Sterne Switches to Accelerated Route Optimization with Nomadia Solutions

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Picture of Lucie Monnot
Lucie Monnot

Content Marketing Manager

A major player in B2B low-carbon delivery, the Sterne group is partnering with Nomadia around a shared objective: optimizing professional deliveries while reducing CO2 emissions. Following the integration of Nomadia Delivery, the two companies are extending their partnership with a joint value proposition: an “all-in-one” application dedicated to mobile technicians.
The Sterne group has over 30 years of expertise in the field of B2B logistics services. Its specialty? Last-mile deliveries — regular or on-demand — carried out overnight so that tens of thousands of professionals can receive the spare parts, tools, and other products they need for their work in a timely manner, every single day.

Table of Contents

Véhicule utilitaire de livraison sur la route

Route optimization: a strategic necessity

In a group that serves 100,000 delivery points every day, the organization of routes is obviously of crucial importance — not only to meet the schedules and service levels expected by customers, but also to reduce the carbon footprint of deliveries. Until 2023, Sterne’s planning teams relied on a proven but essentially manual method. Network design studies and route planning were carried out on map backgrounds, with the help of office software and online route calculators. Thanks to the experience of the planners, this approach was effective — but far too slow given the increasing frequency and significance of the changes that needed to be integrated.

A co-built optimization project

The collaboration between Sterne and Nomadia quickly got underway with a first project: the integration of the Nomadia Delivery route optimization solution into the working methodology of the planning teams. To ensure the success of this project, Sterne established several principles that clearly reflect its priorities:
  • preserve Sterne’s historical network working expertise;
  • make full use of the power of Nomadia Delivery;
  • secure user adoption.
The group thus gave itself the means to build, with Nomadia’s support, a methodology drawing the best from both worlds — namely, the experience of its network teams and the technology of Nomadia Delivery.
 
The 3rd principle is fundamental: there is nothing worse than a tool chosen by headquarters and then imposed on users after a rapid training session. Generally, when you go back 3 months later, you are surprised to find that the tool is not being used. To avoid this situation, we set up **an incubator where a small group of experienced network experts worked with *Nomadia Delivery* on concrete use cases** with the support of Nomadia’s teams.

Study times divided by 3 with Nomadia Delivery

Camions de livraison alignés avec logo Sterne sur un site logistique
Order Delivery Management Software Streamline Processes
By working on concrete cases that truly reflect the day-to-day work of users, Sterne was able to build not just a solution, but a complete method that tightly integrates the contributions of Nomadia Delivery.
This method is now taught at Sterne and translates into notable benefits:
 
 
  • A study with Nomadia Delivery takes 3 times less time — Nomadia Delivery enables hypotheses to be tested at scale much more quickly than the Excel files and route calculation tools previously used.
  • The cartographic output facilitates the sharing of results — The visual representation of data accelerates studies and simplifies collaboration, both among designers and with operational teams. “The mapping visualization of a route allows you to spot problematic areas at a glance and correct them on the spot,” explains Julien Michallet. “Moreover, we have noticed that in pre-sales, presenting studies in the form of reliable and precise maps is very well received by clients, who see it as a mark of professionalism.”
  • All information is digitalized — At the end of the process, the data is immediately usable. Clean and structured, it is ready to be fed into downstream information systems and can be reused in numerous internal processes, contributing to their improvement.
  • The user experience is significantly improved — The ergonomics of the solution, and in particular the drag-and-drop creation tools, bring a real gain in working comfort for employees. Tedious tasks are handled by the software, which contributes to the renewed attractiveness of network roles at Sterne.
Nomadia Delivery and the new method are currently being rolled out across all Sterne agencies responsible for managing network projects in their region. But the collaboration between Sterne and Nomadia does not stop there:
Nomadia’s support continues and we carefully collect Sterne’s feedback to evolve Nomadia Delivery. We are also working together on more advanced topics, particularly related to AI, because we consider Sterne to be an important contributor to our roadmap thinking.

