Optimizing Logistics with Drivin: Asertia's Success Story

Asertia is a well-established Ecuadorian company with over three decades of experience in the market.

Their primary focus is on commercializing and distributing fast-moving consumer goods for various channels, including Retail, B2B, Institutional, and Industrial.

"We found in Drivin a tool that perfectly adapts to the complexity of our business. We chose them because the product they offer is one of the best, if not the best, in this type of technology."

Juan Andrade - Operations Manager at Asertia

The company's journey began 36 years ago as "Distribuidora Juan De la Cruz," a modest family-owned warehouse located in the San Juan neighborhood of Quito. Through sheer determination and dedication, Asertia steadily evolved into a market leader in Ecuador's consumer goods industry.

Today, they boast strong partnerships and alliances with renowned suppliers such as Colgate, Johnson & Johnson, Ferrero, L'Oréal, and many others.

Juan Andrade, the Operations Manager at Asertia, describes the company as unique and complex, attributing this to their continuous growth and diverse business ventures.

"Our complexity stems from our humble beginnings, experiencing exponential annual growth, maintaining a vast product portfolio, and achieving an annual sales dynamic of 105 million USD, with projections for around 12% annual growth. Furthermore, we consistently attract attention from both national and international companies," he explains.

Asertia's Logistics

Asertia's Logistics Operation is a key pillar of their success, encompassing eight distribution centers strategically located in Ecuador's major cities, including Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, Ambato, Ibarra, Lago Agrio, Santo Domingo, and Manta.

This extensive network allows them to directly serve over 35,000 customers each month. The company expertly manages approximately 82 routes that supply their diverse distribution channels, which cater to supermarkets, distributors, and more.

Their transportation fleet comprises a mix of their own vehicles and outsourced resources, totaling 86 vehicles, while their impressive storage capacity reaches approximately 20,000 square meters.

Despite facing challenges posed by the pandemic and ongoing armed conflicts, Asertia remains committed to contributing to Ecuador's economic recovery by pursuing ambitious growth.

Juan Andrade shares their strategic plan, aiming to double their current sales by 2028. To support this expansion, Asertia is building a new distribution center near the airport, spanning 11,000 square meters, which will not only foster job opportunities but also enhance their logistic capabilities.

 Drivin & Asertia

In their quest for operational excellence during the pandemic, Asertia embarked on a search for a transportation management software that would optimize their logistics processes. Drivin, a leading SaaS-based Transportation Management System (TMS), emerged as the perfect solution, recommended by one of their Directors.

Juan Andrade reflects on their experience with Drivin, emphasizing its suitability to their complex business requirements. "Drivin has been a perfect fit for us. While some minor features are still under development, we found Drivin to be an invaluable tool that adapts seamlessly to our unique challenges," he praises.

Andrade explained that before using Drivin, Asertia's processes were mostly manual, lacking visibility and control over their routes.

"We needed to monitor our transporters and resolve variability at the point of sale. If any problem arose, we couldn't respond quickly with a solution, leading to losses for the business. Drivin allowed us to have geographical control over our transporters' locations, monitor their activities in real-time, and be proactive in delivering immediate solutions to potential route issues."

With the implementation of Drivin, Asertia gained real-time monitoring capabilities, enabling them to track deliveries, locations, planned routes versus actual routes, stop details, durations, various delivery statuses and proof of delivery (POD). The technology empowered them with visibility and control, transforming previously manual processes into streamlined, proactive solutions.

"The best part is that we know we are only tapping into 10% of everything Drivin can offer us. They have many functionalities that add great value, such as truck closing modules, transport liquidation, and others. These are aspects that we are interested in implementing soon," said Juan Andrade.

Efficiency in Returns with Drivin

Efficiency in returns saw a remarkable improvement with Drivin's integration, fostering better control, enhanced teamwork, and improved communication. As a result, their customers appreciated the enhanced coverage and timely notifications about delivery schedules, significantly reducing product returns by 30% since January 2022.

The collaboration with Drivin's support team has been instrumental, providing quick and effective assistance whenever they faced doubts or needed guidance. Their agile and online support system ensures Asertia's continuous growth and development through the successful execution of remaining modules.

"Our customers feel that we have improved, that we now have better coverage thanks to the technology. They know we can notify them about our arrival time, which is not something that happened normally," he added.

Juan Andrade mentioned that the main challenge was to reduce product returns generated at the points of sale, which averaged 4.5% in 2021. Since January 2022, they have managed to reduce returns by 30%. They are already experiencing significant efficiencies thanks to Drivin, even though they have yet to optimize the truck modules.

Finally, Andrade highlighted that the support team at Drivin provides them with excellent advice whenever they have doubts.

"The support we receive from the technology solution provider is agile and online. The development and execution of the remaining modules will have a significant impact on our business development," he concluded.

In conclusion, visibility is a key factor in gaining total control over the fleet and obtaining real-time route data that benefits companies and enables better decision-making.

Drivin can be implemented regardless of the company's size or the number of vehicles they manage. Any company that manages a fleet of vehicles for deliveries or multiple visits in a day can benefit from its application. Leave your contact details below and a customer service representative will be in touch!