Tanzania: Using a Hands-on Approach for Direct Delivery

Transportation is a key link in the public health supply chain, and the direct delivery model has increased the importance of last-mile distribution. In Mtwara zone, the Medical Stores Department (MSD) has increased efficiency in last-mile distribution by taking a hands-on approach to transportation and distribution design. Zonal manager Herman Mng'ong'o accompanied vehicles on delivery routes to every facility in the zone's service area, giving him a valuable perspective on the conditions in the zone's service area and creating opportunities for collaboration with MSD drivers. Ride-alongs led to identifying opportunities to reduce delivery time and make more efficient drop sequences. The MSD zonal warehouse in Mtwara has also adapted to a changing volume of deliveries by creating a mobile warehousing model. This model consolidates routes across multiple districts, saving time and fuel by using the entire capacity of trucks and eliminating avoidable back-and-forth trips from the zonal warehouse to each district. However, the consolidation of districts will only work with low carton volumes. The MSD has also implemented CarTrack, a mobile application that allows managers to track various important vehicle parameters, including the actual locations of vehicles, fuel consumption, drive times, and travel speeds. This level of visibility and monitoring has incentivized drivers to drive efficient routes, avoiding detours and unnecessary delays. The data from CarTrack has also been leveraged to identify facility geocodes and to assist in developing an improved digital road network for Tanzania. By implementing these changes, the MSD zonal warehouse in Mtwara has uncovered substantial benefits, including reduced cost and time savings, while maintaining a high level of customer service. Fuel costs are lower, down from approximately 20M Tsh/quarter to 7.8M Tsh/quarter. Deliveries completed to all facilities in Masasi district decreased from six-seven days to a maximum of four days. The district medical officers and facility heads have greater visibility when timing the order submissions, helping to consolidate the order process and distribution. The MSD zonal warehouse in Mtwara continues to pioneer innovative approaches to optimize their distribution network and ensure consistent stock availability at every health facility. By leveraging the success of Mtwara's practical solutions and implementing technical innovations, in partnership with the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT, MSD can validate and enhance their direct delivery strategy. Two key initiatives in the roadmap are route optimization using LLamasoft's Transportation Guru software and a truck driver mobile application. Route optimization using Transportation Guru will enable MSD to optimize routes and find additional savings in time and cost. This will also allow MSD to ask "what if" questions, such as what if carton volumes increase or what if facilities are inaccessible in the rainy season. The truck driver mobile application will assist drivers in planning optimized routes, reducing delays in the delivery of commodities, and increasing data visibility by replacing paper-based records and logs. The success of Mtwara can be attributed to a mentality of continuous improvement and the agility of the zonal manager, executing the most efficient distribution plan by adapting to changing volumes. Mtwara zone provides insight into pragmatic approaches to transportation and distribution improvements that can be adopted across all MSD zones, saving time and money and introducing efficiencies into the distribution system.