A high-value-added application for mobile technicians

The Sterne-Nomadia relationship is indeed more than a simple client-supplier relationship. It is an alliance between two mission-driven companies, sharing strong commitments in the social and environmental sphere. The joint work on the Nomadia Delivery project has strengthened ties and led both companies to reflect on how they could go further to support field professionals.
Drawing on the complementarity of our expertise, we chose to build, for mobile technicians, an application combining Sterne’s delivery solutions and Nomadia’s intervention tour planning and optimization technologies. This value proposition covers all the stages and tasks a technician must master to optimize their time, revenue, and customer satisfaction.
Designed for field technicians, this “all-in-one” application enables them to:
  • order the parts they need and choose their delivery options: customer address, agency, locker, vehicle boot, or other;
  • view order status;
  • automate the scheduling of recurring tasks and plan interventions according to the arrival of parts;
  • collect and scan delivered packages for genuine traceability;
  • upon completion of each intervention, immediately write up visit reports directly in the application;
  • in the event of an intervention cancellation, propose a new appointment on intelligent dates and time slots — i.e. taking into account already scheduled interventions;
  • manage and secure the return of unused or defective parts by scanning the package, which drastically reduces stock levels.
Logo Sterne
This proposition perfectly illustrates what Sterne and Nomadia can achieve together by offering technicians the combined benefits of a Field Service Management solution and a comprehensive DMS in a single application. For our field technician clients, this translates into operational efficiency gains, a reduction in kilometers traveled and therefore in CO2 emissions, and ultimately increased satisfaction among their own customers — thanks to coordinated interventions and deliveries carried out in a timely manner.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ – The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Nomadia

Why Choose Nomadia?

As France’s leading publisher of Smart Mobility SaaS solutions, Nomadia supports more than 175,000 field professionals every day. Our solutions are easy to use, quick to deploy, and deliver significant and immediate return on investment.

Drawing on the expertise of both a software publisher-integrator and a consulting firm, Nomadia’s teams provide tailored support, from data consulting to the deployment of mobile devices. Finally, our technical support team is available 24/7 to assist you.

Who Are Nomadia Solutions Designed For?

Nomadia solutions support the digital transformation of all mobile professionals: field sales representatives, delivery drivers, technicians, auditors, healthcare workers, inspectors, service providers, security patrol officers, experts, and more.

Whether for SMEs or large enterprises, our solutions adapt to businesses of all sizes and across all industries.

How Much Does It Cost?

Nomadia Delivery offers transparent and flexible pricing, which primarily depends on the number of users (for example, planners and dispatchers) rather than a fixed cost per parcel.

Thanks to this model, you can control your delivery costs based on the number of resources (users) involved in route management, providing great flexibility to adjust your subscription according to the size of your fleet and your operational needs.

Is It Compatible with My Current ERP System?

Yes! Nomadia Delivery has been designed to integrate quickly and easily into your existing environment thanks to our powerful and secure APIs. Our solution is compatible with most ERP systems on the market. API integration enables the automatic synchronization of your transport orders, customer orders, and customer information, ensuring smooth and error-free delivery tracking. The solution also offers user-friendly import capabilities with data validation controls, as well as export options in multiple customizable formats.

Is It Suitable for Our Delivery Volume?

Yes, Nomadia Delivery is ideal for companies that manage a high volume of deliveries and want to optimize their routes, create balanced territories for their drivers, and ensure precise tracking of every parcel. Nomadia Delivery adapts to fleets of all sizes!

Can Multiple Warehouses or Depots Be Managed?

Yes, our solution allows you to manage multiple warehouses or depots. It centralizes data and optimizes routes or service operations for each of them.

Is There a Limit to the Number of Stops in Route Optimizations?

No, there is no strict limit to the number of stops in route optimizations. Our solution can handle large volumes of stops and quickly calculate optimized routes.

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