Distribution Center Chooses Logistic Vision Suite

ant Technologies, a leading player in the Russian market for supply chain management and optimization solutions, has successfully completed a new nonstandard warehouse automation project. The company has changed the warehouse management software platform and deployed an international-class system called Logistic Vision Suite at the warehouse complex of Distribution Center.

Located in the North Industrial Area in the town of Vidnoye, four kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road, the warehouse complex with a total area of 10,200 m², which has been successfully operated since 2005, provides the full range of custody and handing services. The warehouse was initially managed by a WMS. But later, as the business grew, the clientele and product range expanded, turnover increased and logistic services became more versatile, the functionality of the old system became no longer capable of meeting the growing needs of the 3PL operator. So Distribution Center’s management decided to replace it with a more flexible, fully functional product.

Apart from the core needs in managing key warehousing operations, Distribution Center has laid down some additional requirements for the new system, including the possibility to promptly adjust and flexibly change the placement and movement strategies for goods in line with each customer’s individual business processes, support for various measuring units and an unlimited number of types of packing, an expanded interface for data exchange with customer accounting systems, and an expanded reporting functionality. Based on Logistic Vision Suite, ant Technologies has developed an integrated solution completely meeting all the criteria established. Furthermore, in choosing the contractor, Distribution Center has taken into account ant Technologies’ rich experience in custody warehouse automation and the fact that several Russian major 3PL operators have already chosen Logistic Vision Suite as their corporate standard.

As a distinctive feature of the project, Distribution Center had to migrate from one WMS to another without prejudice to its warehouse operation continuity. The flexible architecture of Logistic Vision Suite and the highly professional staff of ant Technologies have made it possible for the system to be deployed within the shortest possible time. The project included the adaptation of the settings of Distribution Center’s equipment (data collection terminals, barcode label printers, servers and wireless networks) to work with the new system while still being usable in the previous system. Not only has such re-adjustment enabled Distribution Center to successfully migrate to a new WMS with the maximum possible protection of its investments, it has also again proved in practice that Logistic Vision Suite is a completely hardware independent system, i.e. can be readily integrated with hardware products from a variety of manufacturers.

“Logistic Vision Suite has enabled us to completely automate our warehouse complex by successfully resolving all current problems related to goods handling management. We have been also convinced that the system possesses a large potential and its deployment opens up some great opportunities in terms of further scaling up and upgrading the warehousing functionality in line with the growth of our business and the launch of new services offered to our customers,” said Vladimir Brylkin, Development Director at Distribution Center. “All those factors enable us to focus more on expanding our operations while preserving our earlier software investments.”

The Training and Consulting Center of ant Technologies has trained the warehouse complex staff to operate the new system. ant Technologies will also provide technical support for the product deployed under a contract.

ant Technologies and Distribution Center have already agreed to further develop their co-operation, the next step to be a new warehouse automation project.

About Distribution Center:

The warehouse complex of Distribution Center offers cargo custody and handling services. The custody warehouse is located in the North Industrial Area in the town of Vidnoye, four kilometers from the Moscow Ring Road, and has been operated since mid 2005.

In September 2007, the second phase having an area of 6,800 m² was commissioned in addition to the 10,200-m² complex already in operation to increase the total space available for cargo storage on five- and six-layer racks to 22,000 pallet places.