“Our Implementation was as close to painless as it was possible to get. We couldn’t have done it without Socius24.”
– Smart Garden Products
“Since we have gone live we have not only been able to make operational improvements but we have also seen a significant reduction in errors.”
– Instarmac
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Socius24. Warehouse Management Software Solutions
Dispatcher WMS and User Services Portal Case Study
How Socius24 helped a Leading Home Delivery company optimise integration with their Service Partners
About the customer
As the UK’s leading specialists in two-person home delivery, they handle items that are too large, heavy, fragile, or valuable to be safely or effectively delivered by a single courier. Offering flexible delivery options, including 24 & 48-hour delivery and online diary booking they allow customers to choose a time that best suits them.
The Project
This customer had used Dispatcher WMS for many years, but as their supply chain evolved to include more third-party carriers and sub-contracting service partners, they realised they needed additional functionality that was outside the scope of a WMS. These challenges included:
Key Challenges
Limited real-time visibility and manageability of orders post-shipping
Before the new solution was implemented, products were only ever scanned post-shipment if it arrived back at the hub after a failed delivery. If a product was not scanned again after shipping, then it was assumed to have been delivered. Neither of these options offered the visibility or great customer service option they desired.
Dependence on manual communication
Because information could not be transferred from one system to another, communication had to be manual, which slowed things down and took up valuable operator time. Additionally, manual handling was considered to be a weak link that could potentially introduce errors into the operation.
“The new system wasn’t about offering an extension of our RDTs – although now we do have people out on the road who can use warehouse functionality. It was more about bringing in self-service functionality for our Service Partners.
“Post-implementation, our carriers don’t need to pick up the phone and speak to the hub if they have a question. It’s reduced queries and the time taken to answer them.”
Inability to make dynamic, last-minute adjustments to delivery routes
Service partners often have more than one route, but before the new solution, it wasn’t possible to dynamically move orders from a less efficient route to a more efficient one once they’d been shipped.
Manual instructions for third-party partners
This customer works with third party service partners who process and ship orders out on their behalf. Before Socius24 created a mobile app that they now use to facilitate this, they would manually instruct partners about the activities they needed to perform, and then manually update the system.
Solutions Delivered
The customers partnered with Socius24 to develop a solution that was tailored to their exact needs
The new system has reduced the amount of lead-time needed to get product onto the most efficient route, and now we can dynamically swap routes if one becomes more geographically efficient than another after orders have shipped. We’ve effectively been able to merge 24-hour and 48-hour orders and created more efficient routes.
The customer needed end-to-end traceability, real-time updates, and a smoother integration with their service partners to meet their own high operational standards and optimise delivery planning. So, Socius24 developed and implemented the new system via their User Services Portal (USP), which is fully integrated with the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS. This provided:
End-to-End Traceability: Real-time post-shipping updates mean that every order can now be tracked from warehouse to doorstep. This has expanded visibility and increased control for the planners.
Enhanced Planner Functionality: By giving planners the ability to merge delivery types and move orders from one to another, the new functionality has expanded operational efficiency and delivery flexibility.
Streamlined Service Partner Integration: The new system has given service partners tools to self-serve and manage orders autonomously. Consequently, the need for manual intervention has reduced, letting the customer focus resources on what really matters, rather than on things that can wait.
For more information about the new solutions developed,
and to read the rest of this in-depth case study, request it now
“We’ve been able to improve our planning decisions without the need to invest in a separate planning solution. We can now merge things later in the planning process, increasing route planning efficiency.”
The Last Word
There have been no gaps in the software – and at no time have we had to revisit it. I wish we’d started working with Socius24 much earlier. Their performance has been great throughout the original project, and the additional changes to USP that we’ve implemented since.
The solution they have created for us has surpassed expectations and our overall experience of Socius24 is superb – ten out of ten.
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ERIKS Case Study
How Socius24 helped ERIKS boost productivity by 110%
Website: https://eriks.co.uk/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eriks-uk
About ERIKS UK & Ireland
ERIKS is a world-leading distributor of specialised industrial products and services. Founded in 1940 in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, the company originally supplied equipment to the dairy sector. It expanded into the UK and Ireland through its acquisition of WYKO in November of 2006.
Since its inception, ERIKS has had a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility, and this has translated (as environmental awareness has grown) into a focus on sustainability.
But those aren’t the only changes that have taken place. Today, ERIKS deals with many different industries, not just the dairy sector. In some of these industries, their customers, due to the secure nature of their businesses, need the parts they are receiving to be 100% accurate.
The Project
In 2019, the company initiated a project to overhaul its UK order fulfilment operations with a strategic investment of £20 million. They consolidated two regional DCs into a new centre of excellence, creating one central logistics facility – their advanced Fulfilment Centre of Expertise (FCE) – in Oldbury, UK.
Key Challenges
Aware that their customers were experiencing growing skills shortages and a need to enhance their operational efficiency, ERIKS wanted to future-proof the services they offered in order to provide increased support.
The company could see that traditional logistics models would eventually be unable to meet the increased demands for high availability, order accuracy, and next-day delivery. And they were aware that their customers businesses were vulnerable to growing competition from new technologies and other market pressures, such as global disruptions and trade tariffs.
ERIKS had already started work on their FCE before the Pandemic came along in 2020, but when it did, rather than shutting down operations, they decided to accelerate the project instead.
Solutions Delivered
ERIKS selected Blue Yonder’s Dispatcher WMS and Socius24’s User Services Portal to support their warehousing operations.
When Socius24 came in to show us Dispatcher WMS, it was not a sales pitch. What we saw was ‘here's the software, here's how it works.’ And it just worked.
They were clearly technical experts, sharing their insights into what the software could do for us”
The newly established FCE in Oldbury has since emerged as a state-of-the-art hub. It integrates Blue Yonder’s Dispatcher WMS and Socius24’s own User Services Portal (USP) with cutting-edge small-parts automation. ERIKS partnered with Socius24, award-winning Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS resellers, to implement these new software systems – both of which have contributed to enormous business gains.
ERIKS selected Socius24 to implement Dispatcher WMS because they recognised the level of experience the company could offer them.
Between the implementation of the new software and automation systems, combined with the increased facilities available in the new building, the FCE project has resulted in a massive 110% boost in productivity.
As part of the integration Socius24 interfaced to twenty-one Hänel vertical lifts, as well as interfacing to the conveyor systems that transport goods from the lifts past an automatic weight and dimensioning station.
This outbound process ensures that the picked items match the SKU master data. Additionally, ERIKS make use of the Socius24 USP application to scan & confirm each parcel is 100% accurate to the customer’s order before it heads to despatch.
Through these new efficiencies, ERIKS have been able to increase their storage capacity for small parts by 500% and reduce their pick times by 30%. This leap was made possible via the seamless interfacing between Dispatcher WMS and the automated picking system, in combination with efficiencies provided by the new facility – and it has resulted in near-perfect order accuracy and significantly faster deliveries.
Operational Excellence
ERIKS’ FCE has brought with it a 53% increase in the company’s warehouse capacity, which is now 11,000 m2 – and has space for up to 11,200 Euro pallets. Dispatcher WMS and USP, combined with the new automation systems, have not only enhanced the quality of customer service through improved product availability and accuracy but have also helped ERIKS to establish a new direct delivery model – one that ensures most orders reach customers before mid-morning the following day.
The company now benefits from over 99% real-time data monitoring, close to 100% inventory accuracy, and can offer its customers end-to-end visibility via the User Services Portal.
Future-Proofing Growth
This transformation has allowed ERIKS to adapt to seasonal fluctuations and be able to efficiently scale their operations more easily. And while its current throughput is already impressive, the FCE’s design includes provisions for expansion, which means that ERIKS will be able to accommodate future growth without sacrificing service quality or operational efficiency.
Outcome
The success of the Oldbury FCE underscores ERIKS’ commitment to innovation, customer service excellence, and operational agility. It has set a new standard for the industry, solidifying ERIKS’ position as a market leader, and demonstrating the company’s forward-thinking approach when it comes to tackling current and future challenges in the supply chain landscape.
The Last Word
Working with Socius24 has been a positive experience, and if I needed to do the same thing again, I would make the same choice.”
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Rhenus Logistics Case Study
How Socius24 helped Rhenus Logistics scale APAC operations, while improving productivity and performance
Website: www.rhenus.group
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rhenus-logistics/
About Rhenus Warehousing Solutions
The Rhenus Group is a leading global logistics service provider, with business sites around the world. They offer intelligent solutions along the entire supply chain, providing services for Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Vietnam, Malaisia, Philippines, and the Mainland of China within the APAC region.
Culture
Rhenus is a globally successful company – with a family feel and ethos. This is something that the company openly acknowledges to be an unusual combination. Trust is one of their most important business values, as is a respect for performance – and they prioritise giving their employees the freedom to share ideas. The business firmly believes that caring about its employees and their careers is a factor that has contributed to its success.
Background
Rhenus Transport-Gesellschaft was founded by Badische Actiengesellschaft für Rheinschiffahrt und Seetransport and Rheinschiffahrts-Actiengesellschaft.
It became part of VEBA after a subsidiary of VEBA took over the share majority. Subsequently, Rhenus was taken over by Hugo Stinnes AG. Then Hugo Stinnes AG merged its inland shipping activities with Duisburger Fendel-Stinnes-Schiffahrt AG and Rhenus AG took over shipping, forwarding, and warehousing.
Rhenus formed an interest group with Stinnes Reederei AG and WTAG, operating as Rhenus-WTAG AG. WTAG later merged with Rhenus-WTAG AG, which became Rhenus AG. Rhenus expanded globally and formed three management companies. Rhenus Transport International was taken over by Schenker International AG. Midgard Deutsche Seeverkehrs-AG was integrated into the Rhenus Group.
Rethmann acquired Rhenus AG, and it operates as Rhenus AG & Co. KG. Rhenus acquired Transport Management International Holding B.V. and establishes joint ventures in Moscow and in the offshore logistics sector. Rhenus also expands its commitment to the automotive industry through the acquisition of Ferrostaal Automotive.
Before installing Blue Yonder’s Dispatcher WMS, Rhenus was facing some significant logistical challenges
Key Challenges
Inventory management
Rhenus needed real-time visibility into their inventory. They needed automated inventory tracking and replenishment. And they needed to optimise their warehouse space utilisation.
Order accuracy and fulfillment
They needed accurate and timely order fulfillment, automated order processing, and they wanted to focus on minimising picking errors through barcode scanning and streamlining their order fulfillment workflows.
