Podfather Delivery Software Gives APP Wholesale ‘Customer Point of View’

A leading independent distributor and merchant of plumbing and heating products, as well as renewable plumbing solutions, APP operates across the UK with a nationwide next-day delivery service. APP stocks more than 40,000 products across 16 locations, and makes up to 1,000 deliveries a day. Using the newly implemented Podfather solution, APP has already reduced its delivery failure rate to below 1 percent, reduced both mileage and fuel costs, and introduced real-time customer updates.

“Prior to Podfather, our delivery operations heavily depended on back-office support for route planning, reporting, and customer service,” said Craig Stanford, Operations Director at APP Wholesale Ltd. “This created bottlenecks and inefficiencies, with manual tasks slowing us down and placing a high burden on our support teams.”

Before selecting Podfather, APP undertook a thorough benchmarking process, evaluating multiple systems for delivery management. Using criteria to evaluate functionality, integration capabilities, support, and sustainability impact, Podfather stood out for its comprehensive feature set and strong peer reviews. Podfather also aligned with APP’s operational goals and environmental commitments.

“Podfather offered a robust suite of tools, including route planning, delivery optimisation, vehicle checks, real-time tracking, POD capture, and automated reporting,” Stanford continued. “In addition, its intuitive interface and strong support team made it the ideal choice, eliminating friction in our logistics operation and enhancing the quality and efficiency of our customer service.”

Now, using Podfather across multiple operational areas, APP has seen savings in mileage and fuel costs achieved through smarter routing, it has also realised a significant reduction in paperwork and admin hours, and enhanced invoicing speed and accuracy. In addition, APP has been able to increase its job allocation capacity and completion rates, and has achieved a significant improvement in customer fulfilment rates.

“Podfather has given us the ‘customer point of view’ so we know what we are doing well and where we have failures,” he added. “This means we can improve any shortfalls or react quickly to short-term issues. We have already seen our failure rate drop to below 1 percent within a single month of roll-out, and this programme of continuous improvement is something we plan to build on.”

“Strategically, Podfather has supported key milestones in the APP journey including digitisation of the customer journey, accurate metric capture, streamlining and fixes to back office and other internal processes, and a reorganisation of our North of England and Scottish operations,” Stanford concluded.

“Working alongside our own team, and with our other software partners, Podfather has also enabled custom enhancements like vendor codes, purchase order integration, and improved data flows. We plan to expand its use across more branches and integrate additional features such as automated returns and enhanced reporting.”

APP Wholesale Ltd, part of Lords Group Trading plc, is a leading distributor of high-quality plumbing, heating, and renewable solutions across the UK. Committed to delivering exceptional service and innovative products, APP supports professionals in the industry with a comprehensive range of products from trusted brands. With a focus on sustainability and efficiency, APP is dedicated to meeting the evolving needs of merchants, installers, and their customers. The company operates through two primary divisions: APP Plumbing and Heating, with eight distribution centres nationwide, and Mr Central Heating, with 11 branches across the UK. This extensive network enables APP to provide reliable, local service and rapid access to essential products.