Optimising Goods Inwards

Read About an Innovative Supplier Inbound Pallet Labelling Solution we developed for a client to speed-up Goods Inwards

Recently, we were engaged to develop a Supplier Inbound Pallet Labelling Solution for a high-volume cross-docking operation. The resulting solution – harnessing the  power and flexibility of our in-house developed In-DEX Warehouse Management Software – has wider and more general applications which may apply to the benefit of your operation.
 
RESULTS HIGHLIGHTS:

 
 
THE PROBLEM
The volumes in the client operation had grown rapidly over time. The client’s larger suppliers had full systems integration and this side of the operation was working well. However, there were a high number of small suppliers who could not provide adequate or standardised pallet labels. This was having a huge knock-on impact on receipting times and subsequent operational issues. Enforcing labelling standards on these suppliers wasn’t deemed a viable option for numerous business reasons including: inability, time constraints, costs, and given the nature of the contract continually changing suppliers.
 
 
THE SOLUTION
We offered a standardised file format for those suppliers who could send an ASN (Advance Shipping Notification) file. For those who couldn’t produce a file, we provided a secure web portal to key-in the ASN details. We used our in-house developed In-DEX WMS Warehouse Management Solution to import and validate the inputted information from the file or web. Once validated In-DEX WMS would automatically generate formatted and barcoded pallet labels for each supplier, and automatically email these as pallet pdf labels (The pdf format was chosen as it is universally easy to print). Suppliers would then in turn print out and attach the pdf Pallet Labels to the physical pallets, pre-shipping.
 
 
THE OUTCOME
Each pallet was now physically labelled to an agreed standard with the consignee/RDC code embedded in the barcode. Operators, at intake, could now easily scan the pallet label. In-DEX WMS, operating in the background, then automatically confirmed its receipt, matched it to the outbound load and directed the hand-held user to the correct marshalling, or relevant load bay. Results include: significant improvements in Intake and Cross-docking Speeds; Handling Errors Eliminated; 100% Traceability; and better Supplier KPI Performance Reporting.
 
 
We love to find clever solutions that improve on our client’s operations and ROI. If you’re experiencing Warehousing or Supply Chain operation issues or bottlenecks – or just need improvements to stay ahead of the competition – then ask us how, today.