Fighting against COVID-19 isn't just public health, it's logistical warfare
See how we're fighting coronavirus using Routal artificial intelligence technology and route optimization. It's a logistical battle and we're going to win it.


By Xavier Ruiz
Founder of Routal. I help companies optimize their logistics through AI and Lean methodologies. LinkedIn
We are at war. Wars tend to happen far from home. But now, all of humanity is fighting (or will fight very soon) from their own homes. Follow public health guidelines such as #quedateencasa it will make us win. There are not enough hospital beds to process the demand generated by the Coronavirus. No country is prepared for such an increase in demand for critical patients. Then doctors have to choose who lives and who dies. If you don't want to play Russian roulette, my advice is to stay home. You'll reduce your chances of playing a very dangerous game these days.
Why isn't this just a health issue?
This thread is causing people to change their normal patterns. In many countries, fear causes irrational decisions to be made. We've seen people buying toilet paper for the rest of their lives. Fear causes people to act in ways we couldn't imagine. Fear saved us for the last few million years from being eaten by a lion. Fear will save us (Spanish).
Photo: CordonPress
The good thing about this crisis is that people are realizing the importance of the supply chain in their lives. Without trucks there is no toilet paper. That can't happen, period. But in a period of time when demand increases, normal ways of doing logistics tend not to meet the necessary demand.
These moments require help, which requires tools that make warehouse life easier, more reliable and able to adapt to unforeseen events that will surely happen again. The real question is when this will happen again. We just have to start getting used to it.
It's all a logistical problem.
It's not just supermarket logistics that are important. But healthcare logistics are key to maintaining human life expectancy. We're talking about compliance with basic materials, from whey to pills to laundry. Hospitals are complex production lines where people come in sick and come out cured.
A few weeks ago I was talking to one of the innovation managers of the ICS (Institut Català de la Salud — Catalan Institute of Health) on the future of hospitals. He told me that hospitals as we understand them today are going to change a lot. There is a huge tendency in the healthcare field to move patients from large and expensive hospitals, where they tend to stay for longer periods, to their homes as quickly as possible. Not only because it's cheaper for public health (40% savings) but because studies show that Staying home improves people's recovery
These benefits create a new logistical challenge. Make your healthcare team mobile. The main difference between a delivery company and Hospitality at Home is the cost of employees. The cost of a driver is relatively cheap, but a medical team comprised of a doctor, a nurse, and medical supplies is not comparable. Thus, every minute you can save them, in their trips, planning... is a minute in which you can treat more patients. Productivity isn't going to be like having them at the hospital door next to the door, but as much as we can optimize their routes, the less they're going to waste travel.
But how does Routal fight against COVID-19?
Like any good story, we have the bad guy: the coronavirus. The good ones: medical equipment. The problem is that the bad guy is winning the battle. The secret weapon: Routal . If you don't know us, we help companies with last-mile logistics processes optimize their routes while learning how their operations behave to improve operations the next day. Our goal is to make your last-mile operations as efficient and realistic as possible to make appropriate decisions. We have a mantra:
Machines solve problems, humans make decisions
Carretera
The Hospital at Home teams from Hospital Sant Joan de Déu they are fighting this villain. Our technology allows them to focus on what's important: treating their patients in the best possible way while protecting others from infection by staying at home. We take care of your planning, making it as efficient as possible in seconds.
We're simply going to win this war.
If we stay at home
Winning a war has never been easier
Want to know more? Book a demo and we'll show you how to plan your operation with Routal.
Get a demo and start beating COVID-19

By Xavier Ruiz
Founder of Routal. I help companies optimize their logistics through AI and Lean methodologies. LinkedIn
Topics
LogisticsRelated articles
Proof of delivery from the driver's phone: how to roll it out
If your drivers bring the delivery notes back at the end of the day, every dispute takes days to settle. Here is how to roll out proof of delivery on the driver's phone, which evidence to ask each type of customer for, and how to see what was delivered without calling anyone.
What's new in Routal Planner: Fleet, Messages and Connectors
Each vehicle's performance and route history now live in Fleet, you can top up your messaging balance from the module, and Connectors brings every integration together, Claude MCP included. It's already live in your project.
By Joao Lucio
Last-mile operating costs: where the real savings are
Diesel is the number you check every week because it changes every week. Meanwhile, the cost of an hour of driver time and of putting a van on the road have been climbing for years. And in urban delivery you pay almost all of that whether you make 40 deliveries or 80. That's where the saving the pump receipt never shows you is hiding.
By Xavier Ruiz
Less firefighting. More daily control.
Or if you prefer, book a personalized demo with an expert.


