How Graham's the Family Dairy Transformed Fleet Operations and Product Quality with Samsara

"Switching to Samsara has been a significant milestone for the business, transitioning away from the need to process multiple spreadsheets of data to accessing one central point of information." Peter Clayton, Group Head of Business Systems, Graham's The Family Dairy

Standout Benefits:

• Achieved centralised fleet management across multiple depots

• Implemented temperature monitoring for mobile refrigeration and chills

• 60% drop in harsh event rates within the first few weeks of rolling out in-cab alert coaching

• 50% reduction in the time it takes to generate KPI reports.

The logistics of dairy delivery

Navigating operations as Scotland’s largest independent dairy company is no mean feat — and was preventing a range of challenges for Graham's The Family Dairy. The team had to manage a fleet spread across multiple depots, while simultaneously ensuring the highest standards of product quality and operational efficiency. 

The company needed to move away from cumbersome spreadsheet-based processes and find a solution that could provide real-time insights into vehicle activity, maintain safety standards, and monitor temperature-sensitive products.

To address each of these challenges in one simple platform that works for depot managers and drivers alike, Peter Clayton, Group Head of Business Systems at Graham's, turned to Samsara. 

Simple, comprehensive fleet management

Samsara's integrated solutions have provided Graham's with the tools to overcome their operational challenges and drive business growth.

The implementation of Vehicle Telematics and AI Dash Cams provided Graham's with unprecedented visibility into their fleet operations. Depot managers now have quick and easy access to a user-friendly, central platform that gives insights into vehicle activity and safety metrics.

Technical and distribution teams also benefited from Samsara’s asset tagging feature, which let them easily differentiate the kit that individual teams use and manage. This transition has significantly streamlined operations, resulting in a 50% reduction in the time it takes to generate KPI reports. 

Within the first few weeks of rolling out in-cab alert coaching on around half the fleet, Graham’s achieved a 60% drop in harsh event rates. Thanks to Samsara, Graham’s can now better prioritise safety — and demonstrate safer driving to insurers. 

Clayton explained: "The combination of in-cab dual facing cameras with the option to expand the system to include reversing cameras also attracted the attention of our insurers. They were very keen to get access to our Samsara portal, as visibility into driver behaviour and camera footage of incidents will help reduce our premiums.”

Prioritising product quality

Samsara's Asset Gateway system has been crucial in maintaining the quality of Graham's dairy products. Clayton explained, "By utilising the Asset Gateway system, we are also able to not only add temperature sensors to our mobile refrigeration but additionally to our chills, where alerts can be raised to our dairy technical team should any temperature fall outside of our set ranges."

The system's versatility extends to improving connectivity for drivers on the road. "Having the vehicle gateways on board allow us to connect to a variety of providers who offer the best signal, allowing drivers to complete delivery notes for clients who require them as soon as the delivery has been made," Clayton added.

With each delivery made and every temperature monitored, Graham's moves closer to its goal of operational excellence and unwavering product quality, powered by Samsara's innovative technology.