11 minute read
EPS
Digitalization of Supply Chain process now essential
EPG’s proprietary Supply Chain Execution Suite (EPG ONE) is in the vanguard of enabling Smarter Connected Logistics
Ehrhardt + Partner Group (EPG), of which Ehrhardt + Partner Solutions (EPS) is an integral subsidiary, is the embodiment of an exemplary company’s success story. By the company’s own admission and in its own words, the consistent alignment with customer needs and demands coupled with the highly developed and the sophisticated, premier EPG ONE™ supply chain execution suite, is the surefire recipe for success.
Meanwhile, the company continues to thrive and monitor current market demands. A combination of well-ingrained corporate characteristics including ingenuity, a passion for innovation and commitment for in-house developed, targeted software solutions alongside successful application, implementation and effective monitoring is boosting EPG’s reputation, revenues and performance not only in the region but globally, as Global Supply Chain found out in a recent visit to the company’s office and facility in DWC-Dubai Logistics City and an exclusive interview with Dr. Makrem Kadachi, General Manager GCC, Ehrhardt + Partner Solutions DWC LLC.
The Ehrhardt + Partner Group is a leading international innovator and operator in supply chain and logistics. With extensive experience in more than 700 successful logistics centres all over the world, the company’s interdisciplinary engineering teams realize investment and future-proof solutions for clients around the globe.
To get the lowdown on the latest updates and performance, Global Supply Chain journeyed to Dubai South for an exclusive, one-to-one interview with Dr. Makrem Kadachi, General Manager, Erhardt + Partner Solutions GCC. The following are excerpts from that meeting.
Global Supply Chain (GSC): Give us a brief thumbnail profile of Erhardt+Partner Solutions and the company’s origins in the Middle East? Dr. Makrem Kadachi (MK): I would like to point out at the very outset that EPG is a technology centric and solutionsoriented company with extensive expertise and importantly experience in developing and implementing in-house and independently developed supply chain software for our customers across the globe.
We are very customer-focused and offer tailored software solutions that best meet the requirements and expectations of our clients and ensure streamlined operational efficiencies.
EPG facilitates smooth and seamless transition of processes and integration with our clients existing systems. There is still considerable merit in our legacy systems, but these have since evolved paving the way and ushering in new sophisticated, advanced systems.
Ehrhardt Partner Group has enjoyed a long presence in the Middle East. We established an independent, stand-alone, full-service office with comprehensive facilities in Dubai in 2006 and have the distinction of being the first tenant in Dubai Logistics City.
Currently EPG employs over 800 in 22 locations globally. We presently serve 1600 customers drawn from multiple industries. Our interdisciplinary engineering teams have capabilities to realize investment and future-proof solutions along the supply chain execution.
GSC: What are your core activities and what industry verticals do you cover? MK: We offer our growing clientele emanating from a variety of industry verticals with a vast array of software technology solutions including WMS (Warehouse Management Software), TMS (Transportation Management Software), and Voice solutions to empower and optimize logistics processes.
EPG’ other applications and software offerings include WCS (Warehouse Control Software), WFM (Workforce Management), DOCK (Dock & Yard Management Software), Contract & Billing (CnB), International Shipping System (ISS) and EPG ONE APP (Digital Workflow Software).
EPG solutions cover the entire scale of the supply chain — from warehouse, retail, e-commerce, manufacturing and road to ground and cargo handling solutions at airports.
GSC: What sets EPG apart? What are your core brand strengths and how are you leveraging these capabilities to increase your market share in the region? MK: Our core strengths are our human resources twinned alongside our sophisticated technology solutions. Our employees are fully trained and adept with understanding customer demands and needs and initiating adaptable, implementable and demonstrable solutions.
The technological research and consulting firm Gartner has clearly put its seal of approval for EPG characterizing ‘WMS as a sophisticated and proven solution offering a whole host of different functionalities that can be scaled up to handle even highly complex warehouse environments, including highly automated warehouses.’
