The customer is a $200M+ Minority Business Enterprise that offers bulk fuel delivery for automotive manufacturers, fleet owners, and emergency vehicle assistance. They have supplied materials such as crude oil, liquefied natural gas, diesel exhaust fuel, additives, and lubricants for over 30+ years. They are affiliated with the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), National Petroleum Council, National Black Caucus of State Legislators, and various other organizations. The client was won several awards over the years; most recently they have received awards such as the 2019 General Motors Supplier of the Year, 2018 Duke Energy Supplier Excellence Award, and 2018 Top Diversity Performer Platinum Award General Motors.

The Problem

The client manages several fleets that deliver materials in all 50 states in the US. They had the original idea of creating an IT-based solution that would help the “uberization” of their fleets’ dispatch. The goal was to create a system that helps automate dispatches and increase speed and efficiency for their end clients. The solution would have to optimize routes based on stations where the fleet receives promotional discounts on refueling while maintaining the shortest distance to the end client location. By doing that, the delivery speed increases, and the cost of delivery decreases, both of which impact customer success for their end client. This requires an end-to-end solution by integrating the client’s database of preferred refueling stations to a mobile app that would relay the information to all the drivers in real-time and provide data to the operational leadership team to understand trends for future optimization.

The Solution

VDart Digital came into this role as an advisor first, solution provider second. The first step that we took was to understand the IT infrastructure in place and understand what alternative solutions would look like before creating something from scratch. We make it a policy here at VDart Digital to utilize the best tool instead of off-the-shelf solutions previously used. We developed the database architecture, mobile app design, and functionality and data dashboards blueprints based on the client’s current infrastructure. The database of preferred refueling stations would frequently change, so our database had to update and relay the information simultaneously. Tools such as Google Maps and Apple Maps did not have sufficient capabilities to deliver this type of request, so we had to create our own. We incorporated a blend of PHP, AWS, MongoDB, Java, NodeJS, and MySQL to provide this solution. The mobile app is available on both Android and iOS. When it came to pricing and Result The design workshop was completed within one day with the stakeholders and SMEs ranging from C-Level Executives to their Operational teams. We delivered the minimal viable product in 2weeks, with user journeys, screen-flows, and began testing. Based on this quick turnaround and competitive pricing, VDart Digital is now in partnership with the client to deliver further upgrades to our recommended solution. This includes adding and IoT Device to track the fleet’s maintenance, driver trends, customer behavior, and enhance safety compliance. adoption of the technology, that’s when our advisory role turned into a partnership role. For many years now, VDart has been a part of NMSDC and GMSDC. These organizations have emphasized the call to action for Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) to work with other MBEs. We understood that the client wanted an innovative solution created by a world-class technology provider. However, being an MBE, we here at VDart understood that we need to make sure the revenue shouldn’t be our top concern. We prioritized work within their budget while providing the same level of team support, collaborative work sessions, and continued maintenance and upgrades without fluctuating in the price. We understood that their success would ultimately be the success for various Fortune 100 companies, and this opportunity shouldn’t be revenue-driven, but rather purpose-driven.

Result

The design workshop was completed within one day with the stakeholders and SMEs ranging from C-Level Executives to their Operational teams. We delivered the minimal viable product in 2weeks, with user journeys, screen-flows, and began testing. Based on this quick turnaround and competitive pricing, VDart Digital is now in partnership with the client to deliver further upgrades to our recommended solution. This includes adding and IoT Device to track the fleet’s maintenance, driver trends, customer behavior, and enhance safety compliance.