|
|
CHESS LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY
PRESS RELEASES 2006
CHE06/15: CHESS BAGS NEW WMS CONTRACT AT RADLEY (13
December 2006)
CHE06/10: NEW ENABLER GIVES VOICE TO EXISTING WMS AND ERP
(23 October 2006)
CHE06/04: CHESS PROVIDES NEW VOICE SOLUTION (6 June
2006)
CHE06/03: CHESS DELIVERS VOICE CAPABILITY TO DHL EXEL
(16 May 2006)
BACK TO CURRENT CHESS
LOGISTICS TECHNOLOGY PRESS RELEASES
BACK TO CLIENT PRESS RELEASES
==============================
PRESS INFORMATION (TOP)
Issue Date: 13 December 2006
Ref: CHE06/15
CHESS BAGS NEW WMS CONTRACT AT RADLEY
Radley, the UK’s largest producer of leather handbags and accessories, has selected the Empirica warehouse management system from Chess Logistics Technology for use at its distribution centre in Milton Keynes. Chess has implemented Empirica with its Task-RF module to enable wireless communication with hand-held RF terminals so that Radley can manage its warehouse operations in real time and with enhanced accuracy.
“Chess demonstrated an understanding of the logistics world and was able to design a solution that matched our requirements rather than forcing us to do things in a proprietary way,” says Justin Murphy, Operations Director at Radley. “They proposed solutions to issues that other potential suppliers thought might be a problem.”
Radley was established in London in 1975 and has taken a classic approach to styling fused with the best of contemporary fashion trends to ensure that its comprehensive range of handbags, travel goods, wallets and purses remain a popular choice. The company has grown to become the UK’s largest manufacturer of leather handbags and accessories with a brand portfolio that now includes Radley, High Design, T2 and Mebo. It is a design-led company with a reputation for commitment to quality and value for money. The design team is based in the UK while products are manufactured in India and the Far East. Products are sold through major high street chains as well as numerous independent retailers throughout the UK.
Continued growth and expansion of the product range meant that Radley had outgrown its existing warehouse facility in Willesden, London. The company decided to relocate its distribution operations to a brand new warehouse in Milton Keynes. The new warehouse covers 45,000 square feet (4200 square metres) and contains 5000 pallet and 9000 shelf storage locations. The old warehouse had been managed using paper-based systems but Radley recognised that these would no longer be appropriate in the new operation.
“We decided we needed a warehouse management system to keep track of the growing number of products and orders for our increasing customer base,” says Justin Murphy. “We looked at a number of potential suppliers and selected Chess from a shortlist of three.”
Chess implemented its Empirica warehouse management system with the Task-RF module to interface with 18 hand held radio data terminals used by Radley warehouse operatives to control all stock movements including receipts, putaway and order picking. Staff follow instructions issued by Empirica to the hand held terminals and confirm actions and task completion by entering basic details and pressing appropriate keys.
Using Empirica in conjunction with RF provides Radley with a powerful but flexible solution to its warehouse management requirements. The application’s wide range of functions are designed to support every warehouse task and provide a complete solution for supply chain integration. These capabilities are enhanced with RF because data can be scanned and processed with high accuracy to provide access to real time inventory and stock information while eliminating the need for paper based processes.
“This is our first proper warehouse management system and it allows us to find items more easily and accurately,” says Justin Murphy. “Because it’s new we have had to redesign the whole logistics process.”
One area where Empirica has proved especially useful is managing single item orders. Unlike many warehouse operations Radley often breaks palletised loads and cartons down to individual items. Some of the warehouse management systems the company assessed did not have facilities to cope with this type of stock management.
“The other systems we looked at could not cope with breaking loads to a sub-carton level,” says Justin Murphy. “But Empirica is able to track single items whenever we want.”
Empirica is designed for logistics operations working in the ‘Internet Age’. Its wide range of warehouse management functions and powerful standard and web-based interface capabilities offers the optimum solution for supply chain integration by providing customers and partners access to real time inventory and stock information. Empirica covers all key elements of warehouse management and has been designed for ease of use and rapid implementation for in-house, third party and contract based operations using conventional, RF or voice-based applications.
