Howard Tenens Case Study
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.
