The supply and distribution of bulk products such as foodstuffs, cement, petroleum products and liquefied gases present challenging scheduling and optimisation problems. The conflicting pressures of increased customer service expectations and maximisation of resource usage focus attention on the capability of an operation to react dynamically to changes on a minute-by-minute basis.

MJC²'s REACT and DISC systems are focused on providing intelligent, forward-looking scheduling tools which can optimise on an operational and strategic level.

In a business where order fulfillment windows may be as narrow as half-an-hour, and penalties for late delivery may be substantial, the ability to react quickly to operational problems such as traffic delays, breakdowns, last minute orders, etc. is vital. The REACT system can respond dynamically to updates from the operation (changing order status, GPS positional information, etc.) while maintaining ongoing objectives such as improved fleet utilisation, reduced spot-hire costs and balanced use of drivers and vehicles.

Complex distribution networks containing many interacting depots, production sites and delivery points may be modelled using the DISC toolset. Integrating naturally with REACT, or acting as a stand-alone system, DISC can schedule large distribution operations which operate under tight time and service level constraints to produce benefits in terms of reduced transport costs, integrated multi-site operations and strategic optimisation of resource allocation and acquisition.