The career of a milkman has gone a little more high-tech at one Arizona milk cooperative, and others across the country may soon be following suit.The United Dairyman of Arizona (UDA) first added automation to its milk collection process back in 2008, the Phoenix Business Journal reported. As those handheld devices and mobile app became outdated, the cooperative set out to find a new solution. Partnering with Scottsdale-based Software Ops LLC, they developed the UDA Delivers mini iPad app.
UDA started testing the new app last September, and it was ready to go live by the end of 2014. Today, all of the cooperative's 70 milk haulers use it.
With their iPad minis, each driver uses the app to scan and collect the required seals, mark their route, enter milk sampler license numbers and manage their route from pick up to delivery. This documentation used to require a seven-page form.
The new process saves time and money. It also provides a dispatch portal with a map of all trucks on the road, making route changes easier. In addition, all communication to the drivers is sent through an iPad message instead of a phone call.
UDA may be the first, but other milk plants will likely be able to jump on board in the future. UDA and Software Ops entered an agreement with Dairy.com, allowing them to take over the platform so other dairy cooperatives can use it someday, too.