Warehouse efficiency and productivity
They were looking to find a way to maximise warehouse efficiency and productivity, and they wanted to address this by optimising picking routes, reducing travel time within the warehouse, automating task allocation, and then getting access to the kind of performance metrics that would help them identify areas for improvement.
Scalability and growth
As Rhenus grew, managing an expanding supply chain became more challenging. So, they needed scalability built into whatever solution they chose, plus the system would need to have the ability to handle increased order volumes, manage multiple warehouses or distribution centers, and then adapt to changing business needs without sacrificing any operational efficiency.
Range of Advanced Features
Rhenus were looking for a warehouse management system that offered them a range of advanced features that could be used to enhance their warehouse operations. They identified processes such as optimised picking routes, task automation, performance metrics, and real-time inventory tracking as being fundamental. Rhenus knew that these operations would help them to improve efficiency, accuracy, and productivity within their warehouses.
Scaleable Solution
They also knew that they needed a scalable solution, something that would easily adapt and grow alongside their operations. This feature was particularly important for their business as it continued to grow and expand, because it enabled them to handle increased order volumes and manage multiple warehouses and distribution centres while continuing to add more.
Highly Configurable
Rhenus also knew that they needed something that would offer them highly configurable options. They required the ability to tailor any new system to their specific needs and to the existing workflows of their business.
Strong Reputation
And they knew that the best way to find a suitable solution would be to look for something that already had positive reviews and a strong reputation within the industry.
Solutions Delivered
Rhenus selected Blue Yonder’s Dispatcher WMS and Socius24’s User Services Portal to support their warehousing operations.
The first Rhenus site to go-live with Socius24 was in Vietnam, in 2018.
As of January 2024, they have more than 30 live sites,
all using the Dispatcher WMS/User Services Portal combination.
Integration
Rhenus integrated their WMS with their customer ERP/SAP systems for the warehousing business, and they are planning to do the same with their TMS and OMS solutions when they have been implemented.
Solutions
Once they had installed Dispatcher WMS, the company also introduced Socius24’s User Services Portal (USP) as a WMS web portal in their APAC countries.
User Services Portal
Rhenus provides USP access to both internal and external users. Most of the internal users work with USP when they perform repacking processes on behalf of specific customers, who need to process a high volume of repacking each day. With its streamlined functionality, USP has made the repacking process much faster and more efficient. Internal users also employ USP for its operational overview charts, which provide easily understandable graphical views of both WMS data and Rhenus’ KPIs.
Rhenus’ customers are their external USP users, and they access it to remotely monitor Dispatcher WMS data, so that they can independently query their inventory, orders, and other relevant data.
Outcome
As Rhenus implements more and more clients and sites using Dispatcher WMS, their plan is to roll out USP to more of its clients and sites as well. Most of these sites will be in Asian countries, including India, but Rhenus EU and Americas have also implemented USP.
Dispatcher WMS and USP form the core system used by Rhenus Warehousing Solution BU – and in the APAC region Rhenus already have 250+ clients who have implemented this combination of systems.
Rhenus know that having a robust supply chain is going to play a crucial role in enhancing their future operational efficiency, reducing costs, and improving customer satisfaction. Because of this, their supply chain transformation strategy is firmly focussed on integrating advanced technologies like Dispatcher WMS and User Services Portal from Socius24. These systems help them to focus on optimising processes, and fostering strong partnerships that deliver exceptional value to their customers – while remaining adaptable and sustainable.
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Davies Turner Case Study
Website: https://www.daviesturner.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daviesturner/
About Davies Turner
In operation since 1870, Davies Turner has become recognised as one of the UK’s leading multimodal forwarders and logistics operations. Their capabilities span air, sea, road and rail and they provide specialist services across a wide range of industries including Aquatics, Fashion & Retail, Fine Wines, and Pharmaceuticals – to name but a few.
Today, Davies Turner employs over 900 people and operates out of 22 locations (with another under development) and has a warehouse capacity of more than 150,000 square metres (over 1.6 million square feet).
Background
Davies Turner pride themselves on being able to meet the unique needs of every one of their customers. They not only provide services to some of the most specialist sectors, but always look to cater for the specific nuances and requirements of each individual customer.
Having the technology in place to enable them to do this efficiently and effectively is key. Which is why they first deployed Blue Yonder (formerly JDA and previously RedPrairie) Dispatcher WMS some twenty years ago. It offered them the breadth of functionality to manage such a broad range of customer requirements, while also offering them the flexibility and ease of use to quickly onboard new clients with a range of unique requirements, processes and SLAs.
In their quest to provide customers with value-adding services, Davies Turner started to look for ways to give their customers digital access into their operation
Key Challenges
Value Adding Services
In their quest to continue to look for ways to provide their customers with value-adding services and innovative ways to streamline processes and operation, Davies Turner started to look for a way to give their customers digital access into their operation.
Real-Time Visibility
They wanted to offer the ability to gain real-time visibility on stock levels, to place orders from the field, and to gain access to a wealth of key management information and reporting.
Intuitive Interface
And the solution needed to be something that specifically met the needs of their customers – who were looking for a simplified, intuitive-to-use, sub-set of functionalities.
Optimal Usage Support
Socius24 had worked with Davies Turner for many years, providing BY Dispatcher WMS health check service to ensure optimal usage, providing Oracle up-graded software and assisting in the upgrade of their version of Blue Yonder (BY) Dispatcher WMS.
Customer Self-Serve
So, when they needed to give their customers simple, supplementary access to WMS information, Davies Turner turned to Socius24 for help. They were confident that Socius24 understood their unique business and knew that their expertise in BY Dispatcher WMS was second to none.
User Services Portal
Since the initial installation of Davies Turner’s WMS, Socius24 had developed a bolt-on to BY Dispatcher WMS, their User Service Portal (USP). This system not only provided an intuitive web-based interface into the WMS, but also provided some additional functionality that Davies Turner knew would be invaluable to their customers
Solutions Delivered
User Services Portal
Over the years, User Services Portal has grown in scope – partly in response to requests from customers
Over the years, User Services Portal has grown in scope – partly in response to requests from customers. As Darren says “We put in a couple of requests for changes, just minor things, but they were picked up and implemented very quickly. Which is something we don’t really see with any other provider – them taking on board feedback and then actually implementing changes, so we were very happy with the outcome. It’s very good, very reliable, very robust.”
There have been many customer benefits of installing USP, not least that since the Pandemic, many customers’ staff are more remote than they used to be.
Onboarding and Maintenance
Cost-Effective
Being able to offer their customers USP means that Davies Turner can save a significant amount of time and energy in onboarding.
But it’s not only during onboarding that USP saves Davies Turner time and money: “If we didn’t have User Services Portal, we would be inundated with requests from our customers, which would bump up our customer service overheads.”
Internal Reporting
One of the aspects of Dispatcher WMS that Davies Turner find particularly useful is the reporting that’s available. “We do all reporting ourselves, internally, from Dispatcher. There’s lots of data available, and we can access it in many different ways. It’s very good, very easy to work with.”
Outcome
By extending the capabilities of BY Dispatcher WMS with The User Service Portal from Socius24, Davies Turner has gained some significant benefits:
MEET CUSTOMER NEEDS
The combination of BY Dispatcher WMS and Socius24 User Service Portal, and the ease at which it can be configured, means that Davies Turner are able to meet the needs of any customer regardless of the specialist requirements of that sector or the particular SLAs for that customer.
ACCELERATE CUSTOMER ONBOARDING
The BY Dispatcher WMS enables Davies Turner to quickly onboard new customers into the system and configure processes against contractual commitments. Using Socius24 User Service Portal as the interface for these customers dramatically reduces training time required for each customer.
CUSTOMER PERCEIVED VALUE
Since introducing the User Service Portal, Davies Turner has seen a significant take-up by customers and real recognition of the value that it has delivered, in particular the ability for customers to see real-time inventory records and for them to be able to place online orders themselves.
INCREASED EFFICIENCIES
Through providing such an intuitive way for customers to serve themselves around access to information and placing orders. This has not only streamlined processes but has also reduced the burden on the administrative teams in Davies Turner.
The Last Word...
We asked Darren why businesses would benefit from working with Dispatcher WMS and USP.
Well, they should use Dispatcher because it’s configurable and you don’t actually need to be a technical expert to configure it. And that’s a huge benefit for us, because we like to do everything ourselves.
“And with USP, people should install it because it’s user friendly and compatible with pretty much anything.
With Socius24, we always keep a number of hours in the bank to be used as and when needed. Because for things like having health checks, help with the upgrade and help with general troubleshooting problem solving, it is invaluable.
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Versteijnen Case Study
How digital integration can create a competitive edge – handling pallets to parcels with Socius24 and Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS
About Versteijnen Logistics
Versteijnen is a leading transport and warehousing logistics company and European Third-Party Logistics provider. They pride themselves on the value they add to their clients across their end-to-end logistics process.
Founded in 1947, the company is now headquartered out of a large-scale distribution campus in the Netherlands and has other warehouses in Hungary.
Versteijnen provide their clients with warehousing, order management, picking, packing and distribution through their own fleet of trucks which spans Europe, and through the world’s leading parcel carriers.
Customers
Their client list is impressive, and they are logistics partners for many customers in a broad range of industries including Automotive, Chemical, Clothing, B2B, B2C, eCommerce, Electronics, Medical and Solar Panels.
Hazardous Goods
They also have a dedicated warehouse specifically designed and licensed to hold dangerous goods, where they store hazardous products and materials on behalf of their customers.
Production Suppliers
And while prompt delivery is important for everyone in the supply chain, it’s essential for some customers, because Versteijnen stores the raw materials they use to produce finished goods, and any delivery delays would stop production.
Background
Versteijnen’s business has grown significantly from its origins as primarily a pallet-based distributor to one of Europe’s leading Third-Party Logistics providers. They now provide a broad range of value-add services for clients across a wide set of industries, each with their own specific requirements and service level agreements (SLAs).
Having the best possible Warehouse Management System (WMS) in place is mission critical for Versteijnen in order to drive efficiencies across their operations and to meticulously manage their performance against client contracts. The extensive flexibility of the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS is key to enabling their support of the broad range of requirements from their clients – as well as avoiding situations where they’re prevented from taking on new business due to limitations of the system they use.
Versteijnen use various solutions to achieve this outcome – Dispatcher WMS, Autostore, Integrator and Socius24’s own User Services Portal (USP).
Versteijnen had been using Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS (formerly JDA and previously RedPrairie) since 2005, but the scale and complexity of their operation had outgrown the original version they deployed.
Key Challenges
And while they still believed Dispatcher WMS was the right solution for their business, they recognised that they needed to upgrade to the latest version of the software to gain the functionality they needed.
