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ar from the stuffy repository of goods of old, today’s warehouses are evolving, connected spaces where a warehouse management system (WMS) is used to manage warehousing, inventory and picking, to efficiently process goods in high-volume and quick-moving sectors. A variety of industries use it, says Tom Villet, owner of The Inventory Optimization Zone, an end-to-end supply chain consultancy that assists companies with selection, design and implementation of appropriate technologies and processes, to improve their warehouse competitiveness. “Each warehouse and company is unique in terms of their product mix – fashion isn’t frozen food – transaction mix and volumes,” he says. “Add to this the different levels of maturity and legacy systems that may be employed by companies, and we see a multitude of solutions being developed, some for broad industry use such as optimising product slotting and pick paths, with others only for a specific customer or warehouse.” In an average warehouse, a “pick” is done to collect goods from a “pick face” – the designated area from where the user picks. In most southern African warehouses, forklifts,
Software and data management connect for improved supply chain capacity and operational efficiency, delivering better goods warehouse processing and business efficiencies. By KIM MAXWELL baskets or trolleys move into an area, use scanners and pick stock. A WMS uses machine learning to adapt to changing warehouse conditions and pick orders more efficiently.
This instruction is automatic “Our respective warehouse software partners are continuously developing and keeping abreast of latest developments,” says Forte Supply Chain Consulting COO Renko Bergh. “For example, one of our cold store retail clients, Econo Foods, uses automatic replenishment, which happens as they pick, to ensure the pick face has enough stock to fulfil orders.” He says automatic replenishment is a feature within the WMS that triggers an instruction to replenish and reorder. It ensures a pick face always carries sufficient stock, plus backup stock.
Team Forte Inventory Solutions at PnP warehouse in Windhoek.
Forte serves as a bridge consultancy, partnering with specialised WMS providers, and is responsible for the implementation of and utilisation of these software systems for warehouse operators across South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. Bergh says Forte doesn’t just “drop a box” when implementing warehouse software, but instead takes into account best practices and tries to understand each client’s needs before mapping requirements to the software abilities.
Value chain insights According to Bergh, insights fed up and down the supply chain can be used to improve product visibility and guide business strategy, using WMS software that adapts to user behaviour, to improve distribution time slots and delays at dispatching level.
FAST FACT Efficiencies achieved through scale, competence in logistics and supply chain management contributed significantly last year (FY 2020) to Shoprite’s achievement of its industry-leading food retail gross margin of 23.9 per cent. Source: Shoprite Holdings Limited Integrated Annual Report 2020
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F R E I G H T, L O G I S T I C S & W A R E H O U S I N G
2021/05/20 9:09 AM
