BFT Logistik A/S offers third-party logistics to several industries. Some of their biggest customers are Wupti, Unilever and Dan-form. BFT's logistics solution consists of warehouse hotel with pick and pack and distribution, both to B2C and B2B end customers.
In 2016, BFT Logistik made the decision to get a dedicated warehouse management system and hired Bjørn Kærhus to be responsible for logistics. Bjørn came from a position as Supply Chain Manager at ID-Design and has solid experience with WMS systems.
Because the Tecsys WMS7 can run as a cloud-based solution, BFT was able to get up and running quickly without having to take on a large in-house IT project. From the decision to say yes to the system being operational took about 3 months. WMS7 is integrated with BFT's distribution system and Consignor, where BFT is also the carrier.
Commissioning and customer management
The system was put into operation with one customer at a time. Wupti came on first, and since then more customers have gone live over WMS.
Customers have different ERP systems: SAP or new and old versions of AX, but it doesn’t matter because the WMS7 can handle data files from all of them. Orders can be made with next day delivery up to 20:15. Then the pick is made and the cars are packed, ready for delivery throughout Denmark the following day.
BFT’s customers automatically receive Excel reports of their inventory using ReportByEmail. Some customers choose to receive a report every hour, while others prefer a daily report.
A good system should be easy
It must be easy to install, easy to integrate with your own and any customer's ERP systems, easy to use and easy to keep up to date.
Bjørn Kærhus says: "The system is incredibly easy to use. Administration takes a fraction of the time I've experienced before, and new warehouse staff are trained after half to a full hour. All in all, I am confident that we have chosen the right WMS."
"If I were to give a piece of advice to other companies that are going to introduce a new WMS, it's to get the most senior employees on board. They must have an understanding of the necessity of the system and be prepared to learn the new workflows."
Cooperation
The cooperation between Tecsys and Bjørn goes back several years, since he worked at ID-Design with Tecsys transport management. Therefore, it was not a big surprise that the cooperation went smoothly. Bjørn Kærhus explains: "We have had good sparring throughout the process, and are very pleased that we have had the opportunity to include some new features in the ongoing development of the system. During the first 10 months, we have released three new features. We are particularly pleased with the label picking method, as it has streamlined our work routines. We feel we have the optimal system for our business."
Label picking is a picking method that saves time when picking large items, such as white goods. In Labelpick, labels are printed for the goods to be picked and the warehouse worker works from his label stack, which is of course printed in optimal order to ensure the fastest path through the warehouse. On each label, the warehouse worker can see the location where the item is and he picks the appropriate number, which will have labels attached. Once the last item has been picked, the goods are driven to the packing location.
To ensure quality, all goods are validated before being loaded onto the trucks and driven out to customers. Each shipment and product is bar-coded and verified that the correct product is on its way to the right customer.
Good effect
The picking speed has increased significantly since the new picking methods were introduced, but the most important thing is that BFT has improved the quality of its deliveries by adding an extra validation of the goods when they are loaded onto the trucks.
