In this story
For decades, Reece - ANZ’s leading plumbing parts supplier - has been defined by a bold promise: two-hour delivery.
Delivering on that promise across a network of 650 branches, six warehouses, a large-scale internal fleet, and a complex SKU range (from simple pipe fittings to high-tech boilers and delicate ceramics) isn’t simple. It requires precision, visibility, and control at scale.
To protect and scale its two-hour delivery promise, Reece deployed fleet management software NowGo by Shippit. The rollout expanded from 80 branches to more than 650, equipping the business with real-time delivery visibility and intelligent delivery management tools.
The Challenge
For Reece, delivery isn’t an add-on service, its core to the business. Most customers are plumbers and tradespeople working on active job sites. If a delivery is late, work stops and costs escalate.
Historically, branches manually allocated deliveries based on knowledge. While effective on a smaller scale, the model lacked:
- Scalable optimisation
- Data-driven decision-making
- A platform that would meet evolving needs of customers and the business
Sam White, Strategy and Network Leader, Supply Chain, at Reece, explains: “The original rationale for us to explore NowGo was: ‘how do we modernise our tech infrastructure to support something that is integral to our business?’. There was a considerable opportunity to optimise the branch-to-customer logistics element.”
Key challenges included:
- Replacing legacy systems with a scalable, AI-powered platform
- Maintaining a two-hour delivery promise across 650+ branches
- Training and onboarding Reece branch team users across varied roles and digital skill levels
- Balancing central optimisation with local branch control
The Solution
Reece implemented NowGo as a unified, digital last-mile fleet management software, integrating directly with its internal systems and customer-facing app, maX.
The rollout was staged, structured, and collaborative - rigorously testing scalability and branch-level configuration before expanding network-wide.
Today, NowGo supports:
- All Reece branch deliveries to customer
- Real-time driver visibility
- Delivery sequencing and route planning
- Compliance-based scheduling (including breaks)
- Proof of delivery (POD) capture
- API integration with the maX trade app
- Intuitive UX to increase adoption
"NowGo supports Reece in delivering a high volume of orders to customers across the country. Our service promise - two-hour delivery - has been the ‘secret sauce’ of Reece for decades. We now have greater clarity on our ability to commit to that through NowGo at 650 locations, plus six warehouses. We use NowGo to execute that and manage the customer experience.” - Sam White, Strategy and Network Leader, Supply Chain, at Reece
The Results
The biggest shift from NowGo's fleet management software has been the successful digitisation of Reece’s last-mile delivery at enterprise scale. Benefits include:
- Consistent, two-hour delivery: Upheld its two-hour delivery promise across to delivery on our customer promise
- Improved performance: Improved on-time delivery by 2% - validating the power of data-driven coordination
- Visibility and transparency: Map-based interface lets branches track drivers in real time, boosting visibility and enabling accurate customer ETAs. “We have a greater level of transparency of where drivers are, the ability to understand time-to-customers, and make better decisions,” added White. “As well as the POD-based experience as a basic expectation for our customers as well.”
- Intuitive UI: Intuitive design helps staff quickly reprioritise and adapt to disruption, improving communication and enabling faster, smarter decisions
- Operational consistency: Standardised platform ensures consistent processes across 650+ branches, while supporting local flexibility
- Robust, reliable performance: Uptime and service reliability provide a stable foundation for a high-volume delivery network
- Stronger digital integration: Delivery data feeds directly into customer-facing systems, including maX, enabling a more seamless end-to-end experience
"We're leveraging NowGo to help build our network of the future. That means we’re closer to the customer with the right product at the right time. If you want more autonomous decision-making, have less human dependency in routing, and more trust in a system, NowGo's great. NowGo’s robustness, its serviceability and uptime is amazing.” - Sam White, Strategy and Network Leader, Supply Chain, at Reece
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