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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/411627
D riving from point A to B is one thing, but many businesses have an alphabet of destinations to get to every day. When deliver- ing, say, furniture to 50 different houses with a handful of trucks, plan- ning the best route isn't simply a matter of plugging addresses into Google Maps. But now it can be thanks to a Van- couver startup, Routific, whose tech lets companies update their numerous daily destinations online and have an algo- rithmically optimized route returned to them in a matter of seconds—one that requires the least amount of driving. Big firms like UPS and FedEx already have their own algorithms, but Routific co-founder Marc Kuo saw an unmet market of smaller businesses that would benefit from the same tech—but didn't have the in-house resources to develop their own algorithms. And so for $29 per vehicle per month, Routific offers its. "We're a startup that helps other startups," explains Kuo, 28. His com- pany guarantees its tech will improve the efficiency of routes by 15 per cent. Routific is now seeing revenue double each month, says Kuo, who's received dozens of emails from interested inves- tors. Routific is being funded by Axiom Zen, a local startup accelerator, to the tune of $500,000. A polished version of its tech will go live this winter, allowing clients to access everything through a sleek interface online, from any mobile device (current clients receive raw data). Customers come from around the world—a laundry service in Paris, a French baker in Hong Kong—but "one of our greatest early adopters" is local, says Routific's other co-founder, Suzanne Ma. Vancouver-based Frogbox, which deliv- ers tote boxes for moving, has been test- ing Routific since summer and now plans to use it with all its Canadian franchisees. "We're saving time, especially when we have two trucks," says Mathieson McCrae, Frogbox's Vancouver general manager. That's not just saved money— it's better for the environment. "Marc is Mr. Efficiency," adds Ma, 30. "For me, it was the green aspect. Shorter routes means less fuel." From across the meeting table, Mr. Efficiency puts it like this: Routing, Kuo says, is "like chess—humans cannot beat computers anymore." ■ December 2014 BCBusiness 27 The Route Less Travelled Local startup Routific says it can help small- and mid- sized companies save serious cash on deliveries by Trevor Melanson t r a n s p o r t a t i o n 1 1 2 2 3 3 5 5 6 4 4 soutH VanCouVeR oakRIDge maRPole West sIDe West PoInt gReY kItsIlano VanCouVeR aRButus DoWntoWn eastsIDe HastIngs-sunRIse gRanDVIeW-WooDlanD east sIDe Truck A's third delivery must be made at a certain time If a delivery must be made within a time window, Routific will optimize around it. Kuo says people have a "cognitive bias" toward making these types of deliveries first, but that's not always optimal. Truck A's sixth stop will take an hour Certain deliveries take time, like unloading boxes, while others are relatively instant, such as dropping off a parcel. You can tell Routific just how long you'll need for each delivery. Truck B's route is optimized for efficiency Routific will schedule deliveries so that both driving time and distance are kept at a minimum, saving clients fuel costs while allowing them to make more deliveries in less time. map: stesha ho How Routific Works One company, two trucks: Routific assigns deliveries based on efficiency Home Base foR tRuCks a + B tRuCk B's Route tRuCk a's Route