The solution had to be rolled out and operational in less than four months. An extremely short time-frame which Hardis Group agreed to and respected. The support from TFCL and Hardis’ teams was key to delivering this ambitious project on time
Medline Assembly France, a company specializing in the assembly of single-use sterile surgical kits, has rolled out Reflex WMS to optimize its production site processes for receiving, storing and delivering the different components of its surgical packs.
Context and objectives
With a turnover of more than 8 billion dollars, the Medline Industries group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of medical and surgical devices for healthcare facilities. Its subsidiary Medline Assembly France specializes in the assembly of single-use sterile surgical kits. Its assembly plant produces an average of 14,000 customized kits from a catalog of 4,500 items (lancets, syringes, needles, scalpels, compresses, gowns, etc.) manufactured by more than 200 suppliers in Europe, Asia and the United States. These kits are prepared and delivered to hospitals and clinics all over Europe from the site in Châteaubriant (Loire-Atlantique).
In 2015, Medline Assembly France decided to re-internalize the management of its inbound supply chain (reception and storage of components to be included in surgical kits) in a new 4,500m2 warehouse, alongside its production site. To cope with the increase in its business and the densification of its inventory, the decision was made to roll out WMS in this warehouse to optimize the different storage processes.
The solution
In February 2017, Medline Assembly France launched a call for tenders with the support of TFCL (Thierry Fabris Conseil Logistique), a specialist in logistical projects. Of the eight software vendors who responded, Hardis Group was chosen: in addition to Reflex WMS’ functional coverage and technological choices (full web interfaces), it was Hardis Group’s commitment to rolling out the solution in less than four months and its ability to support the roll-out of the solution on other international production and distribution sites which really made the difference.
The TFCL consultant prepared functional analysis in advance. To complete the project on schedule, the choice was made to focus initially on critical processes and functionalities, before progressively and iteratively rolling out developments. Reflex WMS was operational in the new warehouse from July 2017. While August was spent setting up the processes for receiving components, the processes for the preparation of orders and the delivery of components on the production site were implemented when activity started up again after the summer holidays.
- Internalization of the processes for receiving, storing and delivering
- Economic benefits of managing the inbound supply chain
- Improved reactivity and better quality service offered to customers
- Potential support for an international roll-out