Norman (IsWMS)

The InStock Technologies company completed system implementation of management of the warehouse IsWMS on the distribution center of the company Norman - the large distributor of pharmaceutical medicines.

The warehouse of the company has the total area of 4000 sq.m. At the same time, in connection with the large volume of small-pieces selection, in a warehouse under a piece zone of selection the four-storeyed mezzanine with shelf storage is organized. Movement of goods at between tiers of the mezzanine is performed by means of the pipeline. In addition to a piece zone, selection is conducted by also whole boxes from a boxed zone. Storage of large numbers of goods is performed in a pallet zone.

From features of a tovaroobrabotka of a warehouse it is possible to note:

• Range of goods: 4000+ of names
• High capacity of a warehouse (30000 lines of selection for change)
• Features of processing of pharmaceutics (specifics of series, temperature conditions and expiration dates): a possibility of the order of goods without a series, a specific series, or except for certain series. To the same sort features can refer separation of goods and opportunities of its processing on storage warehouses (in one building of a warehouse), and the possible internal interwarehouse transfers connected with it
• Piece, boxed and pallet zones of selection in which each box is identified it is unique
• Work with rollboksa (grids), as with mobile cells and as with tovaronositel
• The automated pipeline for removal of goods from the mezzanine
• The automated places of controllers at workstations at which are required to provide very high capacity
• Consolidation of goods on route.

The following tasks were set for the warehouse management system IsWMS:

• Ensuring transparency and strict accounting of a trade inventory in a warehouse, taking into account series, expiration dates, temperature condition and categories of goods. In pharmaceutical area processing of goods in a warehouse should meet standards (proper practicians) of GMP/GDP. The warehouse management system should be ready to support of business processes according to these regulations.
• Optimization (acceleration) of processes of goods acceptance, its selection, control and preparation for shipment. Reduction of a cycle of selection shipment. Movement of goods on the four-storeyed mezzanine is executed using the pipeline where in one tray, the goods on different floors of the mezzanine can be gathered. According to it, WMS should organize optimum selection of orders and the choice of trays from the pipeline on floors that idle times of the pipeline, or personnel on floors were not created.
• Automated management of movements of goods on all transactions, including movements in a zone of control, packaging, an expedition.
• Minimization of "a human factor" on all transactions.

Choice of WMS

Approach to automation of a warehouse complex with high capacity differs from the normal project in the fact that even the insignificant, at first sight, difference brings into the organizations of any business process to significant total improvement of key indicators of work of a warehouse. The warehouse management system IsWMS was selected by the company Norman as a result of the deep analysis of characteristics of several leading WMS in the Russian market, first of all, for a possibility of adaptation under optimal business processes of a warehouse to their smallest nuances and readiness of the InStock Technologies command to work together with the client and to implement these nuances in IsWMS for the budget fixed in the project.

Dmitry Alfeev, the logistics director of the company Norman, tells the following: "Having analyzed the market of the WMS systems we inclined to the choice among leading suppliers by the number of the projects implemented in Russia in the beginning. But it turned out that all of them propose boxed solutions of different level and, in case of detection of need for completions of a system under our processes, cannot work within the project cost fixed at the time of the agreement. We understood what to prepare in advance, prior to joint work over the project, detailed technical specifications to consider all their possible completions - we will not be able".

Implementation

For the purpose of capacity growth at acceptance and placement of goods the working group came to the decision to organize two-stage acceptance: unloading of goods with input of all necessary characteristics of goods and detailed acceptance with the automated sorting of goods according to storage/selection zones. Sorting of goods at acceptance is made in rollkonteyner: one rollkonteyner for one zone of storage/selection. A system is guided by goods quantities in arrival and the monopallet, and also rollboks for different zones of the mezzanine, a boxed and pallet zone manages formation. Then, the rollkonteyner moves to the corresponding zone where understands on cells. Such approach allowed on the one hand, is automated to manage necessary goods quantity in different zones, and on the other hand, it is essential to reduce time from unloading of goods to its hit in the necessary cells of storage/selection. Integration into the equipment of measurement of dimensions and weight of goods in the course of acceptance (Vibra) allowed to organize autonomous control and removal of these characteristics in WMS.

For the purpose of reduction of a cycle of selection, different, most optimal methods of selection and replenishment in each case were applied to different zones of a warehouse. On the mezzanine, selection is conducted using the managed WMS movement of trays on the pipeline and a method of total selection of orders on each of floors of the mezzanine. The algorithm of issue of tasks to selectors on floors which optimum manages issue of tasks for a goods dobor in the trays coming from an upper floor and selection of orders which begin on the current floor, in new trays was specially developed for this project. In boxed zones of selection of frontal racks selection is conducted by unique numbers of boxes (a box are marked on acceptance, or at execution of operations of replenishment of a boxed zone).

Transactions of replenishment of a boxed zone and zones of the mezzanine are executed on cascade technology: a system defines the need for replenishment of the mezzanine, a boxed zone and generates tasks for total replenishments of a boxed zone from pallet and, then, mezzanine zones from a boxed zone.

Packaging of goods is made in rollkonteyner on the fixed packaging stations specialized for this process allowing to control the selected goods with a high speed.

Because of the large volume of goods in a warehouse and intensive goods turnover a transfer of goods under management of WMS was made by parts, brands, during the long time frame, minimizing, thereby, possible risks of start of a warehouse management system. Currently the warehouse successfully functions and copes with peak loads.

As a result of system implementation of management of the warehouse IsWMS the warehouse uvedichit the performance more than twice: to system implementation the average indicator by quantity of lines of selection for change was 10000 lines, after implementation of WMS, the warehouse came to performance in 27000 lines in change.