Ant Technologies, a leader in the Russian market for IT logistics solutions, has completed a comprehensive automation project based on the Logistic Vision Suite WMS for a warehouse complex operated by FWH, a major importer and distributor of car parts.
FWH
(www.finwhale.ru), an independent trading and deployment holding company, specializes in distributing Finwhale, Delphi, Hola, Bosch, Brisk, Ajusa, Dayco, Metelli, Agip, Kayaba, Arexons, Bautler, Kager, Krosno, Mapco, etc. parts and supplies for Russian- and foreign-made cars and trucks. It warehouse complex is located at the premises of Logistic Systems (
www.logsystem.ru), a company that offers the entire range of safe custody services. Situated in Dzerzhinsk, Moscow Region, the 10,000-m2 warehouse complex capable of accommodating 8,000 pallets is designed to store and handle more than 4,000 titles of fuels, lubricants, car parts and supplies.
In view of the need to enhance its product handling effectiveness, its ongoing efforts to expand its business and its strategic plans to offer safe custody services to other companies, Logistic Systems had decided to automate its warehouse by using a modern WMS. The company had held a competitive bidding to assess the WMS solutions available in the Russian market and had finally chosen ant Technologies to be the contractor for the proposed project. Logistic Systems had also chosen the Logistic Vision Suite as a comprehensive warehouse automation solution due to the following key benefits of the system: its wide, customizable functional capabilities and its flawless integratability with external ERP systems. ant Technologies had also showcased a number of success stories related to the deployment of the Logistic Vision Suite at similar warehouses operated by foreign distributors of Renault, Citroen and Opel cars parts.
In addition to the primary task of managing the basic warehousing processes, ant Technologies has formulated certain requirements for an WMS to support product movements in line with various handling strategies (FEFO, FIFO), optimize the allocation of product storage places, draw a reliable picture of product movements onto and from the warehouse, optimize both personnel and equipment operations to improve productivity and reduce handling costs, enhance the quality of services, and speed up order pickup.
In the course of its efforts to implement the project, ant Technologies has successfully solved all of the above tasks by introducing Warehouse Vision as the central component of the Logistic Vision Suit and by automating the warehousing operations with due regard for certain specific features of that car part warehouse (such as the use of various types of pallet, use of an entresol to pick up boxed and piece products, taking into account weight groups of products in sorting pickup assignments, and arranging for preemptive replenishments of boxed and piece product areas with a product availability analysis for those areas in terms of both minimum and maximum values).
The following functionalities have been set up as part of the project:
- put-away process depending on their weight, overall dimensions, product and storage attributes, and filling priority for cells, rows and areas;
- accounting for accepted, defective and outsized products;
- picking up by pallet, box and piece;
- packing and re-packing of products in the consolidation area before shipment;
- shipping;
- inventory taking, etc.
ant Technologies’ consultants have also set up a data exchange path between Logistic Vision Suite and the customer’s accounting system (1С).
“With the deployment of the Logistic Vision Suite, we have implemented our top-priority tasks to optimize our warehouse logistics to meet all of the requirements formulated,” said Alexandra V. Savskaya, General Director of Logistic Systems LLC. “Now that our warehouse is fully automated, we are able to ship goods to our Moscow and regional customers more rapidly and accurately. Furthermore, we have got an efficient tool to expand our business in the area of high-quality logistics services.”
ant Technologies has also delivered and installed the necessary process equipment. It has deployed a Wi-Fi network and installed Motorola data collection terminals and Zebra industrial label printers at the warehouse terminal.
At the final stage of the project, ant Technologies’ Training and Consulting Center has trained Logistic Systems’ employees to use and operate the Logistic Vision Suite at the customer’s warehouse complex.
About Logistic Systems:
Logistic Systems (
www.logsystem.ru) is part of Fast Access Holding Company established in 1993. With the expansion of the logistics business and due to the need to pursue a quality-oriented approach to operations, the logistics division has been spun off as a separate entity.
In 2007, Logistic Systems started building a brand-new distribution system specializing in distributing car parts in Russia.
In 2007-2008, the company launched four new warehouses in Moscow, Krasnodar, Yekaterinburg and Samara. In 2008, the Logistic Vision Suite was deployed at the premises of the federal distribution center in Moscow.