Versteijnen started working with Socius24 in 2018, when they upgraded to the latest version of Dispatcher WMS. The company was looking to improve management of their operation against key client KPIs and to optimise picking routines to meet a vast range of SLAs – such as order cut-off times and next day dispatch. They were also looking to improve the way they dealt with special handling and storage requirements including hazardous materials and the support of Quality Assurance operations.
Another key goal of Versteijnen was to streamline operations through closer digital integration, pushing data captured in Dispatcher WMS to financial systems, smoothly flowing tasks into their automated picking solution Autostore and triggering carrier bookings through their online tool.
Solutions Delivered
Versteijnen selected Socius24 to assist them with their upgrade, configuration, and integration of the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS.
Versteijnen started working with Socius24 in 2018, when they upgraded to the latest version of Dispatcher WMS.
Having looked at other Blue Yonder partners, Versteijnen found Socius24 to be very knowledgeable and clearly demonstrated an understanding of their business, leveraging a wealth of experience of working with other Third-Party Logistics providers. Socius24 took the time to understand what Versteijnen were trying to achieve and guided them through the upgrade process and the introduction of new functionality as well as the integration into their other systems.
Outcome
With the support of Socius24, Versteijnen were able to leverage the extended capabilities of Dispatcher WMS gained through the upgrade. They have also been able to closely integrate Dispatcher WMS with their other systems to streamline processes and drive greater operational efficiencies. Today, they use AutoStore, an automated picking system which speeds up the picking process and contributes to the visibility and traceability of their activities. Socius24 helped them to connect AutoStore to Dispatcher via Integrator. And the WMS is also integrated with their Transport Management System (TMS) so that they can unload and load their own trucks for transport customers.
The company also uses Socius24’s own User Services Portal to enhance data visibility and traceability.
Key outcomes achieved include:
SPEEDING UP OPERATIONS
Through the ability to define the unique requirements and SLAs for each client within Dispatcher WMS and to efficiently direct operations to meet even the most challenging KPIs.
STREAMLING PROCESSES
Through the smooth integration of Dispatcher WMS with other systems including the tight coupling of overall picking control within dispatch processes with automated picking and packaging and leveraging web services to trigger requests to carriers.
ACCURATE CHARGING
By tracking the time spent on each value-added task for clients and passing this detailed third-party billing information through to financial systems to enable accurate charging and achievement of required margins.
WINNING MORE BUSINESS
By utilising the reputation of Dispatcher WMS as a benchmark for a quality operation and ensuring that no opportunity is lost due to restrictions in the capabilities of the WMS solution being used.
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Acne Studios Case Study
“Many different parties were involved in our implementation and often it wasn’t obvious how to address the challenges that came up, nor who could solve them. Socius24 proved to be the most pragmatic and solution-oriented party involved, so we turned to them to get the job done.”
Johan Fredlund, Supply Chain Manager, Acne Studios
About Acne Studios
Acne Studios is a global, Stockholm-based high-end fashion house which was initially established in 1996, inspired by a global movement merging creative disciplines. The company’s long-term ambition and drive is to become a global progressive fashion house fuelled by uncompromised creativity, first rate business execution with a sustainable mindset, and to be a truly inspiring workplace for new ideas, new expressions and personal development.
The company has a global hybrid distribution model – with 65 stores around the globe, Etail operations covering 65 markets, and 800 wholesale and franchise partners selling their clothing across 50 different countries.
Background
Acne Studios believe that technology is key for their success. It provides them with the digital agility to deliver a seamless Etail experience and the visibility and control to manage a global distribution model.
As they are innovators in many fields, the company initially developed its own Warehouse Management System (WMS). However, as the business grew exponentially and order volumes increased, they began to experience high rates of mispicks, inventory discrepancies, and inefficiencies with packing/outbound processes. Essentially, their business had outgrown their system and it was no longer fit for purpose.
Acne Studios wanted a fully functional system that they could scale up in the future to match their ambitious expansion plans. In July 2021 they selected Socius24 to help them implement the Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System (WMS) to address their growing needs.
Challenges
Acne Studios needed a WMS that could handle all of the ‘in’ and ‘out’ flows across their centralised warehouse operation. They needed to handle inbound stock from suppliers, cross-docking, picking and all of the outbound processes to their EU, APAC and North American markets across all of their sales channels (Retail, Etail, Wholesale and Marketplaces).
Acne Studios’ stock is of high value, so knowing where it is at every stage of its journey is vital. The company is competing with best-in-class high-end fashion providers, so speed of delivery is both a competitive advantage and a general expectation of their international customer base.
It is essential that their warehousing operation is efficient, fast, flexible, and able to deliver on time both off-season and in peak season; this is only achievable with best practices supported by a best-in-class solution.
Solutions Delivered
Acne Studios selected Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS for their warehouse system. They found this solution capable of meeting all of their needs and were reassured by the fact that the solution is being used by thousands of leading companies across the globe.
Key to this system decision was choosing Socius24 as their implementation partner. Socius24 brought real expertise into designing the solution for Acne Studios as well as unique advantage through their own User Service Portal (USP) that would be a key part of the delivered solution.
Outcome
Through their partnership with Socius24, Acne Studios now have a comprehensive solution that is robust, scalable, and tailored to their specific needs.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS combined with Socius24’s USP sits at the centre of Acne Studios global supply chain controlling, managing and reporting on inbound and outbound flows across all sales channels.
They are already seeing a positive ROI gained from the ability to handle larger volumes, improved process quality, increased customer satisfaction, and reduced business risk that were associated with their previous in-house solution.
PICKING AND PACKING – Dispatcher WMS has facilitated improvements, such as double scanning in the B2B outbound process (picking + packing), which has had a positive impact on the general shipment quality. They have seen a reduced number of mispicks and increased inventory accuracy. Other added functions include: now having a dedicated B2C return area, a faster order picking process, and an improved replenishment process of picking locations.
INCREASED VISIBILITY – Acne Studios now has visibility into their warehouse operations that can be accessed by a wider audience across the company. Socius24’s USP has created a structured way for the warehouse team to collaborate with sales and sales admins and to arrange deliveries for customers according to their specific requirements.
INTUITIVE INTERFACE – The system Acne Studios now have in place has proved to be intuitive and easy to use. It has been quickly adopted by warehouse operatives and through an ‘operational overview’ dashboard, management have the real-time visibility they need as well as the ability to drill down on the detail.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
CVS Group plc Case Study
“Socius24 have helped us to significantly transform our operation. Through the deployment of a fully integrated Warehouse Management System we have eradicated paperwork, improved quality and efficiently increased the throughput of orders.”
John Hitchmough, Group Logistics Director, CVS Group plc
About CVS Group
CVS Group plc is one of the largest integrated veterinary services providers in the UK and owns over 500 veterinary surgeries with 1,900 vets and 2,500+ nurses throughout the UK, Netherlands and Republic of Ireland. These surgeries include seven referral practices providing first class specialist treatment.
The group includes Animed Direct, an online store selling medicines, pet food and other animal related products. The warehouse also distributes CVS’s own brand MiPet, to CVS & Buying Group members, this is a range of high quality and technically advanced products that can help manage certain conditions, treat acute or chronic illnesses and supports CVS & Buying Group clients to keep their pets in tip top condition.
Background
Established in 2010, Animed Direct has grown rapidly. This was placing significant pressure on the warehouse team who were not only fulfilling end-customer orders but also managing the distribution of medicines and products to 500+ veterinary practices across the country.
Reliant on paper and manual systems, the warehouse operation was struggling to meet growing demands, orders were being delayed, picking was far from efficient and significant manual intervention was required to ensure the quality and accuracy of order fulfilment.
Challenges
CVS were looking to significantly improve operational efficiency, they were using a basic system that was created internally and was no longer fit for purpose. They wanted to consolidate the picking of multiple orders from the same practice, to prioritise based on cut-off times and improve the accuracy of both receiving goods and fulfilling orders which had all of the inherent problems associated with manual processes.
With the current basic system, stock management was a challenge, with the reliance on manual processes for stock rotation, stock checks and the management and tracking of batch numbers. These issues were compounded with the need to ensure absolute accuracy in the release of controlled drugs that was proving to be a highly labour-intensive part of the operation.
Reliance on paper-based systems meant there was little visibility into stock.
Solutions Delivered
CVS Group selected Socius24 based on their extensive experience and expertise in deploying and integrating warehouse management systems. Socius24 helped CVS to deploy Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS along with their User Service Portal to deliver the real-time visibility and flexibility that was a key requirement.
Outcome
By deploying Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and Socius24’s User Service Portal, CVS have been able to transform their warehouse operation. Many manual processes have been streamlined, the flow of stock has been optimised and the team have the visibility they need to track SLAs, ensure both expectations are expectations are met and efficiencies are gained.
SCALE THROUGH EFFICIENCIES – CVS has seen a significant improvement in the efficiency of picking and putting away. Less people are dealing with more orders, and they have been able to double the daily order throughput. This means that seasonal peaks can be handled, orders are fulfilled quicker and they are even able to deal with orders placed later in the day
GREATER CONTROL & ACCURACY – For CVS accuracy of order fulfilment and labelling is critical. Across every part of their operation and especially in the pharmacy, the manual workload of checking orders has been significantly reduced. System directed picking has improved accuracy and the automation of batch control, printing of dosage labels and system assisted QA has streamlined processes and enabled virtually 100% accuracy.
BEST POSSIBLE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE – Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and Socius24’s User Service Portal have also had a major impact on the customer experience. Not only has it reduced the turnaround time of orders, it has enabled customers to place orders throughout the day which are automatically consolidated and fulfilled.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
Nelly.com Case Study
“On a scale of 1 to 10, our experience of working with Socius24 is a definite 10.”
John Enevoldson, Senior Logistics Developer, Nelly.com
About Nelly.com
Launched in 2003, Nelly.com is Scandinavia’s leading e-commerce company in fashion and beauty for young adults. They provide a wide range of products from hundreds of internationally well-known fashion houses as well as their own NlybyNelly brand.
Nelly.com continues to embrace new technologies to ensure it meets the fast-paced demands of the online fashion world. This allows the company to grow whilst continuing to exceed the high expectations of fast fashion shoppers.
Background
Nelly.com has continually expanded its product range for both women and men. In 2011 they launched their own NLY clothing range that now consists of 10 brands and accounts for almost 50% of their sales.
In 2015, they selected the Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System (WMS) to manage operations at their Falkenberg, Sweden warehouse and have recently upgraded to the 2019 version. This has allowed the operation to accurately process around 3 million orders per year and manage inventory of over 1.4 million items.
