There are two activity workbenches within the Logistics Execution module:

Activity Resource Workbench
Activity Demand Workbench

They are both accessible from various forms, such as Activity Scheduling, All Activities, and Activity Maintenance.

Both are similar in aesthetic, but each deal with their respective functionalities, resources and demand.

Activity Resource Workbench

The Activity Resource Workbench allows you to assign resources to an activity.

You need to assign required resources based on the activity's activity template.

Depending on which line is selected in the bottom grid, the top table populates with the assets that fit that resource.

Use the buttons above the top table to pair the assets.

When the required resources are paired, the Validation Banner (bottom of the form) changes from red to green, and displays "Valid" instead of "Invalid" (assuming auto-validation is enabled).

Note

The Distance field displays the distance between the asset and the start address.

Activity Demand Workbench

The Activity Demand Workbench allows you to assign demand to an activity.

Demand

This section displays logistics orders that are open to pairing.

Select an order and select from several pairing options, similar to Activity Resource Workbench pairing.

Activity Lines

This section displays, in order, the route for the activity.

You can adjust the route sequence, optimize the route, and merge/unmerge lines.

Optimize Route

You can optimize routes two ways:

With Scientific Logistics: If you have a Sci-Log integration, the system sends the route for optimization.
Without Scientific Logistics: The system utilizes a traveling salesman algorithm to sequence your stops to achieve the least mileage across the activity.

Sustainability: Reduce Transportation

Optimize routes by sequencing stops to achieve the lowest total mileage.

See Sustainability with Supply Chain Cloud for more information.

Pairing Options

There are four ways to pair logistics orders to activities.

Each option is configurable from the Operation Parameters form.

Pair All

Click Pair All to pair the logistics order origin and destination to the activity.

All logistics orders lines, when paired, are inserted as activity lines.

A logistics order paired in this manner is removed from the Demand section when it is completed.

Pair Origin

Click Pair Origin to pair only the logistics order origin.

The origin is inserted as an activity line. The activity destination remains unchanged.

A logistics order paired in this manner does not complete upon arriving at the destination so it remains in the Demand section.

Pair Destination

Click Pair Destination to pair only the logistics order destination.

The destination is inserted as an activity line. The activity origin remains unchanged.

A logistics order paired in this manner completes when it arrives at the destination and is removed from the Demand section.

Add to Activity

Click Add to Activity to pair a logistics order to an activity without pairing the destination or the origin.

At the time of pairing, neither the origin nor the destination are inserted as activity lines.

A logistics order paired in this manner does not complete upon arriving at the destination so it remains in the Demand section.

Preview Pair

Click Preview Pair to view an unpaired logistics order's affect on multiple paired activities.

Important

This feature must be enabled on the Parameters form.

Enter a number in the Lead Days field to determine how far in advance preview pair functionality searches for comparable activities.

Example: If set to 5, any activities that have a start date within 5 days of the requested date/time of the logistics order/line are considered for preview.

Further Clarification on Pairing Options

Transport + Deliver offers the ability to pair demand (logistics orders) across multiple activities.

Although Pair All is most commonly used, it is not uncommon for an order to be have multiple stops if the origin is far enough away from the final destination. Because of this, Pair Origin, Pair Destination, and Add to Activity were developed into the product.

In all scenarios, it helps to think of the logistics order as having two ends of demand to fulfill: the origin of the demand and the destination. A logistics order will not be considered delivered until both of those ends have been executed.

In other words, "Has the demand touched both the origin and the destination of the activity?"

In the examples below, a cross-country activity demonstrates the functionality of the four options.

Pair All

Pair All is the most standard of all pairing options. It is used when a logistics order will depart from its origin and arrive at its destination in the same activity.

For a logistics order with a Denver origin and an Indianapolis destination, the dispatcher selects Pair All when the logistics order will be completed in one activity.

Pair Origin

Pair Origin is meant to satisfy the origin of any logistics order that has to be separated out across multiple activities.

For a logistics order with a Denver origin, two two intermittent stops (Kansas City and Chicago), and an Indianapolis destination, the dispatcher select Pair Origin to an activity that completes the leg from Denver to Kansas City.

The example below begins with Pair Origin and continues on to demonstrate the other pairing functionalities.

Add to Activity

Add to Activity is meant to satisfy demand legs that do not satisfy either the origin or the destination of the demand.

In the example above, this is the leg from Kansas City to Chicago (see below). This leg is part of the entire route but does not satisfy either the origin (Denver) or destination (Indianapolis).

Pair Destination

Pair Destination is meant to satisfy the destination end of any logistics order.

In the example above, the dispatcher selects Pair Destination to complete the destination leg of the logistics order (Indianapolis).

At this point, the entirety of the logistics order is considered complete because both the origin and destination have been satisfied.

Add to Schedule

Each workbench has Add to Schedule functionality on the ribbon.

Click Add to Schedule to create a schedule against an activity created by hand.

The Define Recurrence flyout window displays first so that you can set the recurrence of the new schedule.

You can change the recurrence after schedule creation.

Once you close the flyout window, the Schedule form displays and additional configurations may be applied.

Other Options

Change Mode of Delivery

Each workbench has Change mode of delivery functionality on the ribbon.

Click Change mode of delivery to open a flyout window that allows you to change warehouse-based demand on an activity to a different mode of delivery.

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