Our technologies are very advanced, the most modern and meet the highest quality industry standards and benchmarks. Our employees are highly qualified, much experienced and both involved and committed.
Furthermore, our software technology, developed entirely in-house, is proprietary and bears the EPG imprint and signature. Our suite is protected by IP (Intellectual Property) statutes and protocols.
From an implementation perspective, our experts both institute and monitor the rollout of software to ensure oversight and its appropriate enforcement.
Our ‘best practices’ offering of solutions is comprehensive. Additionally, we offer logistics consulting, cloud services, managed services and logistics courses at the company’s own academy. GSC: How significant is the Middle East for EPG? MK: The Middle East is a very important geographical region for EPG. This expanse also includes the continent of Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Our performance in this progressive region has been exemplary and we have also been instrumental in assisting other geographies in software development. GSC: How did EPG fare in 2022 and what is the outlook for 2023 in the Middle East? MK: The year 2022 was a very good year for EPG in this region. Being a privately owned Group, I am not able to reveal figures, but suffice to say our performance in 2022 was extraordinary and we closed strong.
Continuing in this vein, EPG holds a positive outlook for 2023 and we resolve to maintain the momentum in 2023 and surpass targets and meet expectations.
For Greenplan, the decades of experience, the global reach and position as well as EPG’s distinctive expertise are decisive arguments for the cooperation. “We offer a complete TMS solution in addition to perfect route planning.
Gartner Challenger EPG takes a stake in Greenplan
TMS with intelligent automatic routing: sustainable and efficient route planning for logistics of the future
EPG (Ehrhardt Partner Group) is considered one of the global market leaders in the field of warehouse management systems (WMS).
The international group of companies bundles its solution portfolio in its supply chain execution suite EPG ONETM and recently added a new transport management system (TMS). For intelligence (the TMS algorithm), EPG now relies on the innovation power of Greenplan – one of the strongest innovators in route planning.
By working with Greenplan, EPG is expanding its TMS solution to include a unique and powerful algorithm for automatic routing and scheduling solutions, with efficiency increases of up to 20% compared to standard solutions on the market. By working with EPG, Greenplan is gaining a partner whose global presence and complementary supply chain product portfolio provide an ideal basis for joint global growth.
EPG’s work with Greenplan is the result of a successful cooperation in which both companies have already jointly implemented logistics projects. From now on, customers also always benefit from Greenplan’s innovative route planning algorithm as part of a TMS project with EPG. Both companies are counting on the strong synergy potentials to strengthen their joint market position.
EPG (Ehrhardt Partner Group) recently announced that its solution, LYDIA 9 Voice Browser is again certified by SAP® for integration with SAP S/4HANA® and with SAP NetWeaver®.
EPG-technology secures recertification
“This certification from SAP further confirms that businesses that use SAP technology can significantly enhance warehouse performance with the aid of LYDIA 9 Voice Browser,” noted Tim Just, CEO Voice Solutions at EPG. “LYDIA 9 Voice Browser also ensures they have complete control over their voice application. Our solution has been offering these features since 2009,” he continued.
LYDIA Voice is a pick-by-voice solution that can be accessed using LYDIA 9 Voice Browser. Ensuring a simple integration process, LYDIA 9 Voice Browser is compatible with a range of SAP modules, including SAP Extended Warehouse Management rapid deployment solution.
Customers benefit more from enhanced performance than with other integration methods thanks to its standardised design and simple system maintenance. Modifications and upgrades can be implemented flexibly and reliably.
Integration
With LYDIA 9 Voice Browser, LYDIA Voice can be integrated into a company’s existing SAP environment without the need for middleware. This intelligent online connectivity ensures maximum efficiency in warehouse processes.
The process logic is SAP-based, giving customers a crucial advantage: all standard SAP functionalities can be utilised, and changes can be implemented by their own SAP team with a great deal of flexibility.
