03/07/2012 | Hardis Group
The implementation of Reflex WMS enabled the logistics platform for all Leader Price and Franprix stores in Martinique to deploy the very latest innovations in warehouse management such as radio frequency and voice recognition. The result is significantly improved quality of service as well as productivity and working conditions for its teams.
Services, business software publishing and facilities management company Hardis Group has announced the deployment of its Reflex WMS warehouse management solution to LOG-Services, a logistics services company based in Martinique and specializing in tri-temperature fast-moving consumer goods (dry, chilled and frozen). With the implementation of Reflex WMS, in addition to the very latest innovations in warehouse management (such as radio frequency and voice recognition), the logistics platform for all Leader Price and Franprix stores in Martinique has improved its quality of service and the performance of its teams. The company is now planning to win new customers to become Martinique's leading logistics provider.
Modernize the logistics information system to develop the business
Specializing in fast-moving consumer goods, LOG-Services manages over 12,000m² of logistics warehouses at different temperatures: dry, chilled and cold (frozen). A subsidiary of the Fabre Group and the owner of 14 Leader Price and Franprix stores in Martinique, LOG-Services has around forty employees.
In order to improve the quality of service provided to the group's stores (5,500,000 parcels prepared in 2011 operating 6 days a week) but also to accelerate the development of services outside the group, the company decided to totally rethink its logistics information system in 2010. It therefore decided to replace a solution which was over 10 years old, which the publisher was no longer providing the required upgrades for. Its main objective was to optimize all the stages of the process (storage, preparation, delivery) but also to acquire the latest innovations in warehouse management, particularly radio frequency and voice recognition to improve the working conditions and performance of teams.
Reflex WMS: satisfied customers including in overseas departments and territories
Four companies were identified and invited to tender. Hardis' bid soon stood out from the other two received, primarily due to the dedication and guidance of its teams: "We wanted to find a partner who would really listen to us and help with our development," explained Gilbert Marie, LOG-Services Logistics Manager. "We immediately felt that Hardis' teams were fully invested in their customers." Other criteria the decision was based on were: the cost/functionality/services ratio for the proposed solution and the successful implementation of Reflex WMS for other logistics providers, including outside mainland France and for Leader Price groups in Réunion and Guadeloupe in particular.
Quality of service to accelerate the company's development
After several weeks of functional analysis spread out over the rest of the year in 2010, the first months of 2011 were dedicated to deploying the solution on the company's IT infrastructure: redundant technical architecture on two remote sites to ensure a high level of WMS availability. "We thought about hosting in Hardis' data centers but dismissed the idea due to the cost and quality of IT connectivity in the West Indies and the risk of the business being disrupted by a broken undersea cable," recalled Charly Debydeal, Group IT Manager. A few weeks of testing and staff training later, the tool was released in June 2011.
For LOG-Services teams, the change was radical. In addition to the WMS, they were introduced to new tools and working methods: radio frequency scan guns, touch-screen consoles, lifts with embedded devices, instructions for pickers via interactive vocal headset, etc. This all contributed to making the teams' work easier and considerably reducing preparation, shipment or storage errors. "We saw a significant improvement in performance and working conditions as well as a considerable reduction in errors, particularly concerning stock," continued Gilbert Marie.
A modern logistics information system: a showcase for development
In 2012, individual and collective performance is expected to gain more ground with a new series of advanced training sessions (specific to each workstation). LOG-Services also plans to continue to develop the versatility of each of its employees for increased operating flexibility. New features will be implemented in the near future: e-Reflex portal to provide customers with real-time visibility of operations concerning them (orders, stocks, deliveries), status reports and productivity and quality indicators to optimize warehouse management, etc.
Hardis Group's warehouse management solution also provides LOG-Services with a competitive edge for winning new customers, expanding its range of services (e-commerce, co-packing, reverse logistics, splitting, etc.) and becoming Martinique's leading logistics provider.