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| HOME |
| NEWS RELEASES AND BUSINESS CASES | ||
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| News
Release Priva Sport Selects Imagine's Radio Beacon as the Perfect Fit FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 26, 1999 (Toronto, Canada)-Radio Beacon and Imagine announced the successful installation of the WMS software at Priva Sport's Montreal, Quebec and Atlanta, Georgia warehouses. Priva Sport is master distributor of Joffa and Lotto brands in North America. Joffa and Lotto are well recognized for apparel and sporting goods. Mario Grifo, Co-owner and Operations Director at Priva Sport said, "When you're selling 'team products,' you must get everything right. You can't miss a single jersey or shin pad. With Radio Beacon, we know exactly what we ship because inventory is kept in real time." Priva Sport's installation utilizes a VPN (virtual private network). As a result, data transfers instantaneously between their Montreal and Atlanta location. Priva Sport also Joff installed the WMS supplied by IMAGINE in 1998. |
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| Background The U.S. Federal Government' Social Security Administration (SSA) warehouse in Woodlawn, MD supports 1,300 field offices, other offices and attorneys who require forms to complete such tasks as disability claims. In total, there are approximately 4,000 customers who make requests from a selection of some 3,800 different forms. Orders are processed at no charge to the ordering office. Requests originate through e-mail, telephone or fax, and are centralized on a mainframe using CICS based application. The warehouse for the SSA comprises an 80,000 sq. ft. primary installation, supported by two receiving/preparation warehouses of 40,000 sq. ft. and 240,000 sq. ft. respectively. A staff of 30 to 35 handles picking, packing, receiving and replenishment. In total, the SSA estimates processing between up to 1,000 orders each week. |
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| Before WMS Orders were processed in a batch system. The process was slow. Finding the forms necessary to complete the order was often difficult. In many cases customers re-ordered forms, they feared the original order was not processed, as it was never received. Warehouse receiving was another area where time delays occurred. Typically, it took one week from receipt of an order until it was recorded in inventory and ready to be picked. |
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| With WMS Orders are processed through supply accounting, or in the case of an emergency, in real time, direct to the warehouse. Using the WMS, hand held computers direct the pickers to the location of the items on each order. Replenishments are automatically requested in advance so a picker never waits for the product at the pick bin. Nothing is misplaced. There is no time spent looking for items, and fewer errors, as everything is scanned as it is packed. This enables the picker to confidently pick more than one order at a time, reducing travel time through the warehouse. Items received are identified immediately and are automatically compared to what was ordered. Availability for orders is determined in real time so stock can be directed to the pick slots (instead of bulk), if it is required for an order. |
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| WMS Results Since the installation of the WMS, the SSA has realized significant savings in both space and labor. Specifically, thanks to the better inventory controls offered by the WMS, the SSA forecasts a 60,000-sq. ft. reduction in warehouse requirements, yielding a $300,000 savings. In addition, the contracted pick staff is being reduced from 18 to 15. Eliminating some 30,000 receiving tickets alone saves a further $30,000. In all, the SSA calculates that the savings will yield a payout of start up costs of less than 18 months. Further savings are possible. The SSA has already recorded a modest decline in form orders. They hypothesize that customers are more satisfied with deliveries. As a result, customers are reducing their multi-order behavior, ordering only what is needed, rather than double covering. While not easily documented, this may yield the greatest savings of all! |
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| WMS Handles OTC Requirements Lot Number and Expiry Date Compliance Requirements Easily Tracked Associated Logistics (ALS) is a third party distribution logistics provider located in Toronto, Ontario. They manage approximately 300,000 square feet of warehouse space in three different locations. Their customers include manufacturers of healthcare, hair care, over the counter (OTC) and Rx products and packaged goods. Products are shipped to accounts such as Shoppers Drug Mart, WalMart, London Drug, Sears, and Hudson's Bay Co. "Healthcare products represent a particular challenge to warehouse managers," remarked Bill Gurd, Project Manager for ALS. "You have more than traditional sku variations to deal with. All products arrive with specific lot numbers and expiry dates that need to be tracked continuously. Moreover, we need to be able to identify all products by their lot control number within the warehouse, and through the entire processing cycle, as required by law." |
