Northgate changes its Fleet Management: Digitalisation and Real-Time Data for Record-Breaking Operations
The leading flexible renting company transforms its vehicle reception and delivery processes, managing to reduce processing times to just 5 minutes through an innovative data architecture developed alongside Luce IT.
In a sector where agility is everything, Northgate, the undisputed leader in the field of flexible renting for professionals and individuals, has made a bold move in its digital transformation strategy. The company has announced the successful optimization of its critical vehicle reception and delivery processes, a milestone that not only improves its operational efficiency margins but also redefines the experience for its employees and customers.
The challenge was immense: managing a huge fleet with thousands of daily movements that depended on manual processes and disconnected systems. Today, thanks to its alliance with Luce IT, Northgate has digitized 100% of these flows, gaining agility and ensuring data quality.
The End of Manual Vehicle Registration
Before this project, Northgate faced problems common in the sector:
- High manual effort to register new vehicles and update sales.
- Inconsistent data due to a lack of synchronization with their central system (ERP).
- Difficulty managing incidents without digital graphic evidence.
The technological solution has been a resounding success. What were once slow processes is now agile management that allows registering a vehicle in just 5 minutes. This boosts team productivity and makes vehicles available much sooner for customers.
How to Replicate an ERP to SQL Server to Improve Business Intelligence
The key to this success lies in a bold architectural decision: the implementation of the Operational Grid Layer (OGL), one of our assets.
Instead of trying to modify the core of the existing ERP, which usually entails risks and operational downtime, the solution opted to deploy this decoupling layer. The OGL acts as an intelligent synchronizer that normalizes data between operational systems and consuming systems.
Thanks to this technology, Northgate now has a real-time replica of its ERP in a centralized SQL Server system. This not only accelerates daily operations but also opens the door to much more precise Business Intelligence, facilitating decision-making based on data updated to the second, rather than on static reports.
A Mobile APK for Delivery and Reception Traceability
The news goes beyond data architecture; the impact is visible in the operators’ day-to-day work. To materialize this digitization, an architecture of independent front-ends was developed for each use case (new vehicle and sale vehicle).
Among the most notable innovations deployed in Northgate’s operations are:
- Digital Signature: A system that offers immediate legal support during delivery, eliminating paper and bureaucracy.
- Registration and Photography APK: A mobile application that allows registering the vehicle’s status and taking photos in real-time. By integrating with active systems, doubts regarding any incidents are eliminated.
A Collaborative Success Story
This achievement is the result of joint work between Northgate and Luce IT. Ángel Briceño, Project Manager at Northgate, summarizes it as follows:
“With Luce’s support, we have transformed a critical and complex process into an agile, secure, and digital operation. The collaboration was impeccable: they understood our needs from day one, and today we have a solid technological foundation that drives efficiency.”.
Key Results: Reduction of Time-to-Market and Improvement of Data Quality
The results speak for themselves:
- Reduction of registration time: From long processes to just 5 minutes.
- Better data quality: Automation has eliminated human errors and inconsistencies.
- Scalability: The technological base is ready to integrate future applications, such as Customer Intelligence initiatives.
For Northgate, digital transformation is already a reality that generates daily value. The implementation of the OGL and Luce IT’s Data Platform has been the engine of this change.
This strategic move positions Northgate not only as a leader in fleet volume but also as a reference in technological innovation within the mobility sector. The implemented technological base is scalable, which prepares the company to integrate future applications and business processes, such as Customer Intelligence initiatives, with a much more competitive time-to-market.
If you want to know more about this success story, you can read it in full here: View
FAQ
How to reduce vehicle registration time?
To drastically reduce times, it is fundamental to replace manual processes with digital solutions that automate data entry. In Northgate’s case, registration time was reduced to 5 minutes through data normalization and the use of mobile applications (APK) that allow registration and photo capture in real-time, eliminating subsequent administrative tasks.
What technologies serve to integrate data?
One of the most effective technologies for complex environments is the Operational Grid Layer (OGL). This solution acts as a decoupling layer that synchronizes and normalizes data between operational systems (like a proprietary ERP) and consuming systems. This allows, for example, replicating information in real-time to a centralized SQL Server to facilitate business analysis (BI) without affecting the central system’s performance.
What benefits does digital signature bring to vehicle renting?
The integration of digital signature offers immediate legal documentary support during vehicle delivery and reception processes. By digitizing this step, paper use is eliminated, bureaucratic procedures are streamlined, and operation traceability is improved, ensuring that all documentation is archived and accessible instantly.
Examples of applications for deliveries and receptions
A clear example is the development of custom APKs (mobile applications) for field work. In this project, a specific application was implemented that allows operators to take photographs and document the vehicle’s status in situ. These applications are designed with independent front-ends to cover specific use cases, such as “new vehicle” reception or “sale vehicle” management, integrating directly with company systems.
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