Fysioline, a company specializing in the import, manufacture and wholesale of rehabilitation, exercise and health products, was facing a challenging situation. Two large warehouses were merging and the manual management of an annual volume of 80,000 rows was becoming impossible. The solution came in the form of LeanwareWMS.
There wasn’t a day to waste. Fysioline carefully weighed the various options, and the improvement and automation of their own processes proved to be the most cost-effective solution.
“Our main competitive advantage comes from logistics. The most important thing is that the customers receive the goods they ordered on the following day. The movement of items must also be smooth without needless intermediate storage and tasks that do not add value. Payback of the investment was also an important factor,” says CEO Arttu Kalli.
“The warehouse was facing an impossible challenge. We were using an ERP system, but the balances were difficult to match right from the beginning. The new warehouse would have 3,700 pallet spaces and more than 7,000 items. Without a WMS, no-one would be able to control the process and remember where everything was,” Logistics Manager Antti Kaunisto adds.
The minimization of inventory errors and the improvement of picking efficiency and delivery reliability were set as goals. Processes were simplified and three vertical lift systems were taken into use. Warehouse processes were split into clear part processes, each of which could be managed separately.
“Leanware has the ability and desire to ask and question. In order for old processes and thought patterns to make way for new and better ones, an outside wake-up call was needed,” Kaunisto says.
“A partner is important for bringing in skills from outside one’s own area. We made several visits together to benchmark good practices. The layout of the warehouse was also thought out together, so that maximum benefits could be gained from the system,” Kalli says.
On the operative level, information is now logged directly into the LeanwareWMS at reception, so that they are always correct and up-to-date. Goods flow efficiently to optimum warehouse locations and automatic restocking takes care of availability. Picking as well as combining small and large goods at packing is quick and easy. The delivery documents are also printed out at the push of a button.
“Waste has decreased and money is saved on every row. We can see, in real time, what items are in stock and where they are located. Balances are accurate and there are no inventory errors. High-volume products are automatically steered to the best picking locations and there is always stock. The need to drive around in a forklift has decreased and there is no need to interrupt picking,” Kaunisto praises.
The new system also brings flexibility into staff resourcing. The team has implemented work circulation. Automatic picking and packing is now taken care of by the same person.
“Time spent on the different phases of work has decreased significantly and outside staff can quickly be brought in to help during demand peaks, which wasn’t possible before,” Kalli adds.
From the views of both the management and the warehouse, the entire process has become clearer, more efficient and more transparent. It was Fysioline’s experience that the final benefits were concretized within about six months of implementation. Additionally, LeanwareWMS offers tools for continuous improvement.
“The picking efficiency of small items is up to five times better than it was. No need to sell back orders, as purchasing knows well in-advance what products are running low in the warehouse. Due to batch numbering and date monitoring, products are also not expiring,” Kaunisto says.
“Thanks to Leanware we can keep our customer promises. Vision and goal became one, I am very pleased,” Kalli summarizes.
