Case study
Leading system provider in the utility and waste management industry 10 warehouse locations from NRW to Hamburg.
Industry: Utility and waste management
Goal: Introduction of portable data terminals in order to achieve digitization of all warehouse logistics processes.
Keywords: WMS, portable scanners, inventory management, barcode scanning
Our software:
- MX Mobile
Benefits:
- Savings of approx. 100,000 sheets of paper per year.
- Error rates in order picking were reduced almost to 0.
- Up-to-date data availability.
Initial situation: Managing stocks on paper often led to errors during order picking
EBERO has approx. 10 warehouse locations from North Rhine-Westphalia to Hamburg. These are high-bay warehouses with pallet spaces and skeleton containers as well as external warehouses for bulky goods. Previously the warehouses were managed by printing the documents in the warehouse, checking off the individual document lines and then recording the movements inside the ERP system. Among other things, this led to errors during order picking, when very similar items were confused and wrongly picked, as well as to inaccuracies in the inventory information, due to time-delayed bookings. In addition, management had very few options for evaluating the efficiency of the logistics processes.
Implementing data terminals across 10 warehouses
The implementation took place in several steps: as soon as a subarea was programmed, it was tested together with the customer (for example the receipt of goods with an estimation of the optimal storage space). This way it was possible to react at an early stage to any incorrectly defined requirements or programming.
In iterative steps, the digitized processes were first rolled out to the main warehouse, located at the headquarters. After successful testing, the company’s IT department, with the help of the jointly drafted documentation, rolled out the processes to the other locations. As of today, the customer has around 40 scanners permanently in use.
The challenges of introducing portable data terminals
Technical challenges were posed by the Wi-Fi coverage in the storage areas, since the Wi-Fi signal was strongly shielded by the metal structures of the high shelves. The scanner hardware was also affected by this particularity. In order to improve reception the main memory of the
devices had to be extended.
Organizational challenges were discovered while analysing the warehouse processes down to the last detail. In some cases it was necessary to react to very specific requirements. For example, to ensure a “fair” distribution of work load among warehouse employees, we introduced the function “automatic distribution of tasks to the employees depending on the picks already made”.
Last but not least, human challenges also had to be faced: the employees in the warehouse had to be convinced, that the introduction of scanner-controlled warehouse management simplifies, rather than complicates daily work. It also had to be clearly communicated that there were no plans for extensive control, nor did anyone have to fear a personnel reduction.
The benefit of switching to digital inventory management
The successful introduction of scanners to all locations led to the company saving around 100.000 sheets of paper per year. The error rates in picking and the associated customer complaints have been reduced to almost zero. Now the sales team has access to real time data on availability, thus calling the warehouse and asking, “is the material there yet?” is no longer necessary.
More information
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Iptor multiflex is a business application developed by Iptor Austria GmbH, formerly known as POLLEX-LC Software GmbH. Since 1982, we have been a trusted provider and manufacturer of ERP software solutions tailored to small and medium-sized trading companies, with or without manufacturing operations. As the leading experts in this field, our focus on customer orientation and flexible solutions have earned us a well-respected reputation. Our commitment to putting the customer first is proven daily, with our motto “The customer is the most important person in the company” being the driving force behind our customer contact. It’s no surprise that our high level of customer satisfaction has been consistently demonstrated in ERP satisfaction studies, and we’re proud to say that our loyal customers have placed their trust in us for many years.