Before Supreme Imports implemented
an automated warehouse management system, they experienced daily picking errors and found inventory checks to be only 60-70% accurate. There was no system in place to monitor receiving or shipping of goods, and stock locations were stored purely in the memories of the warehouse staff.
The issue came to a head when Supreme were finding up to 40 picking errors per day, most of which related to customer complaints about the wrong product or quantity being delivered. Also due to the lack of a warehouse management system, Supreme were unable to stock the warehouse to full capacity, which limited the range of products they could supply in a highly competitive market.
The Barcode-IT WMS project went live at the beginning of November 2005 and since then traceability in the warehouse and stock takes are now 99.5% accurate. More importantly for Supreme and its customers, zero picking errors have been recorded.
"Dexterity WMS is our warehouse. " says Wayne Jones, Warehouse Manager at Supreme Imports. "Warehouse staff find goods where Dexterity tells them and the management trust the figures that Dexterity sends back to Sage. We know exactly what we have and where it is."
Supreme Imports has now brought forward its upgrade to Sage 200 and has purchased an update to the latest version of Dexterity WMS for Sage from Barcode-IT. This update will bring the very latest features and benefits to help Supreme grow its business further in 2010.
Application Overview
The main benefit of the WMS at Supreme is the elimination of human input and therefore human error. The warehouse management system effectively runs the whole warehouse, from receiving goods, through picking, checking and finally shipping. Datalogic Skorpio terminals linked to the main system via RF and Cisco wireless access points to allow operators complete freedom to work anywhere in the warehouse.
"The system has completely revolutionised our warehouse. We are now able to stock many different product lines and the warehouse is always stocked to full capacity." says Tony Leach, Operations Director at Supreme Imports "The WMS installed by Barcode-IT has enabled us to become more competitive in the marketplace and without it we might not be here today."
Another important element of the WMS is its ability to control stock levels and replenish stock when necessary. As stock can automatically be ordered when required, stock outs have been almost completely eliminated and if there is a delay in getting the stock, managers can be kept up to date with automatically generated e-mails sent by the WMS.
A common problem before the new WMS was reservation of stock. If a customer had reserved a certain product there was no way of communicating this to the picking staff in the warehouse. Therefore, customers who had reserved stock were often disappointed when it came to shipping, as the goods had already been picked for other orders. Now the WMS totally controls sending out stock and problems with reserved stock being re-sold are eliminated, resulting in increased customer satisfaction.
Before shipping, the system generates a barcode label applied to the goods being sent to customers. Previously labels were hand written, which meant contact details were often written incorrectly and therefore shipping errors occurred. The new system now prints thermal transfer labels using a Datamax printer, which include the correct shipping and product information.
How it started
Barcode-IT were originally introduced to Supreme Imports through Supreme's existing Sage Line 100 supplier. After a site visit to view a comparable warehouse management system that Barcode-IT has installed at Jacobs Bakery, Supreme felt that Barcode-ITs previous dealing with WMS coupled with their good value for money made them the best partner for their project.
Hitachi Rail - train maintenance management system
Leighs Paints - centralised printing application using NiceLabel Suite
Supreme Imports - warehouse management system into Sage Line 100
Company Overview
Supreme Brands are the largest battery and recordable media distributors in the UK, selling over 180 million battery cells each year. Supreme Brands was established in 1970 and their distribution depot is based in Trafford Park, Manchester. They offer a full range of branded batteries, photographic film and recording media from industry giants like Duracell, Panasonic, Sony and Samsung. Visit Supreme at