In order to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of the consumer, reduce costs and shorten delivery times Nelly.com have recently moved to a new 35,000 m2, purpose-built warehouse in Borås, Sweden.
Challenges
To be highly competitive in such a challenging market, Nelly.com recognised that they needed to drive efficiencies in their logistics operation. At the time, the existing operations were heavily manual and they had outgrown their current warehouse facility.
Nelly.com saw automation as key in order to reduce costs and shorten delivery times, and as part of moving their operation to Borås, decided to implement Autostore to automate picking and an automatic sortation system from InterSystem to sort the picked parcels.
Integrating these two systems into Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS was essential to ensure that the full benefits of automation were gained while stock integrity, order management and other operations remained accurate. At the time, no current standard interfaces existed between these systems, so Nelly.com turned to Socius24 to help make this happen.
Solutions Delivered
Nelly.com selected Socius24 to provide consultancy, development and support for the warehouse move and automation integration. Socius24 was chosen over alternative providers due to their unprecedented product knowledge and experience and how they demonstrated a commitment to fully understand Nelly.com’s operation and to work as a highly valued supplier.
Outcome
Through their partnership with Socius24, Nelly.com are able to maximise their investment in the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and to embrace leading technologies and automation to drive both operational efficiencies across their operation and to deliver their customers a fast and effective service.
SMOOTH TRANSITION TO NEW FACILITY – Having done this many times before, Socius24’s advice, planning and meticulous attention to detail enabled Nelly.com to transition from their warehouse in Falkenberg to Borås seamlessly. By enabling a period of parallel running, the move was completed without disruption to customers.
EFFICIENCY AT SCALE – The level of seamless integration that Socius24 has provided to both the Autostore picking system and the InterSystem sortation solution is already making a difference. Nelly.com are processing around 10,000 orders per day with on average 2.7 line items per order. It is expected that 80% of picking will be automated which is a 40% saving over manual picking and a 30% overall reduction in fulfilment cost per item.
BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS – For this sector quick delivery is key, so too is providing the customer with choice on flexible delivery options. Through the use of automation Nelly. com is able to provide their customers with a wide range of options and ensure that speed of delivery is achieved.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
Pricecheck Case Study
“We are meeting and exceeding our business growth ambitions. We would not have been able to do so without Socius24 and Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS.”
Mark Lythe, Joint Managing Director, Pricecheck
About Pricecheck
Pricecheck is a multi-award-winning international wholesaler and distributor of branded FMCG goods. It has more than 8,000 products in stock at any one time ranging from health & beauty, fragrance and toiletries to food & drink, alcohol, household and vaping.
Established in Sheffield in 1978, it now exports to more than 80 countries and provides a full supply chain solution whilst remaining true to the family values it was founded on – embracing technology, talent and trends to ensure it provides a world class service.
Background
Pricecheck’s vision is to be the first choice distribution partner for brand owners and customers across the world. Its customer base is varied and ranges from big-name high street brands to small independents. Its plan is to double turnover within the next five years, to achieve this Pricecheck needed a solution that not only provided support for the scale of its current operation, but would not restrict its business growth strategy moving forward.
For Pricecheck, customer service is a key driver, with the aim to offer its customers the broadest range of stock from a diverse supplier list, and be able to achieve distribution within a 48-hour delivery window. To do this requires both agility and operational efficiency.
Key Challenges
Pricecheck’s warehouse operations were run on paper-based manual systems with all of the inherent drawbacks. As a business, it had very limited visibility of real-time stock levels, orders being picked and staff productivity.
This paper-based approach meant that Pricecheck was unable to embrace any sizeable increase in order volume without the need to significantly increase staff numbers. Without a WMS in place, a three-stage picking process was required for certain types of orders to ensure accuracy. Daily manual checks of locations were needed to find free pallet space and there was no automated way to deal with product attributes such as ‘Best Before End’ (BBE) dates, batch management and restricted goods.
The result was that these manual operations were unable to provide the responsive service that Pricecheck wanted to deliver with most orders requiring a three-day lead-time.
Solutions Delivered
Socius24 implemented the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS, along with its User Service Portal (USP) into two Pricecheck warehouses in South Yorkshire: its 133,000 sq ft head office in Beighton, Sheffield and its newly leased second warehouse nearby in Manvers, Rotherham which is 245,000 sq ft.
Outcome
Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS has totally transformed operations at Pricecheck; it has provided the visibility and traceability that just wasn’t possible with manual systems and has increased efficiencies across every part of the process, from receiving stock to fulfilling orders:
STREAMLINE ORDER FULFILMENT – Through the introduction of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS, Pricecheck has been able to reduce the lead time on order fulfilment from three days to two days across customer orders.
INCREASED EFFICIENCY & QUALITY – Pricecheck has been able to optimise the efficiency of operatives by automating business logic within Dispatcher WMS to deliver structured pick and put-away routines which reduces errors and improves quality of orders.
INCREASED VISIBILITY – The Socius24 USP has unlocked a wealth of information and insights within Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS that is easily accessible across the business. Buyers and brand owners have the insights they need to align selling strategies and managers have far greater control over the operation.
ENABLING GROWTH – The depth of functionality provided by Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS is enabling Pricecheck to expand its operation, not only significantly increasing order throughput, but also to grow the range of products it offers to clients.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
Howard Tenens Logistics Case Study
“Since the moment we started working with Socius24 some seven years ago, we have gained significant benefits from utilising the highly flexible and feature-rich Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS. They have proved to be a partner that are truly experts in their field.”
Matt Davis, Head of Commercial, Howard Tenens Logistics
About Howard Tenens Logistics
Howard Tenens Logistics is a quality focused, independent family business delivering mutual value through great people, collaboration and technology. Established in 1953, today Howard Tenens Logistics has grown into one of the largest independently owned and operated logistics companies in the UK. They pride themselves on being easy to work with, a fact that is backed up by the many long-term relationships they have with their clients in almost every sector, from retail and FMCG to automotive and packaging. Their approach is to quickly identify the unique needs and priorities of every individual client and provide them with a customised logistics solution.
Background
With a business that spans virtually every sector, flexibility in the way
they manage their operation and tailor their services for specific clients
is key. The nature of the service they offer varies widely from scheduled
processing of bulk orders to fulfilling production lines through to
responding to eCommerce orders that if received before 3pm are required
to be picked and shipped the same day.
The partnership with Socuis24 was established some seven years ago
when Howard Tenens Logistics concluded they had to replace their legacy
Warehouse Management System (WMS) as it was proving to be too rigid in
its functionality to support the wide range of requirements and any changes
required bespoke development which meant they could not move at
speed to meet clients’ needs.
Key Challenges
When looking to select a new WMS, Howard Tenens Logistics wanted a solution that provided them with the functional flexibility to support the full scope of requirements across all of their clients both then and in the future. They wanted a solution that could support rapid on-boarding and enable
them to manage the individual nuances of each of these clients.
They were looking for a solution that was easy to use so they could maximise the productivity of their workforce while providing a greater level of stock and operational visibility to managers and their clients.
Over the past seven years, Howard Tenens Logistics has worked with Socius24 to extend the functionality of the core WMS across their operation. A key requirement has been to enable clients to gain real-time visibility into their inventory and orders and to directly place orders online without the need to speak with warehouse staff. This has been achieved by deploying the Socius24 User Service Portal (USP) application.
Solutions Delivered
For Howard Tenens Logistics, Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS provides them with the comprehensive range of functionality they require to support their operation and also the ability to move at speed to meet the specific needs of their clients. Combined with the User Service Portal (USP) from Socius24 they are able to deliver unprecedented visibility and end-user access into the WMS both internally and externally to clients.
Outcome
Through their longstanding partnership with Socius24, Howard Tenens Logistics has been able to maximise the full value from the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS, as well as deliver significant benefits to end-users, managers and clients through the User Service Portal. These benefits are
far-reaching and include:
EXPEDITED CLIENT ONBOARDING – Before deploying Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS, it could take Howard Tenens Logistics many weeks to set-up and operationalise a new client; today this can normally be achieved in half a day. In terms of eCommerce clients, rather than requiring bespoke development, these can now be supported with ‘out of the box’ functionality.
INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY & OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY – Combined, Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and USP provides end-users with an intuitive solution that is more in tune with how they work. This has had a positive impact on productivity while the automation of many processes has increased operational efficiency.
TRANSFORMED OPERATIONAL VISIBILITY – By leveraging Socius24’s User Service Portal, not only has the team at Howard Tenens Logistics gained far greater visibility into their operation, but they have provided this to their clients. Staff no longer need to spend time creating custom client reports as these clients have real-time access to their own inventory data.
INCREASED VALUE TO CLIENTS – In addition to having real-time visibility into their inventory data, clients have gained significant value from utilising the User Service Portal to serve themselves. The ability to place and track orders directly online has proved to be a real game-changer.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
Kinaxia Logistics Case Study
“Socius24 are a trusted software delivery and consultancy partner for Kinaxia Logistics and the Socius24 User Service Portal provides a fantastic data visibility and reporting platform for our clients and their customers.”
Anne-Marie Pattinson, Group IT Director, Kinaxia Logistics
About Kinaxia Logistics
Kinaxia Logistics is a leading logistics group operating within the UK haulage and warehouse sector. Formed in 2012, they have grown through acquisition, building a multi-disciplined group of profitable, privately-owned companies, working together to deliver a world class, market-leading service through their autonomous & ambitious workforce. Today Kinaxia Logistics comprises of 13 companies including Bay Freight, William Kirk, Cammack, Foulger Transport, Lambert Brothers, Panic Transport, Maidens of Telford, Mark Thompson Transport, AKW, Fresh Freight Group and David Hathaway Transport.
Background
In 2018, Socius24 provided Kinaxia Logistics with the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and Third-Party Billing solutions. Kinaxia were keen to extend the data visibility contained within their Warehouse Management System to their growing list of prestigious clients.
They were looking for a way to reduce the overall cost to serve whilst providing their customers with instant, real-time access to manage their own data more effectively. This needed to be a simple web-based UI, completely secure, flexible, yet powerful and intuitive to use.
Key Challenges
Kinaxia was looking to provide a user-centric portal onto their Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS that would provide their customer service team and shift leaders with access to a suite of reports and self-tailored dashboards.
They wanted to empower these people with the information and visibility they needed to perform their role and deliver the best possible service. They were also looking to provide this visibility to their clients and enable self-service capabilities to allow them to update their own inventory records as required without the need to have to contact the warehouse team.
