The project at a glance
Dutch discount retailer Wibra has reorganized its supply chain to support its ambitious growth plans. Since rolling out Reflex WMS at its distribution warehouse in Epe (Netherlands), the firm has recorded productivity gains of 26%, dramatically reduced order-picking errors, and streamlined its storage location management process.
“In the past, we’d receive daily complaints from stores that hadn’t received the items they’d ordered. Since we began using Reflex WMS, these kinds of emails have stopped altogether. The store service rate is now 99.7%.”
Context and objectives
Wibra is a discount non-food retailer. A longstanding fixture of the Dutch and Belgian markets, the company has recently begun operating in France. To support its ambitious growth plans, Wibra needed to rethink logistics processes at its central distribution warehouse in Epe, which supplies 289 stores in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the past, most processes were handled manually, which led to inefficiencies and errors in both order picking and stock replenishment. On top of this, managing storage locations manually was becoming increasingly difficult on account of the high item rotation rate.
Implementing a WMS
Wibra decided to roll out a warehouse management system (WMS). Following a thorough selection process, the firm opted for Hardis Group’s Reflex WMS application. “We were looking for a system that could dynamically manage storage locations, streamline replenishment for bulk and order-picking stock, and control order-picking processes carried out by operators using PDAs and bar-code scanners,” said Arthur Böhmer, Supply Chain Manager at Wibra. “As well as meeting all of these needs, Reflex also supported the preparation of multiple cage trolleys for several stores at once. This feature came as standard, whereas WMS systems from other vendors required a specific development to support this capability, even though these applications were more expensive overall than Reflex.”
The connectivity features offered by Reflex WMS were another major selling point. Wibra was looking for an application that could communicate with its ERP system, its time tracking system, and its incoming-goods scanning system, which measures the weight and dimensions of incoming items. It also needed a WMS that could be connected to its transport management system. “Previously, we picked store orders then planned the transport afterward,” said Böhmer. “With Reflex, we’ve been able to turn the situation around, enabling us to coordinate order picking and transport. As a result, it takes us a full day less to process orders. Once the cage trolleys are ready to go, they can be moved to the trucks all at once, which reduces congestion at our loading docks.”
“The deployment was a very smooth process,” said Böhmer. “Also, we were quickly able to scale up our operations when we acquired a number of stores from Big Bazar following the go-live. In due course, we’ll start delivering to the next Wibra store in France using the platform.”
Following the successful deployment at the warehouse in Epe, Wibra is going to roll out Reflex WMS at its dedicated e-commerce logistics platform in Vaassen.
Key benefits following the roll-out of Reflex WMS
- Higher picking standards, with the store service rate now standing at 99.7%
- Productivity gains of up to 26% with no change in workforce size
- Order preparation times reduced by one day
- Pick routes calculated automatically, eliminating unnecessary operator movements
- Granular workforce planning according to level of activity
- Perpetual inventory, whereas the warehouse previously had to be shut down for three days for the annual inventory audit
- Dashboards: warehouse performance, bottlenecks, causes of picking delays, etc.
- Ability to update processes in the WMS without outside support
- Rapid onboarding of stores acquired from Big Bazar shortly after go-live, with no need to hire new staff