[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Descartes Systems Group (Nasdaq:DSGX) (TSX:DSG), the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, announced that Goto AZ Planning, a leading home care rental company in Japan, has automated its home delivery operations with a combined cloud-based solution from Descartes and ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC), a Descartes ‘United by Design’ partner.

The cloud-based home delivery solution, called Supply Chain Network Controller, includes Descartes‘ Reservations, Route Planner and Mobile applications. It allows Japanese retailers to quickly deploy a comprehensive home delivery solution that starts with real-time delivery appointment scheduling during the customer ordering process and finishes with Android-based mobile proof-of-delivery at customer receipt. Currently, Goto AZ is using Descartes’ Reservations and Route Planner solutions as part of its overall delivery system.

“At Goto AZ Planning, we aim to provide our customers with what is needed such as the information, the service and the products when they are needed,” said Sae Hamaguchi, Senior Director of System Planning at Goto AZ. “Our delivery system‘s innovation allows us to clearly know the status of each resource and share the planning information between the sales drivers at the customers’ sites and the operators at the call center. And that can drastically reduce the workload of the people who are in charge of the route planning and dispatching.”

“We‘ve worked with Descartes to deliver a cloud-based solution for the Japanese market that provides differentiated customer service,” said Shun Ando, General Manager, SaaS division of CTC. “Because of our prepackaged approach and the solution’s comprehensive functionality and cloud infrastructure, customers are able to quickly adopt the superior home delivery capabilities and cost reduction benefits.”

“Our alliance with CTC extends Descartes‘ advanced home delivery solution to include Japanese retail market requirements, such as prebuilt consumer delivery appointment scheduling screens that can be embedded directly in the customer’s website or point-of-sale systems,” said Chris Varney, Vice President Global Alliances & Channels. “We‘re pleased that the combination of our unique home delivery technology and CTC’s cloud-based service is delivering significant value to customers like Goto AZ Planning.”