Based in Tampere, Finland, Fysioline Oy has taken command over a challenging logistics entity in an exemplary way. As a result of this work, it has gained visibility into the overall picture of warehouse and achieved seamless co-operation between purchase and sales departments. Development work has resulted in cost savings, but the most significant achievements include improved ability to serve customers and managed workloads.
Fysioline, which produces and delivers a wide range of services and products in the wellbeing sector for both its B2C and B2B customers, has determined that investing in in-house logistics improves both competitiveness and profit margin.
“Efficient in-house logistics ensures, for example, that our deliveries are fast and error-free. This enables us to build long-lasting customer relationships based on trust,” says Antti Kaunisto, Fysioline’s Production and Logistics Director and HSEQ Manager.
Before development work started, Fysioline operated in two warehouses, Vantaa and Tampere, Finland. Work was manually controlled, and the collecting work was done using printed paper lists. Human-caused balance errors posed challenges to purchase and sales departments, and it was not possible to control the workload at the warehouse effectively.
As a result of the reform started back in 2013, all warehouse operations were concentrated in Lahdesjärvi, Tampere, where the operations are efficient and transparent today. Number of balance errors has dropped almost to zero and the goods flow and related disruptions are immediately seen in the warehouse. The overall picture of the warehouse’s operations is easily manageable, and deliveries are no longer fragmented.
First and foremost, development of in-house logistics based on LEAN operating model has helped to anticipate and solve potential problems.
“We now can detect the problems of the process quickly and address them earlier and more efficiently than before. The warehouse is being operated tightly and efficiently,” Kaunisto tells.
LeanwareWMS Warehouse Management System, implemented by Fysioline, has played a key role as a tool for change in steering warehouse operations according to optimal processes. The transparency of the operation was further enhanced by a reporting tool developed for Fysioline’s needs. This tool was linked with LeanwareWMS, which shows at a glance a significant amount of information necessary for purchases and helps to make right and safe decisions.
“Now all purchases have a strong back-bone offering real-time view of the warehouse situation and even what the future looks like, for example, whether sales numbers have started to rise or fall. We jokingly call the system a “crystal ball”, and it is an invaluable tool for everyday needs,” Kaunisto describes.
Leanware Oy, an expert company for efficient material management processes that grants the Top Warehouse 2020 recognition, especially praises daily management of Fysioline’s warehouse. The company’s staff are committed in an exemplary way to the LEAN operating model, work in an independent manner and proactively develop various operations of the warehouse.
“Warehouse staff independently develop efficiency of material flows, for example by layout changes of the warehouse, optimization of product locations, trigger limits for stock-filling and preparation of work instructions,” Kaunisto says.
At Fysoline, every employee and team within logistics and production is responsible for achieving goals of Lean 5S (Five Sigma). Teams have rotating, weekly-changing roles, and each function, such as reception and dispatch areas and mass locations, have their specifically marked areas in the warehouse. This has also improved occupational safety of the warehouse.
According to Kaunisto, it is essential that everyone from supervisors all the way to warehouse workers and LEAN developers participate in making change integral part of the company’s everyday life – that is, cleaning, organizing, markup-taping and painting the new working environment. Success can be seen, for example, in improved work satisfaction and employee satisfaction.
“Our employees have been extremely satisfied with the changes, which is why they are so strongly committed to it. At the beginning of the first project, which was carried out back in 2014, we experienced normal resistance to change, but now I was already asked that when are you going to come and markup-tape that 5S for us. It is a concrete sign that change has become part of everyday life,” Kaunisto says and smiles.
Leanware Top Performance Warehouse award, which was awarded for the third time, was presented to Fysioline Oy on February 6th, 2020 at LOGY Conference. Representatives of both Fysioline and Leanware will be available for in-person meetings at the LOGY Conference seminar from 11:00 to 11:15 AM on February 6th, 2020 at Leanware department 14.
Mira Sohlman (Ms.)
Business Director, Commerce
Leanware Oy
+358 40 844 4323
Antti Kaunisto (Mr.)
Production and Logistics Director, HSEQ Manager
Fysioline Oy
+358 40 530 6697