==============================
PRESS INFORMATION (TOP)
Issue Date: 23 October 2006
Ref: CHE06/10
NEW ENABLER GIVES VOICE TO EXISTING WMS AND ERP
(To download, click on image to view large format and then "right
click" and select save)
Voice and RF-directed operations can now be implemented easily and quickly on existing warehouse management or ERP applications using the new Empirica Enabler from Chess Logistics Technology. Empirica Enabler provides a sophisticated interface between an existing application and voice and RF hardware to deliver real-time warehouse management with minimal customisation, no extra middleware and no need to upgrade or replace legacy systems.
“Empirica Enabler allows existing WMS and ERP users to implement voice and RF without major reconfiguration of their current systems,” says Alex Mills, Marketing Director at Chess Logistics Technology. “This will be attractive to WMS and ERP users who have identified the benefits of voice but who cannot justify the cost of totally replacing or upgrading existing applications.”
One of the major drawbacks to implementing sophisticated real time solutions is that their functionality is usually tightly bound to a core application, quite often an alternative WMS solution. This makes it very difficult to introduce voice or RF without major software rework or replacement. The main option for users has been to use middleware to provide an interface between existing systems and whatever voice hardware they selected. These “solutions” have filled a gap in the market but have not necessarily offered the level of functionality that an integral WMS real-time solution can provide.
This limitation is removed by new Empirica Enabler because it has been designed as a standalone module to provide enhanced WMS capability and provide an interface to manage real-time, two-way communication between any existing WMS or ERP and voice and RF hardware equipment. It is based on the same modular software that has been successfully deployed by Chess to voice and RF-enable a number of high-profile customers. Figures compiled by Chess show that these customers have achieved significant increases in picking productivity, around 20-30 per cent over manual methods, and extremely high accuracy, well in excess of 99.9 per cent. Additional benefits include reducing non-productive time, paperwork and administration, and improving health and safety, labour flexibility and employee satisfaction.
Empirica Enabler receives files electronically from an existing application and converts them into scheduled tasks for completion with mobile voice or RF equipment. It schedules warehouse tasks automatically by priority and proximity, working within definable rules which determine where and how work can be done to create real-time solutions that ensure process discipline is maintained. The system is extremely flexible and allows for varied levels of responsibility and supervisor intervention. It can handle exclusion, dual cycling and multi-level bar code verification.
The flexibility supported by Empirica Enabler means, for example, that staff can be allocated to pick, putaway or replenishment tasks (or any combination) to ensure maximum productivity and efficiency. The application ensures that items are handled in an ever-changing sequence dictated by evolving schedules and workloads. Completed individual tasks are confirmed to the host system in real-time. In this way Empirica Enabler offers a sophisticated task management solution based on proven technology from an experienced supplier. Excellent productivity analysis and work in progress reporting are included as standard.
In addition to its voice-enabling capabilities Empirica Enabler can be used to RF-enable systems where hand-held or truck-mounted terminals may be more appropriate solutions. It is designed to work with all types and combination of RF device, including dedicated voice hardware and the new dual-purpose, hand-held devices being introduced into the market. This versatility means that customers can introduce a combination of voice-enabled and conventional RF equipment to support complete operational flexibility in the warehouse.
==============================
PRESS INFORMATION (TOP)
Issue Date: 5 June 2006
Ref: CHE06/04
CHESS PROVIDES NEW VOICE SOLUTION
Advanced voice picking and radio frequency (RF) processes have been incorporated into a warehouse management system implemented by Chess Logistics Technology for DHL Exel’s distribution contract with JD Wetherspoon. Chess integrated components of its latest Empirica warehouse management system (WMS) with an earlier product in use at DHL Exel to create the application. New functions were introduced to support fresh produce picking, load composition, improved customer data exchange and reporting.
DHL Exel’s JD Wetherspoon National Distribution Centre (NDC) in Daventry operates 24/7 to provide consolidated distribution of frozen, chilled and ambient food and drink items to more than 650 pubs throughout the UK and Ireland.