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| TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The WMS system handles these special needs effortlessly using Telxon PTC960 hand held units. Radio Beacon is fully integrated with SBT's Pro Series enterprise financial program. |
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| WAREHOUSE OPTIMIZATION Not only are all products held in inventory able to be specifically identified by their lot control number and expiration date, but the system will automatically instruct picking in expiry date order (First In First Out). This minimizes spoilage and provides a level of management that would be virtually unobtainable through a traditional inventory management system. Radio Beacon's flexibility allows ALS to maximize their warehouse space utilization. Rack space can be allocated on a need basis. This eliminates "holes" and allows high volume products to be placed in positions that minimize "pick travel" within the warehouse. As products arrive at ALS they are often placed in a temporary quarantine since the final laboratory testing may not have been completed by the manufacturer prior to shipping. With the WMS quarantined product do not physically have to be separated... it is just rendered un-pickable. Once released, the quarantined pallets are immediately available for picking. Detailed tracking of warehouse inventory by the WMS ensures that every individual product carton is identifiable at all times. As Bill Gurd points out, "our system is so accurate, that if need be, such as in the case of a product recall, we could specifically identify the distribution of each and every case that we deliver." |
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| IMMEDIATE BENEFITS A key benefit to ALS is the WMS's ability to generate Advance Shipping Notices (ASN). This allows ALS to better manage delivery and customer support. Accuracy improvements have been noted with the WMS installation. Previously, inventory management was paper based, with specific transaction details kept by hand, this greatly increased time and order picking errors. Radio Beacon's completely paperless system has resulted in orders packed with complete accuracy, as well as providing a complete audit trail. Pre WMS, daily statistics used to take 2-3 hours to post. Now, posting is automatic. "Our entire warehouse team enthusiastically supports our WMS" concludes Mr. Gurd. "Its exceptional accuracy, and quick learning curve has made it an indispensable component of our warehouse operations." |
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| CHAPTERS http://www.chapters.ca |
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| HITTING
THE BOOKS WITH WMS October 1995 The country's largest book retailer installed the WMS application in 1995 And the timing couldn't be better. The Etobicoke, Ontario - based company, borne out the marriage of Smith Books Canada and Coles Bookstores Ltd. earlier this year, is shipping about 14 million books per year to its 434 stores, and is in the process of opening superstores across Canada. With that kind of volume, it had better be on the cutting-edge. The first step was
installing an Overstock Locator module with four handheld terminals. This
module reduced the time it took to locate stock, allowed the company to
cut out one forklift driver position, and virtually eliminated errors
in the overstock inventory. |
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| Blue Circle installed the WMS solution: | ||
| Blue Circle is a third party logistics provider located in Melbourne, Australia. Their customers include fashion retailers such as, Dewlaps and, Giordano as well as many smaller clients who benefit from the technology Blue Circle have installed. Blue Circle operates out of three different warehouses, totaling some 150,000 square feet. The WMS is located centrally at Blue Circle's Springvale Office and each warehouse is connected to the central system via WAN with an ISDN backbone. | ||
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| Release Walters | ||
| Walter http://www.jwalter.ca |
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| Walter has installed the WMS from Imagine in 2000. The WMS also manages the three (3) carrousels and merges the orders with the picking that is done with the RF hand helds. | ||
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| Indigo Toronto,
On Canada http://www.indigo.ca |
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| · Canada's newest on-line book resource | ||
| Case Study Pitney Bowes | ||
| Pitney Bowes -
Cincinnati, OH installed the WMS solution interfaced with SAP http://www.pitneybowes.com |
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· World-wide manufacturer/distributor of premier mailing, fax and copier systems
· Warehouse is approx. 10,000 sq. feet with 1,200 different SKUs
· Running Symbol hardware with 15 handhelds
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| Quebec Livres http://www.quebecor.com |
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| Installed the WMS Solution | ||
| Contact us for more details on how this solution can fit your requirements. | ||
