LAGERS SOUTHERTON PLANT
VANESSA KUNAKA MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT
MARCH 2021
MENTOR:MR H NYONI
Introduction
The trainee covered Distribution Activities in March. The Distribution function is fundamentally
concerned with ensuring that products reach target customers in the most direct and cost efficient
manner. It also seeks to collect glass empty bottles from the market for reuse in the production of
FULLS. Distribution management involves a range of activities and disciplines including development
of distribution plans and budgets, ensuring optimal fleet asset utilization, ensuring optimal human
resourcing as well as understanding customer needs and expectations. Lagers delivers to the market
through four channels which are:
i.
Door Step Delivery
ii.
Customer Collection Depots
iii.
Wholesalers
iv.
Distributors
The efficiency of the Distribution Department is measured by the Total Cost of Distribution which is
compared with the budgeted cost as well as the cost incurred in prior periods. There are also other
metrics that are used to measure the efficiency of distribution such as fuel consumption, vehicle capacity
utilization, market returns and departure compliance. This report seeks to identify opportunities and
challenges, and offer recommendations for the improvement of the distribution function.
Learning Area
Tele sales
Key
Findings
Observations
i.
and Impact to the Lagers Recommendations
business
Late
orders
processing due to
erratic
product

Late
working
hours for the
Planning clerk
increases

Southerton plant to adequately
supply product by meeting the
minimum stock cover days for
supply
plant .
Route Planning

the
Departure
compliance
is
negatively affected
by aged computers
and printer as they
cause delays in
processing orders
.
Unfulfilled
customer orders as
at times wrong geo
codes are used to
process orders.



DSD
channel
volume shrinks as a
result of erratic
product
supply
especially
of
mainstream brands.

Increase
in
customer serving
time as driver have
to
confirm
prepayment from
debtors.

DSD Channel Overview
from




different brands so as to make
planning easy.

Procurement of new computers
and printers for the planning
office that can process orders
fast.
Increase
in
DPRS thus an
inefficiency.

Sales team to send verified geo
codes to the planning office so
that orders do not get mixed
up.

Poor resource
utilization E.g.
Capacity
utilization
of
trailers cannot
be
realised
because there is
no product to fill
up the trailer.

Southerton Plant to increase
volume of Mainstream brands
being shipped to Southerton
DBC.


Return
compliance is
negatively
affected
increasing
transportation
costs as the
driver misses on
the bus and have
to use taxis.
Finance department to print a
list of prepaid customers for
each route and give to drivers.

Sales
team
to
engage
Supermarkets before dispatch
to prepare for receiving space
and resources.

Procurement
of
money
detectors for each driver to use
in route.

Cash in office to be flexible to
enable drivers to cash up after
coming from the market.

Warehouse
to
increase
checkers who check trucks ex
trade.
Increase in serving
time
at
supermarkets due to
unavailability
of
offloading bays.
Lack of money
detectors to detect
fake USD notes as
volume of cash
sales increases.
transportation
costs as the clerk
will require a
taxi.
Incompletion of
DSD
routes
increases market
returns
and
unfulfilled
orders.

Departure
compliance being
negatively affected
by drivers cashing
in the morning.

Check in delays by
checkers and due to
high traffic of DSD

High risk of the
business being
defrauded
through use of
counterfeit
notes.
Route
incompletion
causing
an
increase
in
DPRS.
Increase
in
unproductive
overtime
for
drivers as they
trucks which needs
to be checked.
Route Appraisals

Return compliance
not being met by
drivers
covering
long distance routes

Trainee did route
appraisals for two
rural
routes
Domboshava and
Goromonzi.
Departure
compliance for the
two routes were out
of spec because of
delays
in
the
planning office.

Market returns for
Domboshava were
7% thus -2% to
standard
whilst
Goromonzi
was
within spec with 4%
returns.

Fuel Consumption
for horse number
3973(Goromonzi)
was
2.1l/km
compared to the
standard of 2.3l/km.

Fuel Consumption
for horse number
3089(Domboshava)
was
2.8l/km
showing efficiency.
wait
to
cleared.
be

Increase in Total
Cost
of
Distribution as
drivers
claim
overtime,
second
meal
allowances and
taxis to ferry
them home.

Route
Appraisals are
important in that
certain
Distribution
Performance
Indicators(DPIs)
can be measured
against standard
and the best and
most efficient
ways to a route
can
be
established.

Route
Appraisals are
also
an
important way
of
gathering
marketing
intelligence
from the traders
that can be used
to improve on
service delivery
and also to make
decisions.

DSD trucks should be
dispatched early prioritizing
longest routes. More over for
long routes points need to be
identified where customers
pick their orders from one
convenient location.

Continuously
do
Route
Appraisals to get insights of
the market and how best the
business can serve the market
in the most cost effective way
that keeps the TCD at its
lowest.
CONCLUSION
This report has detailed the trainee’s experiences in the Distribution function for the month of March
2021. The trainee will be covering sales, marketing and finance in April.
MENTOR SIGNATURE……………………………………………………
PROGRAMME MANAGER SIGNATURE………………………………
GT SIGNATURE……………………………………………………………