It was essential that the solution was compatible with any device that has a web browser so that it would support remote users to gain the real time visibility, manage stock, make inventory updates and monitor activities while on the move.
Solutions Delivered
Socius24 provided Kinaxia Logistics with their Warehouse Management User Service Portal, (WM-USP) a bolt-on application to the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS that provides a rich blend of data querying, data loading and operational functionality.
Outcome
Through the utilisation of the Socius24 USP, Kinaxia has been able to add considerable value to the service they provide their clients while driving down the overall cost to serve. Some of the key benefits delivered include:
AUTOMATING MANUAL PROCESSES – Before deploying USP, Kinaxia clients would either email or call the warehouse team to make status updates/holds to their inventory, a manual process that was time consuming, detrimental to productivity and added to the cost to serve..
GREATER CONTROL TO CLIENTS – By providing direct access to information on their stock and the freedom to manage their inventory, Kinaxia’s clients are benefiting from greater control that results in them being able to better meet the needs of their customers and improve supply chain efficiency.
INCREASED VISIBILITY – The Socius24 USP has unlocked a wealth of information and insights within Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS that are now accessible to both the Kinaxia team and their clients. This provides invaluable real-time insights that enable faster and more informed decision making.
24×7 SERVICE – The ability to access key information and manage inventory from any device in any location means that Kinaxia Logistics can provide their clients with a true 24×7 service. USP is always on and provides end-users with the visibility and control whenever they need it.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the Full Case Study Here
Silk Contract Logistics Case Study
“The partnership with Socius24 has provided Silk Contract Logistics with unrivalled insight into how these systems work and provides smart solutions for operational challenges. The ability to extend the Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS via the USP, has removed the need for costly and complex in-house solutions.
Socius24 are and will continue to be our highly valued partner.”
Chris Firmin, BY Product Manager, Silk Contract Logistics
About Silk Contract Logistics
Silk Contract Logistics is one of Australia’s largest third-party logistics providers offering their clients a full suite of tailored services across wharf cartage, warehousing and logistics. They were born out of the merger of Hoffman, a wharf cartage company and Kagan, who specialised in warehousing. Today Silk Contract Logistics are focused on providing their clients with an agile, nimble and personalised service and operate across a highly diverse range of industry sectors including Retail, FMCG, Light Industrial, Food and Dairy.
Background
Silk Contract Logistics provides services for around 120 clients at any moment in time and operate across all but one of the states of Australia. These clients span a broad spectrum of industry sectors and each one has their own specific requirements. The versatility of Silk Contract Logistics enables them, for instance to manage pallets of lactose powder for one client, specialist lubricants for another and individual picking for High Street retailers.
Silk Contract Logistics first implemented Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS (formerly JDA and previously RedPrairie) in 2009 and utilise this across their 24 sites. For them, Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS is the ideal solution as it gives them the full flexibility they need, configuring the system to meet the specific requirements of each client and with the ability to quickly add overflow sites when needed or consolidate multiple sites into one as client requirements change.
Key Challenges
Silk Contract Logistics pride themselves on customer-centric agility supported by technology. They need a WMS that enables them to onboard new clients in very short-lead times; in some cases this can even be the very next day. They also need to provide flexibility and scalability to their clients, adapting services as client’s requirements change.
Operating in a highly efficient manner is essential to meet the constant drive for lower costs from their clients. Having the ability to tightly manage each client’s logistics is key, with the need for real-time visibility of operations and the capability to meticulously track value-add services and costs for each client.
When COVID-19 hit, Silk Contract Logistics faced a number of unprecedented challenges. Restrictions forced them to temporarily reduce their workforce by a third in their Victoria operation, at the same time as a number of their retail clients experienced a sharp rise in online orders which effectively doubled the ensuing logistics workload.
Solutions Delivered
For Silk Contract Logistics, Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS provides them with the agility and scalability they need to operate their client-centric third-party logistics operation and meet the specific needs of each client. After searching for a potential partner closer to home, they failed to find one that came close to the expertise and experience of Socius24 and after a highly successful upgrade project by the Socius24 team, the partnership has gone from strength to strength.
Outcome
Through the advice, guidance and support of Socius24, Silk Contract Logistics fully leverages all of the functional depth of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS to meet the varied and challenging requirements of their clients, delivering agile and flexible service in the most efficient manner.
ENABLING RAPID CLIENT ONBOARDING – The flexibility of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS along with the support of Socius24 enables Silk Contract Logistics to be highly responsive to new clients. Not many third-party logistics operations can onboard clients the very next day, however, for Silk Contract Logistics this is very much achievable.
DRIVING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY – Working alongside Socius24, KWE have been able to automate and optimise many of their processes across their operation. This has not only meant being able to fulfil challenging turnaround times for their clients, but to do so in a far more cost-effective manner.
TIMELY & ACCURATE BILLING – By introducing the Socius24 User Service Portal, Silk Contract Logistics have been able to accurately track the value-add services provided for each client, not only improving the accuracy of billing, but turn around itemised invoices for clients in under 72 hours.
COPING WITH A PANDEMIC – Through the support of Socius24 and the capabilities of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS, Silk Contract Logistics was not only able to cope with the challenges of the global pandemic, but step-up to support their clients during these difficult times. The combination enabled them to cope with an increased workload while operating with a significantly reduced workforce.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
KWE Case Study
“It was back in 2001 that KWE first implemented the Dispatcher WMS in Liege, Belgium. The experience and the professionalism of the person performing the installation was outstanding yet little did we know at that point we were establishing a trusted partnership that has now lasted over two decades and delivered significant value to our business.”
Alex Skinner, Head of IT EMEA, KWE
About KWE
KWE provides comprehensive one-stop services and solutions that incorporate airfreight forwarding, ocean freight forwarding and a full-range of logistics services to provide “Optimum Distribution Solutions” to its clients on a global scale. The origins of the business date back to 1948 when the Operation Bureau of Kinki Nippon Railway Co., began handling international freight and travel service. Twenty-one years later in 1969, Kintetsu Air Freight Service Ltd. was established in Hong Kong and in the same year Kintetsu World Express was established in the USA. Today KWE operate throughout 4 continents, with 834 locations across 46 countries.
Background
As a Third-Party Logistics company, KWE provides multimodal forwarding and logistics services to a wide range of customers, all of which have their own specific requirements. Expanding rapidly across the world, KWE was looking to standardise their Warehouse Management System (WMS) in the EMEA region and selected Blue Yonder (formerly JDA and previously RedPrairie) Dispatcher WMS as the solution that could fulfil their needs.
The founders of Socius24 were then working for RedPrairie and were involved in the design and implementation of KWE’s first system in Liege, Belgium. From that very first installation a high degree of trust was established and when the team went on to form Socius24, KWE had no hesitation in continuing this partnership to support them and further develop their use of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS.
Challenges
For KWE it was not just about selecting the right WMS platform but establishing a trusted partnership with a team that could help them along every step of their journey, guiding and supporting them to align technology with their ever-changing business needs.
In terms of a WMS, they needed a solution that was highly configurable. Every client has specific requirements regarding storage, repackaging and shipping and the solution had to support every nuance across clients rather than restrict their operation to a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
As for a partner, KWE was looking for someone who would take the time to truly understand their business, who would apply their experience of utilising a WMS in a 3PL environment and would challenge them to maximise the technology to add value to their clients and drive operational efficiency.
Solutions Delivered
KWE is a perfect example of the best solution being a combination of the right technology and the right partner. The initial Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS solution was delivered almost two decades ago, yet today, with the help of Socius24, KWE are continuing to expand its application across their utilisation across their operation to deliver greater value to clients and increase operational efficiency.
Outcome
The combination of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and Socius24 has and continues to deliver significant value and benefits across KWE’s EMEA operations.
MEET CUSTOMER NEEDS – The flexibility of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS along with the Socius24 User Services Portal (USP) application enables KWE to meet the unique needs of every one of their clients, managing the specific end-to-end logistics, storage and repackaging requirements of each client within their contracted SLAs.
DRIVING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY – Working alongside Socius24, KWE have been able to automate and optimise many of their processes across their operation. This has not only meant being able to fulfil challenging turnaround times for their clients, but to do so in a far more cost-effective manner.
ENABLING OPERATIONAL AGILITY – The speed at which processes and priorities can be adjusted within Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS enables KWE to be highly agile for their clients. This has proved to be invaluable in the first half of 2020 when the Coronavirus Pandemic created numerous operational challenges.
GIVING CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE – Having a Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS partner they can fully trust provides KWE with confidence about the future. They know that Socius24 are always there for them when they have a new client requirement to be implemented or looking to expand their system. They also know that Socius24 is looking after their best interests, proactively guiding them in ways they can gain more value from Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and challenging them to continually improve the alignment of technology to best practice and business need.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
Davies Turner Case Study
“As a multimodal forwarder and logistics operator, our business can be complex serving many unique and specialist requirements from our customers. Through BY Dispatcher WMS, we have the flexibility to work the way our customers need us to work and fulfil their individual contractual requirements. Extending our WMS with Socius24’s User Service Portal has delivered significant benefits to our operation, streamlining processes, adding value to our customers and removing administrative burden.”
Darren Gurney, Logistics Systems Manager, Davies Turner
About Davies Turner
In operation since 1870, Davies Turner has become recognised as one of the UK’s leading multimodal forwarders and logistics operations. Their capabilities span air, sea, road and rail and they provide specialist services across a wide range of industries including Aquatics, Fashion & Retail, Fine Wines and Pharmaceuticals to name but a few.
Today Davies Turner employ over 850 people operating out of 22 locations and have a warehouse capacity in excess of 150,000 square metres (over 1.6 million square feet).
Background
Davies Turner pride themselves on being able to meet the unique needs of every one of their customers. They not only provide services to some of the most specialist sectors, but always look to cater for the specific nuances and requirements of each individual customer.
Having the technology in place to enable them to do this efficiently and effectively is key. This is why they first deployed Blue Yonder (formerly JDA and previously RedPrairie) Dispatcher WMS some 16 years ago. It offered them the breadth of functionality to manage such a broad range of customer requirements, while also offering them the flexibility and ease of use to quickly onboard new clients with a range of unique requirements, processes and SLAs.
Challenges
Davies Turner are always looking for ways to provide their customers with value-adding services and innovative ways to streamline processes and operations.
They were looking to provide their customers with digital access into their operation; the ability to gain real-time visibility on stock levels, to place orders from the field and to gain access to a wealth of key management information and reporting.
Providing their customers with direct access to BY Dispatcher WMS was not feasible. It would require each customer having a user licence for the WMS which would be cost prohibitive for what was required and would not meet the needs of their customers who were looking for a simplified, intuitive-to-use, sub-set of functionality.
