Dynamic development of SAVAGE company and rapid expansion of the sales network dictated the management's decision to expand the warehouse space and move to a new modern high-rise warehouse of "A" class. It was decided to radically change the processes within the warehouse at the same time with the move. The company had its own accounting system, but with the decision to move to a new warehouse, it became clear that SAVAGE needed a new, more powerful system for managing the warehouse, which could meet the new needs of an actively growing company. The company needed a system that would not only ease the control of warehouse processes, but would also greatly speed up the work of the warehouse staff. SAVAGE was interested in modern technologies, which would enable the most efficient use of warehouse space and allow the warehouse staff to be mobile. The company did not hold a special tender to choose a solution.
We had already cooperated with Odyssey within the pre-project, during which our needs in warehouse automation were defined. While communicating with the company specialists I found out that Odyssey had a ready-made solution for warehouse management WMS (Warehouse Management System) based on Microsoft Dynamics AX. The solution contained all the necessary options and required minimal modifications in the course of implementation. In addition, the WMS solution is easily scalable and open to the introduction of new modern technologies, which was a very important factor for us
Odyssey consultants together with SAVAGE specialists conducted work on implementation of the WMS solution during the project. All important tasks and business processes of the warehouse were automated in Microsoft Dynamics AX system. Necessary modifications were determined and made for the best possible adaptation of the system to user requirements and procedures.
Key tasks for warehouse employees: item allocation, replenishment and relocation, creation of ready orders for customers and shipment orders are generated automatically. Placement, replenishment and relocation of goods are performed using data collection terminals (DCT). Using a microphone and headphones, warehouse employee receives information about the place of storage of goods, the number and name of products needed to assemble the order. After completing part of the job, the warehouse employee tells the system, which also monitors the progress of the order and, if necessary, informs them to hurry up. Real-time monitoring is also possible from the managers who generated the corresponding order.
The system is adaptive and can recognize not very clear pronunciation, while the manager can monitor the job in real time. At the end of the conveyor belt, Savage uses a dynamic weighing system, which analyzes the planned weight of the goods with the actual weight and in case of deviations automatically moves the box to the additional control zone. Another advantage of Odyssey WMS is the ability to maintain up-to-date stock balances in the warehouse by carrying out random stock-taking, which is conducted daily in Savage.
The project also ensured integration of the warehousing system with the transport logistics control unit so that the forwarding warehouseman receives tasks from the transport department and monitors the status of cargo readiness. The implementation was fast enough. The first shipments of goods to the new warehouse began already in 2 months after the start of the project. Another month later the warehouse began to ship the first orders for the stores.
Transparent accounting system with a full range of reporting and labor costs for each operation allows managers to quickly get reliable information and improve planning efficiency. As a result of using the system, the company was able to halve the staff and increase the speed of processing and shipment volumes by several times. The Savage distribution center is now organized so that most orders and shipments are made on a same-day basis. The process of goods acceptance is significantly accelerated, it now takes no more than 8 hours. The warehouse can handle about 20-30 thousand SKU in one shift. Coefficient of useful use of warehouse is almost 100%, percentage of claims is less than one thousandth of one percent of the shipped order.
SAVAGE employees were not immediately accustomed to the voice technology, but thanks to the system, the warehouse management was able to increase the efficiency of the control area, and the most important effect was a significant increase in the quality of order picking. Convenience is also evident - there is no need to hold paper or a terminal while working. The introduction of the system was quick and of high quality.
Thanks to Odyssey team and the functionality of the WMS solution we were able to make the most of modern warehouse technology, including taking into account the peculiarities of narrow aisle warehouses. The Odyssey team showed high expertise and professionalism during the project, as well as during the training of SAVAGE staff. We have many ideas and I am sure that we will continue our cooperation with Odyssey