Chess had implemented voice and RF based solutions at other DHL Exel contracts and was chosen for the new site because of operational similarities. The company demonstrated its voice picking capabilities and offered a solution that incorporated purchasing and other functions. The solution is based on the Socretes WMS developed for DHL Exel by Chess during the 1990s. RF and voice picking was added by integrating Chess’ latest Empirica software with the earlier application, a process simplified because the facility to create application links is a standard component of Empirica.
All pallet movements are managed by Empirica using truck mounted and hand-held RF terminals, while the voice picking solution issues instructions directly from the warehouse management system. Operatives respond via a headset with information such as check digits, task confirmation or to request instructions to be repeated. The WMS issues instructions in sequence and authorises new picks when the preceding action is confirmed. Picking efficiency is maximised because staff work hands-free at all times without reading paper or on-screen instructions. Picking errors are minimised because staff follow clear and unambiguous instructions.
For picking to the roll cages used for delivery Chess devised a function that allows a picker to skip instructions in certain situations by issuing a verbal “jump” command. This can be used to avoid congestion when another picker is working at the specified cage allowing both to continue working. Pickers can also “jump” to ensure bulky or heavy cases are placed at the bottom of the cage with lighter or fragile items on top. In each scenario the WMS ensures that skipped items are picked later in the sequence. Chess also devised a function to ensure that the tamper-evident tags used to seal cages before they are loaded onto transport vehicles match the details on delivery notes.
Another key system requirement was support for data exchange. Chess devised routines for the application to translate incoming orders into loads and picking lists and assess the number of cages required to complete the order based on weight, size and quantity of products to be picked. This necessitated new links with an existing routing and scheduling application. When loads have been authorised the WMS issues its instructions to pickers. The system also generates EDI files with information about goods received, purchase orders and despatches to ensure synchronisation of data with the customer.
==============================
PRESS INFORMATION (TOP)
Issue Date: 16 May 2006
Ref: CHE06/03
CHESS DELIVERS VOICE CAPABILITY TO DHL EXEL
Voice picking and radio frequency (RF) goods intake processes have been implemented by Chess Logistics Technology as part of an advanced warehouse management solution for DHL Exel to support a contract covering distribution to more than 350 BP Retail forecourt stores. Chess integrated components of its latest Empirica warehouse management software with one of its earlier applications in use at DHL Exel to create a new solution that met requirements for advanced performance and reliability.
DHL Exel’s dedicated National Distribution Centre (NDC) at Magna Park, near Lutterworth, operates 24/7 to provide consolidated distribution of frozen, chilled and ambient goods to over 350 BP Retail forecourt stores throughout the UK.
Chess has supplied warehouse management systems to DHL Exel for use on other contracts for more than six years. The new contract has much in common with one of the existing installations and it was agreed that a similar implementation, based on the addition of advanced features to the same core Chess application, would meet the business requirements. The core application contains not only WMS features but also extensive functionality for sales and purchase order processing.
A major requirement was to implement the new RF and voice picking technologies to work in conjunction with the existing Chess WMS, known as Socretes. These functions are fully supported by the latest version of the Empirica software and the most effective solution was to integrate the old and new systems. The process was simplified because Empirica includes facilities to create links with other applications and this helped the joint team to deliver the solution on schedule.
With voice picking, staff wear unobtrusive headsets and follow audible instructions issued directly by the warehouse management system. Operatives respond by speaking into the headset’s microphone with information such as check digits, to confirm the completion of the pick or to request instructions to be repeated. The WMS issues instructions in sequence and only authorises a new pick when the preceding action has been confirmed. Picking efficiency is maximised because staff work hands-free at all times and do not need to worry about reading paper or on-screen instructions. Picking errors are minimised because staff follow clear and unambiguous instructions.
Another key requirement for the new system was to support picking of high value security items such as alcohol and tobacco products. As these are picked they are placed into a special see-through bag that cannot be opened until the receiving store manager has checked the contents to make sure they have not been tampered with in transit. Chess devised a special routine to print a media contents label that details the bag’s contents. When the order has been fully picked the operative speaks an audible “marshall” command that confirms the task’s completion and prompts the label to be printed.
The new Empirica-based system also manages goods intake and put-away tasks by interfacing with truck mounted RF terminals. Warehouse staff follow on-screen instructions issued by the warehouse management system and confirm their actions on the keypad before moving on to new tasks.
|