Solutions Delivered
Socius24 has worked with Davies Turner for many years, providing BY Dispatcher WMS health check service to ensure optimal usage, providing Oracle up-graded software, assisting in the upgrade of their version of BY Dispatcher WMS and helping them to migrate to the cloud.
Davies Turner turned to Socius24 to help them with this requirement as they were confident that they understood their unique business and their expertise in BY Dispatcher WMS was second to none. Socius24 had developed a bolt-on to BY Dispatcher WMS, the User Service Portal (USP) which not only provided an intuitive web-based interface into the WMS, but also provided additional functionality that would be invaluable to their customers.
Outcome
By extending the capabilities of BY Dispatcher WMS with The User Service Portal from Socius24, Davies Turner has gained some significant benefits.
MEET CUSTOMER NEEDS – The combination of BY Dispatcher WMS and Socius24 User Service Portal, and the ease at which it can be configured, means that Davies Turner are confident that they can meet the needs of any customer regardless of the specialist requirements of that sector or the particular SLAs for that customer.
ACCELERATE CUSTOMER ONBOARDING – The BY Dispatcher WMS enables Davies Turner to quickly onboard new customers into the system and configure processes against contractual commitments. Using Socius24 User Service Portal as the interface for these customers dramatically reduces training time required for each customer.
CUSTOMER PERCEIVED VALUE – Since introducing the User Service Portal, Davies Turner has seen a significant take-up by customers and real recognition of the value that it has delivered, in particular the ability for customers to see real-time inventory records and for them to be able to place online orders.
REDUCED SYSTEM COST – By leveraging the User Service Portal not only to provide access to key information for customers, but also to internal staff that do not require full access to BY Dispatcher WMS has allowed significant savings to be made in user license costs.
INCREASED EFFICIENCIES – Through providing such an intuitive way for customers to serve themselves around access to information and placing orders, has not only streamlined processes, but has reduced the burden on the administrative teams in Davies Turner.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
How a Major Retailer Transformed Productivity With Voice Picking
When a major UK High Street business needed to significantly improve their picking performance, they turned to Socius24 and EPG to voice enable their team.
Challenge
During the Covid-19 Pandemic a major UK retailer faced a significant challenge. With their High Street stores forced to close, the only way of serving their customers was through eCommerce, but this required a major change in their logistics operation.
Their two distribution centres were geared for the bulk shipping of stock to their stores across the country. What was now required was for these centres to be able to pick on a unit basis to fulfil online customer orders.
Implementing new and innovative technology was made even harder by the added challenge of social distancing and the need to keep equipment handling to a minimum.
Solutions
Working with Erhardt Partner Group (EPG), the retailer was looking to utilise the Lydia® Voice solution to support picking for their online customers. They saw this as the ideal solution to enable their staff to pick smaller quantity orders using voice. It allowed them to have both hands-free to handle stock and enable tasks to be completed far quicker.
With the retailer already using the Blue Yonder (BY) Dispatcher Warehouse Management System (WMS), EPG turned to Socius24 to assist with the seamless integration of the voice-based solution into BY Dispatcher WMS.
This allowed for all of the capabilities of BY Dispatcher WMS to be leveraged while providing the warehouse team with a highly efficient and intuitive interface.
Outcome
This swift change to voice-based picking has not only enabled this retailer to overcome the challenges of the pandemic but to continue to serve the needs of its customers in a highly efficient manner.
A 17% increase in productivity has been realised since the introduction of voice-based picking.
Moving from handheld barcode scanners to voice picking has increased capacity to 10,000 picks per hour, handling around 400 containers per hour.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
About Versteijnen
This is the Dispatcher WMS Case Study 1 for Versteijnen – a leading European Third-Party Logistics provider who pride themselves on the value they add to their clients across their end-to-end logistics process. Headquartered out of a large-scale distribution campus in the Netherlands, Versteijnen provide their clients with warehousing, order management, picking, packing and distribution through their own fleet of trucks and in partnership with the leading carriers. Their client list is impressive and spans a broad range of industries including Automotive, Chemical, Clothing, eCommerce, Electronics, Medical and Solar Panels.
Dispatcher WMS Case Study Background
Versteijnen business has grown significantly from its origins as primarily a pallet-based distributor to one of Europe’s leading Third-Party Logistics providers. They now provide a broad range of value-add services for clients across a wide set of industries, each with their own specific requirements and service level agreements.
Having the best possible Warehouse Management System (WMS) in place is mission critical for Versteijnen in order to drive efficiencies across their operations and meticulously manage their performance against client contracts. The extensive flexibility of this WMS is also key to enabling them to support the broad range of requirements from their clients as well as avoid situations where they are unable to take on new business due to limitations of the system they use. This Dispatcher WMS Case Study goes into more detail about how implementing the WMS has helped Versteijnen.
Challenges
Versteijnen had been using Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS (formerly JDA and previously RedPrairie) since 2005, but the scale and complexity of their operation had outgrown this original deployment. Whereas they believed Dispatcher WMS to be the right solution for their business, they recognised that they needed to upgrade to the latest version of the software to gain the functionality they needed.
In upgrading to the latest version of Dispatcher WMS, Versteijnen was looking to improve the management of their operation against key client KPIs and to optimise picking routines to meet a vast range of SLAs such as order cut-off times and next day dispatch. They were also looking to improve the way they dealt with special handling and storage requirements including hazardous materials and the support of Quality Assurance operations.
Another key goal of Versteijnen was to streamline operations through closer digital integration, pushing third-party billing captured in Dispatcher WMS to financial systems, smoothly flowing tasks into their automated picking solution Autostore and triggering carrier booking through their online tool.
Solutions Delivered
Versteijnen selected Socius24 to assist them with the upgrade, configuration and integration of the Dispatcher WMS. Having looked at other Blue Yonder partners, Versteijnen found Socius24 to be very knowledgeable and clearly demonstrated an understanding of their business, leveraging a wealth of experience of working with other Third-Party Logistics providers. Socius24 took the time to understand what Versteijnen were trying to achieve and guided them through the upgrade process and the introduction of new functionality as well as the integration into their other systems.
Outcome
With the support of Socius24, Versteijnen are now leveraging the extended capabilities of Dispatcher WMS gained through the upgrade. They have also been able to closely integrate Dispatcher WMS with their other systems to streamline processes and drive greater operational efficiencies.
Key outcomes achieved include:
SPEEDING UP OPERATIONS
Through the ability to define the unique requirements and SLAs for each client within Dispatcher WMS and to efficiently direct operations to meet even the most challenging KPIs.
STREAMLING PROCESSES
Through the smooth integration of Dispatcher WMS with other systems including the tight coupling of overall picking control within dispatch processes with automated picking and packaging and leveraging web services to trigger requests to carriers.
ACCURATE CHARGING
By tracking the time spent on each value-added task for clients and passing this detailed third-party billing information through to financial
systems to enable accurate charging and achievement of required margins.
WINNING MORE BUSINESS
By utilising the reputation of Dispatcher WMS as a benchmark for a quality operation and ensuring that no opportunity is lost due to restrictions in the capabilities of the WMS solution being used.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
About Instarmac
Instarmac is a multi-award-winning company that for over 40 years has been manufacturing and distributing cement and bitumen-based products across 30 different countries. Employing over 175 people, Instarmac pride themselves on research, development and production of innovative material for use in highway maintenance, urban regeneration, tiling, commercial flooring and internal finishing markets.
Background
Invariably, Instarmac find themselves as a key part of mission critical projects and their reputation depends on being able to fulfil time-sensitive orders. For example, as a key provider of materials for highways, their customers rely on them to deliver materials onsite at the precise time for work to be completed. There is no room for delay as roads have been closed and work needs to be completed within agreed timescales with councils and government agencies.
Technology and Automation is key to streamlining every aspect of their business from aligning production to customer demand, through to ensuring that goods flow smoothly through the warehouse and their fleet of 37 trucks are reloaded and dispatched as efficiently as possible.
Challenges
The fundamental challenge that Instarmac was having with their legacy WMS was its’ lack of integration with other systems and processes across their operation. The solution managed parts of the process but did not span the full customer fulfilment flow from production to delivery.
As a result, many workflows required manual intervention, putting unnecessary pressures on staff and restricting their ability to focus on value added tasks. This lack of end-to-end integration also limited the holistic visibility that could be obtained from the operation and restricted the ability to drive continuous improvement across their processes.
With multiple products serving diverse specialist markets, Instarmac’s business is not just unique as a whole, but has many operational nuances across their different lines. As such, flexibility is key and they were looking for a solution that provided a high degree of flexibility out of the box and could be tailored, by them, to fully align to the specific needs of their operation.
Solutions Delivered
Instarmac was looking for both a solution and a partner that could give them the highly configurable functionality from a WMS that they needed, that could cover every aspect of their production to deliver optimisation and provide the level of real time visibility into their operation they required. From their very first engagement with Socius24, it was evident that they had a wealth of knowledge and experience that would add value and clearly demonstrated to Instarmac how Blue Yonder (formally JDA RedPrairie) Dispatcher WMS was the right solution for their operation.
Outcome
With the invaluable support of Socius24, Dispatcher WMS is now managing the end-to-end customer fulfilment process for Instarmac, automating many tasks and providing unprecedented real-time insight into the operation.
THE BUSINESS
For the business, Instarmac has a solution that enables them to operate in a highly efficient and effective manner, with information flowing seamlessly between systems and with many processes automated. They have full control on how they want to work and a solution and partner that enables them to achieve this.
OPERATIONS
Instarmac are seeing benefits across their entire operation. Pick rates have increased both in terms of speed and workforce productivity. This has enabled them to get more advance work done, enabling Load Picking to be faster and be ready for when they are needed.
Integration of Dispatcher WMS into Instarmac’s manufacturing system has created a more efficient and seamless flow of goods from raw material storage into the manufacturing process. After completion the finished goods are receipted back into the warehouse, ready for customer dispatch. This not only ensures that short lead-times can be met, but that an efficient JIT process for manufacture can be achieved.
Dispatcher WMS has released key staff from onerous manual work with many of these processes now being automated and enabling staff to manage mission critical workflows and do more value added tasks.
THE CUSTOMER
For Instarmac the ‘cost of quality’ is paramount. A missed order can be extremely costly both financially and in terms of ongoing customer loyalty. In the first six weeks of Dispatcher WMS being rolled out across all processes, Instarmac has seen a significant improvement in order accuracy and on-time delivery resulting in a 75% reduction in customer issues.
Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management System
Blue Yonder is one of the most recognisable and implemented solutions in the world.
Socius24’s expertise comes from our involvement in the design and development of the original RedPrairie Dispatcher solution, which enables us to fast-track deployment and ensure that our clients use its capabilities to the full. This reduces the cost and risk of deployment, leveraging a broad set of pre-built templates and plug-ins, allowing our customers to quickly gain the functionality they require.
Download the full case study here
Real progress
“In our business, we have to be nimble, and warehouse management gives us the flexibility to respond to changes in customer orders, even if they come in at the very last minute.” – Systems and Compliance Manager, Oxford University Press (OUP).
Challenges
- Founded in 1478, OUP publishes around 7,000 new titles every year, in a variety of formats and up to 40 languages. As the largest university press in the world, it has annual sales of 110 million units.
- OUP operates its own distribution centre, making it one of the few publishers worldwide to not rely on a third-party distributor. From its warehouse in Kettering, the organization dispatches 36,000 orders every month, 70 percent of which are destined for addresses outside of the U.K.
- To keep up with growth, OUP sought a scalable warehouse control system to replace their outdated technology which severely restricted how the organisation operated and made it reliant on a conveyoring system that was complex and costly to maintain.
Proven solution
The success of the warehouse management solution has helped OUP improve its distribution operation, elevating it to one of the best in the world. In fact, for nine of the last 10 years, the organization has received the Booksellers Association’s Distributor of the Year award.
“Part of that success comes down to our customer service, but a huge contributor is our ability to manage distribution effectively to deliver on time and meet customer expectations,” said Systems and Compliance Manager, OUP. “We couldn’t do that without a flexible warehouse management solution.”
Solution Benefits
- For more than 14 years, OUP has relied on Blue Yonder’s warehouse management capabilities to facilitate and control its extensive distribution operation. The solution plays a pivotal role in the organization’s warehouse, optimizing almost all its business processes from picking and packing to dispatch.
- Leveraging Blue Yonder’s warehouse management capabilities give OUP full control and visibility into its detailed distribution processes. As a result, employees can respond to issues quickly and effectively.
- Paired with warehouse management, labor management encourages best practices in the warehouse. For example, it directs employees on the quickest routes around the 35,851m2 warehouse, so they can pick products for orders as efficiently as possible.
- Now, able to leverage detailed performance statistics, managers can provide accurate, personal feedback to all warehouse personnel during monthly reviews.
Tangible ROI
“The 20 percent increase in productivity that we have achieved naturally equates to a 20 percent reduction in manpower costs. It is difficult to quantify this cost saving in monetary terms, but over the last 13 years business has increased, which we have managed to absorb without any increase to our headcount,” said Systems and Compliance Manager, OUP.
Blue Yonder’s labor management also enables OUP to plan ahead and reduce the number of contractors hired when quiet periods are anticipated in order to minimize its agency expenditure. “From a workforce planning perspective, the solution is incredibly useful. It enables us to more accurately adjust our headcount according to the needs of our business,” stated Systems and Compliance Manager, OUP.
Why Blue Yonder
For OUP, another key advantage of Blue Yonder solutions is their ease of use. “In the past, we were reliant on external consultants who all used their own systems,” recalled Systems and Compliance Manager, OUP. “One of the benefits of using Blue Yonder’s solutions is that we have the skills to manage these consultants in-house.”
Download the full case study here
About DCS Group
The DCS Group was founded in 1994 by the current Chairman Denys Shortt OBE. The business opened its first commercial premises in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2001 before adding a manufacturing plant in 2005. Growing from three people in a stable block to a team of 400 people, with over two decades of selling health, beauty and household brands, DCS Group have generated £2 billion of sales. The company prides itself on driving growth for its customers, delivering value and loyalty.
Background
Whilst operations continue at Stratford-upon-Avon, the company outgrew this 11-acre site and opened a new facility in Banbury in 2017. The expansion into Banbury not only symbolised the success the company had achieved but also supported its expansion into new lines of business including Pharma.
The DCS Group has made a significant investment in the new Banbury site. The new facility features a huge lorry parking area for 26 trucks and trailers and a new 6 fast-tracking loading bay allowing the DCS Group to handle an increased amount of volume for their clients.
A powerful WMS needed to support growth and manage compliance
With the opening of the new 200,000 sq/ft distribution center in Banbury, DCS Group needed a new and sophisticated Warehouse Management System (WMS) that would enable effective management of stock across both the new site and the existing Warwickshire premises, with full integration to the company’s ERP system. It was also critical that the new WMS could handle the increased level of order volume the company would now be operating with, including a new pharmaceutical division. Key capabilities which needed to be delivered by the WMS included:
FEFO Methodology
Being able to manage a FEFO stock rotation methodology was also particularly important in relation to product expiry dates being accommodated for.
Traceability
All products must be accompanied by a unique barcode number for traceability purposes. DCS Group needed a system that could keep such specific information about every individual product but also have this readily accessible at any one time, even after the product had left the premises.
Compliance – Good Distribution Practices
Ensuring product quality is maintained throughout the duration of the distribution process is essential. In addition to this, being able to trace and provide an audit of a products’ full 360˚ journey, including; specifically what happened to the item, who has been responsible for it and at what point and what equipment has been used in relation to the product.
Solutions Delivered
The DCS Group selected Blue Yonder WMS, implementing the system at their Banbury site. Blue Yonder WMS scored higher than any alternative solution on DCS Group’s functional requirements grid and in particular, it was able to support the company’s scale and bespoke requirements.
Socius24 was chosen based on their deep understanding of the Blue Yonder WMS solution and also because of their extensive experience of warehouse operations. The entire project from project management and training to installation was provided by Socius24, including after-service support.
Outcome
Blue Yonder WMS and Socius24’s User Services Portal now run the entire warehouse operation at DCS Group, Banbury. Since the implementation, DCS Group has seen:
Improved Productivity
DCS Group are now able to accommodate a throughput of product with greater scalability–with the system managing full end to end processes.
Increased Access to Information
Managing everything through one system has resulted in bespoke reporting and analysis, making it easier for Warehouse Managers to have full control of their operations.
Traceability
All products are uniquely identifiable with barcode numbers and therefore can be easily tracked from receipt to dispatch.
Compliance
Audit trails are now readily available, allowing all areas of the business to have full visibility of each product’s journey through the warehouse.
Real-Time Information
Real-time alerts allow Managers and Warehouse Operatives to monitor their key processes and intervene before performance thresholds are breached.
Download the full case study here
About FatFace
FatFace was founded in 1988 by two keen skiers, inspired by their favourite black mountain run in Val d’Isère, La Face. Today, FatFace is a successful multi-channel retailer with over 230 stores, an award-winning store design, and a fast-growing e-commerce website. The company places high value on customer satisfaction, ensuring a fantastic experience wherever they engage with the brand.
Background
Since the launch of the first store in 1992, FatFace has experienced continuous growth. By 2001, they had reached 40 retail outlets across
the UK and www.fatface.com was launched.
In the same year, they selected the JDA (now Blue Yonder) Warehouse Management Solution to manage warehouse operations at the distribution centre.
With the rapid increase in multi-channel fashion retailing, FatFace has expanded to a new purpose-built national distribution centre (NDC) in Dunsbury, not far from their original facility. The distribution centre services 230 stores across the UK, Europe and USA, as well as fulfilling orders from their online ecommerce site and from partners.
Challenge
FatFace uses multiple systems in conjunction with Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS, from purchasing through to receipt and delivery to stores. Dispatcher WMS is crucial to this end-to-end process, providing a key link in the supply chain.
With a new NDC on the way, FatFace needed to upgrade from an older, highly customised version of Dispatcher WMS, while maintaining service levels across the two sites and preparing for the next phase of expansion.
Strict time and budgetary constraints meant that the project needed to be completed efficiently, without affecting Business As Usual for any stores or online customers. The brand develops six season lines a year with a very short turnover, so new fashion stock needs to move from manufacturing to stores via the NDC within as short a time as possible, while the ecommerce site offers next day delivery direct to customers.
Solutions Delivered
FatFace selected Socius24 to carry out the upgrade, implementing the system across the two distribution centres while FatFace transitioned operations to the new site. Socius24 was chosen for their deep product knowledge of Dispatcher WMS, and no-nonsense approach to project management. Socius24 carried out the entire project management process at each site and continue to provide ongoing support to ensure that the project achieved the required outcomes.
Outcome
Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and Socius24’s USP (User Services Portal) now run the entire warehouse operation at FatFace’s NDC. Since the upgrade, FatFace has experienced sustained growth throughout the business.
THE BUSINESS
Technology and automation have supported FatFace’s bricks and mortar expansion (from 100 stores in 2005 to over 230 around the world today) and their increasing ecommerce business.
OPERATIONS
Completing the project on time and within budget, Socius24 helped FatFace improve its warehouse operations. Streamlined processes have increased their capacity to meet demand, with improved speed and reliability in picking, packing and dispatch, which in turn has allowed growing eCommerce sales to be delivered faster and error free.
THE CUSTOMER
Despite the complexity of upgrading the WMS at the same time as physically moving operations to new site, with Socius24’s support, FatFace was able to carry on business as usual with no impact to customer deliveries and overall improvement in service. FatFace won Warehouse Initiative of the Year, at the Supply Chain Excellence Awards 2017 and continue to work with Socius24 to add further extensions and improvements to the WMS.
Download the full case study here
UK-based warehousing and logistics service provider delivers on customer promises leveraging Blue Yonder Warehouse Management solutions deployed by Socius24
Scottsdale, Ariz. – With over a million feet of warehouse space, 100 commercial vehicles and 150 trailers, ATL stores and delivers products for a wide range of customers. The company selected the Dispatcher WMS warehousing solution from Blue Yonder Software, Inc. to increase warehousing and logistics speed and accuracy. The implementation was led by Socius24, Blue Yonder UK-based reseller partner which has delivered hundreds of successful Blue Yonder software implementations.
Headquartered in Foston, South Derbyshire, UK, ATL is a fast-growing family-owned business offering mission-critical warehousing and logistics service solutions to automotive, food and beverage, and packaging companies, among others. ATL’s fleet provides bespoke logistic solutions, supported by state-of-the-art technology.
As a warehousing and logistics provider for many industries — including food and beverage — ATL observes strict rules, such as managing expiration dates and moving products within a specific time range. In addition, speed and accuracy of delivery are extremely important to ATL’s business because a delayed order to a customer’s factory can stop the entire production line. Delivering on its promises is integral to achieving operations excellence and was a key factor in ATL’s decision to implement Blue Yonder Dispatcher Warehouse Management™ as well as Blue Yonder Third Party Billing from the Blue Yonder Warehouse Management portfolio of solutions.
