Introduction

Simacan has different times, all of which have an impact on the way of working. Below is an explanation of the different definitions of these times.

Planned times

Planned times are shown as sent from the planning. This planning does not come from Simacan but from a planning system. It concerns the planned arrival time and departure time at a stop.


Block times

You can see this as the agreed time with the customer according to, for example, a customer agreement or SLA. Sometimes, for example, you are allowed to unload in a specific hour, during opening hours or even throughout the day. A block time can therefore be 13.00 - 14.00, between 08.30 - 17.00 or even 00.00 - 23.59.


These times can be sent from the planning at the stop level. Simacan makes these times visible in the Control Tower, making the view even more relevant for the user, because he gains insight into how well the execution was executed. The times cannot be changed via the control tower user interface, but only with a planning update. It reflects the agreed bandwidth on which to assess afterwards whether the delivery has arrived on time.


Requested times

If there are multiple loading / unloading actions at a stop, requested times can also be given. These are times that a customer has initially requested.


Exception times

Exception times can be sent separately per stop in the planning. This makes it possible to ''overrule'' the standard exception rules, which in principle apply to all trips, with more specific times. While the standard exception rules look at the scheduled time, exception times look specifically at the times themselves.


Example:

  • A vehicle is scheduled to arrive at a stop at 2:00 PM
  • The passed block time is 10.00 - 15.00
  • The exception rules are set to +15 and -15
  • This means that the trip is seen as an ''exception'' if the vehicle, for example, has an expected arrival time of 13:40. The vehicle is more than 15 minutes early.


Suppose now the following exception times are forwarded: 13.00 - 15.15

In this case, the trip will only be considered an ''exception'' if the expected or realized arrival time is outside 13.00 - 15.15.


Exception times are, for example, an extra addition when customer agreements / SLA agreements are known and this can be included in the planning. This makes it possible to monitor an operation very effectively.


Where are these times visible

The most familiar spot is the trip-detail screen, where we show several of these times at the stop level.


The requested times are reflected in more specific places, such as in the Shipment Status view (Former Consignment view).