives Zebra’s customers the
opportunity to have those upgrades and make sure that they get them
on time and that they don’t have to continue to change products,”
Green notes. “It gives customers the opportunity to continue to grow
with the different operating systems as they come out.”
“The return on the investment has been really good with the device,
with the main reason that we’re able to consolidate all of our data
plans into a single device,” Holmes says. “In addition to that, we’re able
to depreciate the devices over five years, whereas if we were to use a
consumer device, we would not be able to do that.”

5. SUCCESS STORY
CARDINAL LOGISTICS
Authentic partnerships
Like Cardinal Logistics, Supply Chain Services is
using Zebra Android mobile computing technology
to grow authentic partnerships with customers.
“The purpose of Supply Chain Services, and the
utilization of the Zebra product, is to help our
customers operate better,” Green says. “Everybody’s
trying to operate better and looking for key data
points. We try to help put as much of that information
into their hands as possible so they can look at how
they can get their return on investment and better
influence their operational facilities. Zebra has done
a great job of stepping outside the four walls.
Cardinal has been one of the early adopters in
making sure that they get the information to their
customers, which has helped them grow their
business over the past 10 years.
“We don’t look at our customers as someone we’re
selling to—we look at them as partners. We’re in
business together. If they’re efficient and effective,
we’ve all won.”
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10/23/2019