LYDIA 9 Voice Browser offers multi-modal functionality for LYDIA Voice. Users can also access infographics and enter data simultaneously via voice command, touch, scan or keyboard. Thanks to its online connectivity, the technology also offers functions such as real-time stocktaking to track current warehouse inventory, while also facilitating optimised warehouse replenishment and enhanced order-picking efficiency.
SAP Integration and Certification Center (SAP ICC) has certified that the integration software for the product LYDIA 9 Voice Browser integrates with SAP S/4HANA and with SAP NetWeaver using standard integration technologies.
SAP S/4HANA is the next-generation business suite designed to act as the digital core, helping customers drive digital transformation across their organizations.
GSC: What are you expansion plans for the region? MK: EPG has performed well in this region and both the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are demonstrating a lot of promise and potential.
We are rapidly expanding in the Kingdom and consistent with the strategy and ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030, our prospects there are very encouraging, and we are excited about the future. Saudi Arabia will be the subject of our focused attention in 2023.
We are also performing well in the UAE, our regional home base, and we are optimistic about growth in the forthcoming months.
I am also delighted to point out that EPG has now expanded into the continent of Australia, and we now have full-fledged operations in the country.
Schneider Electric boosts logistics capacity by 15 percent with LFS
Global supply chain software specialist Ehrhardt Partner Group (EPG) has deployed its innovative Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) LFS at Schneider Electric’s Sarre-Union warehouse and distribution center in France, boosting logistics capacity at the facility by 15 per cent.
Responsible for all enclosures and related accessories to Schneider Electric’s local distribution centers and third-party suppliers all over the world – the equivalent of 30 trucks per day leave the site carrying a collective 30,000 tons of goods, with over 7,500 products in storage, and 15,000 pallets in internal and external locations – reliable and always-on IT and software systems are vital in running the 10,000 sq ft warehouse and distribution center efficiently.
Sustainable innovation
As a company with almost 200 years of history in sustainable innovation, Schneider Electric is a leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, and the provider of electrical distribution equipment and secure energy equipment for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industry.
Prior to the upgrade, the center’s previous WMS was built on a legacy mainframe, and with existing data becoming less reliable, Schneider Electric looked to EPG to install a flexible, state-of-theart WMS that could both match their own specific needs more closely as well as future-proof the business at the same time.
Fast, trouble-free implementation
LFS is EPG’s off-the-shelf WMS, customized to intelligently connect the planning and control of all material flows in a logistics facility. It actively guides the movement of all manual and automated storage units with 100 per cent safety and transparency, a clear advantage over rival systems. Implementation of the project was trouble-free, and required no downtime at Sarre-Union, despite the added pressures of the Covid lockdown, which did delay the first ‘go live ’target date.
The entire process took 18 months, and the EPG team worked closely with Schneider Electric teams with initial workshops and project specification to prepare for the customization, tests and deployment.
Immediate performance uplift
Since implementing LFS, the center has experienced significant improvements to its processes, including a 15 per cent uplift in logistics capacity. In just three months, the center was outperforming previous benchmarks and has boosted capacity by 15 per cent.
“All configurations are controlled by our own key users, who can manage the jobs, change the flows and processes all by ourselves,” confirmed Department Operations Manager Kevin Cartolano.
“The label management facility enables us to print directly via LFS. The benefits of that include no fixed batch jobs and no downtime needed to integrate new orders. Meanwhile, the printer management function permits key users nominated by us to manage individual printers,” he added.
Ease of use
Schneider Electric managers and staff were also impressed with the system’s easy-touse interface. This makes it more comfortable for relevant teams to adopt, particularly as it is flexible enough to be used on several platforms as required throughout the facility, such as tablets, handheld units, laptops and desktop computers.
“Schneider Electric is delighted with the flexibility benefits provided by the multiple functionalities incorporated within the customized LFS,” Kevin Cartolano shared. “The quality and speed of communication provided by EPG’s versatile and expert support personnel have been commendable, and we look forward to working with EPG on many future upgrading projects,” he concluded.
