Drop Sequencing
The order in which delivery stops are made along a route, optimized to minimize distance, time, and cold chain exposure.
Full definition
Drop sequencing is the ordering of delivery stops along a route to minimize total drive time, fuel, and time-out-of-refrigeration. A 25-stop dairy route has 25! (25 factorial) possible sequences, only a handful of which are near-optimal. Sub-optimal sequencing is the hidden cost killer in Indian last-mile distribution, drivers left to decide on their own tend to pick the most-familiar path, not the shortest.
Good drop sequencing considers distance, current traffic, stop duration, delivery time windows at each retailer, and (for dairy) cold-chain exposure budgets. Modern route optimization solvers compute optimal or near-optimal sequences in seconds using variations of the Travelling Salesman algorithm.
Once sequenced, the plan flows to the driver's mobile app as a locked sequence, unauthorized deviations are flagged against route adherence.
Real-world example
Instead of the driver's default 'east-to-west' path, the optimizer routes the van in a tight loop saving 18 km and 55 minutes, the same 25 stops in a better sequence.
Where it applies
Applicable industries
This term is relevant across the following SpireStock-supported industries.
How SpireStock handles it
Related SpireStock features
The concepts described above are implemented end-to-end in these product modules.
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