Distributive center (WMS Logistics Vision Suite)

The warehouse complex "Distributive Center" (www.ooo-dc.ru) provides services in safe custody and processing of loads. The warehouse of safe custody is located in 4 km from MKAD on Kashirskoye Highway in the Northern industrial zone Vidnoye. Commercial operation of a warehouse began in the middle of 2005.

In the nearest future, in addition to already operated warehouse body of 10200 sq.m., the second queue of a complex of 6800 sq.m. is put in operation. Thus, the total amount of storage of loads will be 22,000 pallets.

Tasks

Control of a warehouse of Distributive Center company since the beginning of its operation was exercised by means of the system of the class WMS (Exceed 4000). However the used system was insufficiently flexible for business of the 3PL-operator. First of all a lot of time was taken by the procedure of setup of individual parameters of processing of loads of clients of a warehouse. In addition a system could not provide one of the main requirements of Distributive Center company - turnover by dates of production of goods, this need was connected with presence of the large customer - the distributor of confectionery.

Transactions of acceptance in the used system were not automated by means of radio terminals. Information input in a system was made manually that took a lot of time big staff of operators. There were difficulties with carrying out inventory.

Maintenance of the used system was given on outsourcing – it was provided by management company which performed system implementation.

As a result the company management Distributive center made the decision on the organization of own IT service and change of a software platform for management of a warehouse.

Solution

For the purpose of accomplishment of an assigned task the analysis of the WMS systems which were available in the Russian market, their functionality and information on supplier companies was carried out. Distributive center stopped the choice on the warehouse management system Logistic Vision Suite which was offered by ant Technologies company. When choosing the supplier of the WMS solution the wide experience of ant Technologies in the field of automation of warehouses of safe custody was considered – a number of large Russian 3PL-operators already selected the Logistic Vision Suite system as the corporate standard.

For the purpose of restriction of a framework of the project and minimization of an implementation time the WMS systems setup was made on the basis of requirements to business processing of confectionery because a large customer of a warehouse complex is the distributor of confectionery.

Feature of this project was the fact that the Distributive Center company needed to make a transfer of a warehouse from one WMS system on another with preserving of continuity of operating activities of a complex.

Flexible system architecture of Logistic Vision Suite and high professionalism of specialists of ant Technologies allowed to perform implementation of a new system in the shortest possible time. Adaptation of settings of the equipment used by the customer (data collection terminals, printers for printing of labels, the server hardware and wireless infrastructure of different producers) to work with a new system with preserving of a possibility of its parallel use in a former system was carried out. Reconfiguration of the equipment allowed Distributive Center company to perform transition to the new WMS system with the greatest possible preserving of investments.

In addition to ensuring basic needs for management of the main warehouse transactions (acceptance, storage, a complete set, shipment) setup of wide functionality on management of logistic processes which give such opportunities was carried out:

fast setup and flexible change of strategy of placement and movement of goods according to individual business processes of each client of a warehouse; work with different units of measure and unlimited number of types of packagings of goods; sale of the expanded data exchange interface with the accounting systems of clients of a warehouse; advanced functionality on preparation of reports; ensuring work of electronic document management, export import of information on a remaining balance. Based on ant Technologies Educational advice center the training of personnel of a warehouse complex on work with the new WMS system was provided. Within the agreement specialists of ant Technologies will also provide services in technical maintenance of the implemented product.

Result

The WMS system of Logistic Vision Suite functions in a warehouse since July, 2007. Also the second warehouse which is going to start already running the Logistic Vision Suite system in September or October, 2007 is under construction. Besides there are plans to construct the third warehouse.

The received multifunction Logistic Vision Suite tools allow to adapt to individual business processes of each client, to change the strategy of placement and movement of goods in a warehouse, to work with different units of measure. This functionality is essentially important, considering specifics of business of the 3PL-operator.

As a result of the provided training the personnel of a warehouse successfully work with new WMS-a system. The company saved the previous investments thanks to reconfiguration of the existing bar code equipment for work with a new system.

Customer Feedback

As Vladimir Brylkin, the development director of Distributive Center company noted, "The Logistic Vision Suite system allowed to automate completely work of our warehouse complex, having solved all current tasks of management of processing of goods. We were also convinced that a system has a high potential, and its implementation offers to us big prospects in further scaling and accumulation of functionality together with growth of our business and emergence of the new services rendered to clients. All this allows us to be focused more on expansion of our activity, saving the development of investment into the software which is already enclosed at the previous stages".