“We didn’t feel our existing warehousing management system (WMS) had a level of flexibility and systematic traceability required to enable growth in the warehousing arm of the business and diversify in new products that required multi-level tracking,” explained Joel Thompson, head of IT and communication at ATL.
ATL chose Blue Yonder given the configurability and scalability of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and they knew that Blue Yonder, in partnership with Socius24 would guide a successful project that would meet their goals. ATL launched Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS on the Amazon Web Services platform, along with Blue Yonder Third Party Billing and the Socius24 developed User Service Portal (USP). Since its cloud-based implementation, ATL has quickly migrated about 30 percent of its customers to the Blue Yonder solution. While ATL is still in the implementation stage, the company is already achieving real results.
“We now have much greater visibility for analysis, and Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS provides detailed product-level information much faster,” said Thompson. “The warehouse now has the capability to scan and trace products throughout the growing number of warehouses within the ATL estate. There is a much higher level of accuracy and flexibility. As an example, we can now track products by location, weight and other detailed characteristics, define specific rules and make sure they are honored. This ensures the integrity of all the stock we manage for our customers.”
In addition to improving product and location knowledge, Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and Billing software delivers the real-time data ATL needs to continuously increase its level of operational excellence. Their ability to pull data out to assess key performance indicators, or KPIs, allows ATL to learn and improve on an ongoing basis which will ultimately help them sharpen competitive advantage.
Ray Williams, joint managing partner at Socius24, noted, “It’s great to see ATL combining the power of Blue Yonder and Socius24 to achieve greater visibility, throughput and increased customer service. We’re delighted to have played a key part in ATL’s ongoing success.”
“ATL’s success with Blue Yonder and Socius24 is a prime example of a timely digital supply chain deployment that speaks to the importance of deploying in the cloud to be able to scale and deploy quickly no matter the size of the customer’s footprint, said Johan Reventberg, president, EMEA, Blue Yonder. “We anticipate ATL will see long-term return on their investment and significant operational benefits, particularly as ATL adds new warehouse space and new logistics capabilities.”
Additional Resources:
About Blue Yonder Software, Inc.
Blue Yonder Software is the proven leader in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML)-driven supply chain and retail solutions for 4,000 of the world’s leading retail, manufacturing and logistics companies. Blue Yonder enables an Autonomous Supply ChainTM by connecting its cognitive SaaS solutions from end-to-end – across planning, execution and delivery – with a broad partner ecosystem, empowering customers to better predict and shape demand, transform their product delivery and deliver outstanding customer experiences. Blue Yonder’s world-class client brands include 75 of the top 100 retailers, 77 of the top 100 consumer goods companies, and 8 of the top 10 global 3PLs. Running Blue Yonder, you can plan to deliver.
Gousto relies on Blue Yonder (formerly JDA) and Socius24 to manage increase in customer orders without adding physical labor or warehouse space
Founded in 2012 as a start-up company, today Gousto — a London-based recipe box service — serves millions of meals a month. And based on its ingredients and service, the business has been voted the UK’s best recipe kit service by the Independent, BBC Good Food, The Guardian, The Metro, and Time Out London.
One of the key challenges for this business is the sheer size and scope of its warehouse logistics. Gousto buys products like rice and potatoes in bulk, then these are broken down into smaller quantities. These ingredients support the assembly of 40 different weekly recipes. As specific work orders are created, about 60 unique SKUs are assembled into each individual box, which is then shipped to the consumer. Because many ingredients are perishable, or have special handling needs, time is always of the essence.
According to Robert Hellen, operations service manager for Gousto, exponential growth in consumer demand has only made this already complex scenario even more complicated. “As more and more consumers have discovered the convenience of having menu boxes delivered to their homes, Gousto’s volume has grown considerably since 2012,” noted Hellen. “That growth has been very positive, but it’s also increased our warehouse logistics challenges significantly.”
Gousto, Blue Yonder and Socius24: A Winning Recipe
How has Gousto handled this exponential increase in its warehouse activity? The answer is simple: By leveraging the power of Blue Yonder® Dispatcher Warehouse Management® (WMS), which is designed to manage sophisticated logistics challenges via increased visibility and automation.
Gousto partnered with Socius24, Blue Yonder’s UK-based reseller partner, on an implementation of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS. Named Blue Yonder’s Reseller Partner of the Year for 2014, 2017, 2020, 2021 and most recently in 2022, Socius24 has led many successful Blue Yonder implementations — and was able to get Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS up and running at Gousto in just six months.
Today, Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS is the master system throughout Gousto’s warehouse, interfacing with the company’s ERP system and pick-by-light-conveyor system running on a third-party cloud provider. The company also relies on a Socius24-developed User Services Portal to help with specialized tasks like converting bulk food quantities to smaller SKUs.
“In choosing Blue Yonder and Socius24, we were looking for best-of-breed software quality, industry leadership and real value. Blue Yonder and Socius24 have been delivering on those promises since day one. It’s a true partnership, and I believe we’ve worked together to develop the best possible solution for Gousto,” said Hellen. “Though we never used WMS software previously, we did have a complex technology landscape — and our Blue Yonder solution fit perfectly into that pre-existing environment.”
“With 40 distinct recipes, about 60 ingredients per box and thousands of individual customer orders, we estimate that our Blue Yonder software is handling 20 million lines of data per week,” said Hellen. “Its capabilities are tremendous. We now have an end-to-end solution with accountability for all stock within the Gousto business. That’s a huge advantage.”
A Menu of Benefits
Since Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS was implemented, Gousto’s order volume has increased substantially. Yet thanks to the software’s powerful capabilities, Gousto has been able to accommodate a 10x increase in activity without adding any physical labor or warehouse space.
“With expert guidance from Socius24, we’ve been able to leverage the traceability, visibility and flexibility of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS to work smarter and faster. We’ve been able to consistently increase capacity and throughout, accelerate picking speed and automate many decisions,” Hellen pointed out. “We can schedule jobs with a high degree of speed and accuracy.”
“We anticipate substantially growing our volume of orders in the future. We’re also constantly adding new product options,” he added. “I’m confident that Blue Yonder and Socius24 will continue to help us find creative ways to manage that growth profitably.”
Delivering Additional Value
Currently Socius24 is partnering with Gousto to add a second automated picking line supported by Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS.
“Our Blue Yonder investment has transformed the Gousto business from a start-up to a healthy, fast-growing company — and the software continues to scale to meet our ambitions and our growth plans,” Hellen stated. “We’re impressed with the user-friendliness, configurability and features of Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS. And we’ve already recommended it to other warehouse-based businesses.”
Hellen also acknowledged the value added by Socius24. “The Socius24 staff have very deep technical knowledge, but they’re also friendly and professional,” he said. “Socius24 has taken the time to learn how Gousto wants to work — and match those needs to Blue Yonder capabilities.”
Noted Craig Jones, managing partner for Socius24, “It’s a privilege to support the success of Gousto, which was initially an entirely new concept in home meal delivery. Gousto executives knew what they wanted to achieve and, by working with Socius24 and Blue Yonder Software, they were able to realize their ambitious goals much faster.”
“Blue Yonder software is massively important to Gousto’s business,” concluded Hellen. “When coupled with Socius24’s expertise, Gousto has achieved a winning combination that allows us to deliver exciting products to our customers and capitalize on the continuing growth of this market.”
Download the full case study here
UK logistics provider drives warehouse efficiencies and fuels corporate growth with Blue Yonder
Offering high quality, flexible warehouse solutions through advanced management systems is a must for today’s logistics companies. That’s why Kinaxia Logistics selected Blue Yonder to support its warehouse operations with several solutions from the Blue Yonder Warehouse Management portfolio.
Kinaxia Logistics is a leading logistics group operating within the UK haulage and warehouse sector. Made up of nine companies, Kinaxia Logistics operates 630 vehicles, has 1,100 members of staff and owns 925,000 square feet of warehouse space. Kinaxia Logistics’s vision is to build a flexible and efficient, service-focused, haulage and warehousing group through investment in, and partnership with, medium-sized, profitable, growing privately owned companies across the UK.
Kinaxia decided to open a new warehouse located at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT) near Rugby, Northamptonshire. The 116,000 square foot building, which has capacity for 24,000 pallets, is set to become Kinaxia’s flagship warehouse and provides them with a central location to serve their network of customers across the UK and support its ambitious plans for growth. Kinaxia recognised the need to implement a highly configurable warehouse management system (WMS) that would offer advanced features and functionality that will ultimately transform their business. In just seven weeks, Kinaxia went live with its warehouse deployment, which speaks to Blue Yonder’s ease of use and simplicity to deploy. Blue Yonder’s award-winning sales and service alliance partner Socius24 served as Kinaxia’s partner to implement and develop all technical aspects of Kinaxia’s deployment, providing professional services and support throughout the duration of the project.
“Kinaxia Logistics is dedicated to delivering world-class service to its customers,” said Johan Reventberg, president, EMEA, Blue Yonder. “We had an aggressive timeline to deploy the Blue Yonder solutions and based on tight collaboration with Blue Yonder’s partner Socius24 and Kinaxia, our team completed the implementation and deployment, and we look forward to continuing to support their efforts moving forward.”
Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS and Blue Yonder Third-Party Billing, from the Blue Yonder Warehouse Management solutions portfolio, gives Kinaxia a distinct advantage to maximize labor utilisation, reduce obsolescence and leverage available capacities, while maintaining best-in-class customer service levels. Blue Yonder provides real-time insights into warehouses, accurately tracks and calculates all logistics activities, and simplifies complex logistics processes by effectively, efficiently and profitably managing the warehouse space. With Blue Yonder, Kinaxia will provide advanced solutions to their customers and feel confident that they can meet their warehouse needs every time.
“Kinaxia Logistics identified the need for a world class WMS and billing solution,” said Sarah Ranshaw, general manager, group warehousing, Kinaxia Logistics. “We selected Blue Yonder and their trusted partner Socius24 to implement it in line with our rapid project timescales.”
“We are thrilled with the successful implementation of Blue Yonder’s solutions at Kinaxia,” said Craig Jones, Managing Partner, Socius24. “It is important for a lead logistics provider like Kinaxia to act as a partner to its customers in this environment, and we hope to facilitate this relationship through our warehouse solutions with improved speed, visibility, accuracy and reliability.”
Additional Resources:
- Learn more about Blue Yonder Dispatcher WMS
- Read about Kinaxia
- Contact Socius24 to learn how they can help with customers’ WMS requirements
