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Picwic selects Manhattan associates to drive Supply Chain Efficiency

21.09.2010

French toy retailer to deploy Warehouse Management, Supply Chain Intelligence and Slotting Optimization solutions to manage seasonal demand fluctuations and diverse order profile

Toy retailer Picwic has selected the Warehouse Management, Supply Chain Intelligence (SCI) and Slotting Optimization solutions from Manhattan Associates (NASDAQ: MANH) to form a supply chain technology platform that will complement Picwic's ERP system from SAP. The solutions will be deployed at Picwic's new 215,000 square foot distribution center (DC) in Houplines, France.

Picwic is a leading toy retailer in France. With 20 stores located in Paris and in the northern part of France, the company offers 30,000 competitively priced products all year round. This includes a wide range of multimedia, party, creative and other toys as well as outdoor games.

The toy market is characterized by very strong seasonality and poses specific distribution challenges for retailers, especially before, during and immediately after Christmas. During this peak period, Picwic has to increase its warehouse staff from 40 to 150 people to cope with the extra demand.

In addition to the seasonal demand, Picwic also has to manage different logistical practices, including cross-docking (unloading material from an incoming truck to an outbound truck, trailer or rail car with little or no storage in between) and put-to-store (where full case quantities are broken down to store level cartons).

"The seasonality and the different types of orders represent the two main supply chain challenges we are facing," commented Mr Semelyn, IT director at Picwic. "We need a supply chain technology platform to complement our ERP system to handle fluctuating volumes, increase process efficiency and improve supply chain visibility. We want to significantly improve the picking process and increase the agility of our logistics activities to ensure that we are offering an exceptionally high service on a consistent basis to our stores and customers."

Henri Seroux, managing director of Manhattan Associates France, added, "We provide our customers with proven, value-added distribution management and warehouse optimization technologies that support mission-critical business needs. With our solutions, Picwic will be able to streamline operations, improve the accuracy of every order, reduce costs and most importantly ensure data integrity throughout its supply chain."

Further benefits of Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management, Supply Chain Intelligence and Slotting Optimization solution include:

  • At-a-glance insights into the performance of the supply chain - Picwic will be able to respond efficiently and effectively to changes in demand
  • Easy-to-read, customisable reports will allow the toy retailer to monitor the performance of key elements of the supply chain network
  • For critical events, Supply Chain Intelligence will send an alert via email or text so Picwic's warehouse managers know when conditions or exceptions are about to occur and can respond quickly to avoid problems
  • Ability to better plan and balance workload
  • As input data changes, such as seasonal ordering trends or new or discontinued products, Slotting Optimization will allow Picwic to revise its picking profile recommendations incrementally to keep warehouse at maximum efficiency without costly overhauls

"Manhattan Associates' supply chain solutions will help us to improve our collaboration and communication with our network of suppliers and partners," added Mr Antoniutti, Logistics Director at Picwic. "It will also ensure that our operators and managers in the warehouse will become more efficient as task management and logistical processes improve - and in return our customers will be better served."

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