Challenges Can Prohibit Routing Software Adoption Despite Innovations
Convincing municipalities and private waste operations to switch to routing software can be challenging since planning methods are still traditionally manual.
New innovations constantly arise in any technology-driven industry. For waste and recycling, the technology surrounding routing software is continuously evolving, but it isn’t always accepted.
Route optimization, in general, is a complex math problem, says Tony Esposito, president and CEO of C2Logix Inc.
“The algorithms that are used are designed to solve specific types of routing problems, taking into account various parameters and constraints to ensure the route fits the way the client wants to operate their business,” he says. “These parameters include but are not limited to things like arrival time windows, capacity constraints, variable visit durations and many more. The program will try potential route scenarios until it finds a route that is efficient and meets the parameters in the best possible manner.”
The emergence of handheld devices has enabled a surplus of new capabilities in-cab for routing software.
“Today, navigation is available to everyone via the smartphone. However, the navigation software alone doesn’t satisfy a complex network of waste collection trucks in either residential or commercial situations,” says Lasse Jiborn, director of intelligent optimization at AMCS Group. “The navigational software in today’s handhelds, albeit sophisticated, including somewhat reliable up-to-the-minute weather and traffic conditions, aren’t enough to solve the complex challenges of a fleet of waste trucks.”
AMCS’ route optimization solution includes technology for incremental optimization. The solution receives live data from surrounding systems and instantly absorbs the data and performs automatic and incremental re-optimization.