Silk Contract Logistics Case Study
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.
