Velant Inc., Atlanta, has released what it says is revolutionary new optimization technology for transportation planning, vehicle routing and scheduling, and backhaul coordination, for both local and long-haul truck fleets.

Velant's transportation optimization technology introduces a number of fundamental technology advancements over conventional transportation planning approaches, according to the company. In what it calls breakthrough optimization technology, Velant's planning engine is the first commercial transportation optimization technology designed for parallel-computing and clustered server environments. By using numerous computers at the same time, Velant's engine evaluates enormous numbers of potential logistics plans, in contrast to the conventional "one plan" approaches of traditional PC-based solutions.
Velant says its optimization engine is the first robustly automated transportation planning solution requiring no human intervention, as compared to conventional systems requiring dispatcher assistance. It simultaneously evaluates trade-offs associated with vehicle routes and schedules, product and asset load configurations, and inventory replenishment decisions. Traditional solutions consider these planning decisions one at a time.
The system is specifically designed for highly dynamic and large-scale logistics operations that are beyond the capabilities of conventional software products. These applications include high-volume ship-to-order industries, inbound logistics consolidation, less-than-truckload pickup and delivery, automobile distribution, and large-scale business service industries.
It’s also explicitly designed for centralized planning and the enterprise-wide coordination of outbound distribution, inbound logistics, and backhaul fleet movements. The system was designed from the ground up to support Internet and e-Business supply chain logistics applications, private logistics exchanges, and mobile/pervasive computing environments.
The company's proprietary planning engine powers Velant's Transportation Management Centers (TMCs), supporting companies in the planning and operation of private, dedicated, or commercial truck fleets. Velant's TMC solution, offered as a managed service, reduces the costs and eliminating the risks associated with conventional software systems, according to the company.