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Success Story
Repco accelerates last-mile delivery with Zebra, gaining full fleet visibility and safer operations
Managing an 800-vehicle delivery network, Repco wanted greater real-time visibility across its fleet—enabling stores to respond more confidently to customer enquiries while supporting safer, more efficient driver workflows on the road.
Zebra Success Story: Repco
Overview: Retail Challenge
The goal was to give stores clear, real-time insight into vehicle locations, enabling teams to confidently respond to customer enquiries and adjust routes quickly as priorities shifted on the road.
Benefits / Outcomes
- Full real-time visibility of vehicle locations and delivery progress
- Faster delivery-related customer support
- Improved operational and fleet decision-making
- Safer driving by reducing personal phone use
About Repco
The e-commerce market continues to expand at a dramatic pace. According to Grand View Research, the global market was estimated at USD 25.93 trillion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 83.26 trillion by 2030. Meanwhile, customer expectations are rapidly rising: a study by OnTrac found that 63 % of customers will switch retailers if their order cannot be delivered in two days or less. At the same time, the “last-mile” — the final leg from local hub to customer door — remains the costliest part of delivery. With rising demand, expectations, and costs, being capable of meeting customers at their doorstep has never mattered more.
Repco, owned by GPC Asia Pacific and the largest reseller and supplier in the automotive and aftermarket parts and accessories sector in Australia and New Zealand, set out early to get ahead of this shift. With more than a century of history and a network of over 500 stores across the region, the company serves everyone from everyday drivers to specialist workshops. It offers more than 450,000 different parts, from vehicle components to marine equipment. A fleet of around 800 delivery vehicles keeps trade customers stocked multiple times a day, moving high volumes of stock quickly and reliably.
The Challenge
With hundreds of stores and vehicles operating simultaneously, Repco sought to create a more connected and transparent delivery operation. The goal was to give stores clear, real-time insight into vehicle locations, enabling teams to confidently respond to customer enquiries and adjust routes quickly as priorities shifted on the road.
Safety was also a core consideration. “We didn’t want people using their telephones while driving to find a route or take a phone call,” recalls Arun Sen, General Manager of Application Systems at GPC Asia Pacific. “Reducing that risk was critical.” With roughly 65% of their workforce made up of Millennials and Gen Z, having modern, safe, and mobile-friendly workflows has become increasingly important.
Store staff can see the driver’s real-time location and estimated time of arrival. If a customer calls, we can immediately tell where the driver is and how long the delivery will take.
The Solution
Repco evaluated several potential technology partners. “I had prior experience with Zebra,” Sen shares. “Their network and support in Australia are very strong. Many major retailers use Zebra, so we knew service would be reliable.”
The next step was choosing the right mobile device for drivers and store staff. The team needed something rugged enough for real-world conditions, comfortable to carry, and familiar in the hand. “We chose Zebra’s T5 Series Mobile Computers, knowing they were robust, capable of supporting 5G connectivity, and easy to use. We could also manage and support devices at scale,” adds Sen.
Repco began with a proof of concept (PoC) to demonstrate how Zebra devices could streamline the delivery process. The trial ran across about 10 stores, with three to four vehicles each, helping the team refine sign-on flows and resolve connectivity issues. Once the PoC proved successful and the business case was approved, Repco partnered with Auslaser Business Solutions already a long-standing partner in other areas of the business with deep experience rolling out Zebra equipment, to roll the solution out to all 800 vehicles across a four-month period.
Auslaser Business Solutions provided end-to-end project management, including chairing weekly stakeholder meetings, coordinating all technical and operational workstreams, and overseeing stock-keeping unit (SKU) validation and device configuration to ensure accuracy across the entire fleet. The Auslaser Business Solutions team also managed and executed all staging, packaging, and distribution logistics, ensuring every device reached every location on time and fully prepared for deployment. “We prepared training materials for the stores, but because the TC5 Series device feels familiar and intuitive, employees mostly picked it up themselves,” Sen recalls.
Each device was equipped with Genuine Delivery—an application created and used by the company’s US operations. The app provides real-time visibility into driver locations, delivery progress, and stop histories, allowing stores to track activity as it happens. To support the rollout at scale, Repco also integrated the SOTI ONE Platform to centrally manage devices, enabling teams to monitor units across the network and remotely lock or disable them if needed.
Today, Repco’s entire fleet of delivery vehicles across Australia are equipped with TC5 Series devices. “Driver adoption is strong, which is often the biggest challenge. The platform is being used across the network,” notes Sen. The mobile computers give drivers everything they need to deliver quickly and safely—from route details to delivery information and communication tools.
Now, drivers can view their delivery lists and customer stops digitally, building an efficient route as they go. They can add stops on the fly—for example, to collect an extra item or refuel—and even log breaks. Since routine vehicle checks have also been digitised, they can be viewed centrally. “Because we can already see where vehicles are, drivers receive far fewer calls. And when they do need to take a call, it’s handled through the Zebra device with hands-free Bluetooth, which is much safer than using personal phones,” adds Sen.
The Zebra Difference: Outcome and Benefits
More than 800 delivery vehicles can be tracked continuously throughout the day, with live location and delivery status available instantly to every store via a web-based application and device-level tracking. As a result, the company can support customers more efficiently. “Store staff can see the driver’s real-time location and estimated time of arrival. If a customer calls, we can immediately tell where the driver is and how long the delivery will take,” adds Sen. “Before, that meant calling the store, then the driver, and then calling the customer back.” With delivery records fully digitised, questions about order status or confirmation are resolved almost instantly.
The company can also see how every vehicle is being used and make more informed decisions about its fleet. Over the past six months alone, Repco has tracked more than 500,000 delivery routes across its stores and logged over 1.6 million delivery stops, giving teams a clear picture of time-to-deliver performance at store, area, and regional levels. “With 800 vehicles, understanding utilisation is critical,” says Sen. “Previously, we had limited visibility into how many trips a vehicle made. By the end of this year, we’ll be able to see the full trip history and usage patterns.” These insights will help Repco assess whether vehicles are being used effectively.
Store, area, and regional teams can also use this data to improve day-to-day operations. “Delivery is critical in our segment—if customers get parts fast, they can complete repairs. If competitors deliver faster, we miss out. With Zebra, we can now measure the full cycle, from order receipt through pick, pack, ship, and delivery,” says Sen.
Repco is now rolling out TC5 Series devices in stores across Australia and New Zealand, helping staff save even more time. Instead of walking back and forth to fixed terminals to check part fit, price, or availability, team members can carry the information with them as they move through the store—speeding up service on the spot. From here, the company will continue digitising tasks such as collection and soon, order picking. The same devices will also support new safety workflows, like logging hazards at customer sites.
Repco’s journey began with a simple goal: make last-mile delivery faster, safer, and easier to manage. Today, the company has a single mobility platform connecting drivers, stores, and distribution centres—streamlining deliveries, improving visibility, and laying the foundation for broader digitisation. For Sen, that foundation is the real achievement. “The functionality we are rolling out is constantly evolving. Beyond improving capabilities for our drivers, stores, and vehicles, this platform lays the foundation for deploying a wide range of new features that would not be feasible without this robust infrastructure,” he says. “There’s a lot we can unlock with Zebra—it’s simply a matter of how fast we can get there.”
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