Novità

Major Frozen Food 3PL-Operator Selects Solvo.WMS

11.02.2019

OLVO successfully automated processed at a 3PL warehouse belonging to Slavtrans-Service (Evrazia) with a capacity of 40,000 tons, low temperate storage rooms (0°С–22°С), located in Moscow oblast, Naro-Fominsk.

SOLVO successfully automated processed at a 3PL warehouse belonging to Slavtrans-Service (Evrazia) with a capacity of 40,000 tons, low temperate storage rooms (0°С–22°С), located in Moscow oblast, Naro-Fominsk.

The warehouse is used for storing and processing fish products and frozen seafood, meat and dairy.

The facility is a multi-temperature high-rack class-A warehouse with capacity for 30,000 tons of pallet storage. The warehouse is equipped with three freezing rooms with automatic high-rise racks for storing pallets and 9 rooms for floor storage. Load handling equipment includes high-rise Jungheinrich forklifts.

The main goals of implementing a comprehensive WMS system included optimization and automation of main processes with consideration of warehouse specifics (automatic mobile racks, high-rise forklifts), organization of online receiving requests from clients with the ability to present information about order statuses from the WMS, as well as introducing automatic billing for services and invoicing.

With the implementation of Solvo.WMS, receiving of loads is carried out based on new technology mainly using stationary automated work stations where the WMS system is installed that make it possible to quickly identity goods by comparison with mobile devices:

• many goods do not have barcodes and manual identification is required
• one operation includes receiving of several pallets of a single type
• printing of SSCC labels in А4 format with an expanded data list

With the help of Solvo.WMS the warehouse can also receive catch weight goods and supports pallet cross-docking.

When receiving catch weight goods, the tare is weighed in advance, the accepted tare volume is accounted for each pallet, and SSCC code or special cold-resistant labels are placed on the goods.

All information about receiving of the incoming goods and orders that must be shipping is sent to the WMS system via the SOLVO web-portal.

This way, cargo holders are able to send requests online for warehouse arrival and for shipping.

Products are received and put away to warehouse storage in big batches, which is why automatic mobile rack technology is used. Solvo.WMS takes into account the sequence of initial filling of empty mobile racks and issues tasks to stow goods that are distributed in a uniform manner from the mechanism moving the rack to the end of the rack to avoid breaking the mobile rack.

The WMS system automatically tells the operator via the mobile device which locations must be used for storage and the sequence of load putaway with consideration of weight distribution strategies in the rack. It is possible to easily change strategies: for example, switch from a putaway strategy accounting weight to a strategy with preference for load holders and attributes.

Due to the work limitations for operators in mobile racks – only one picker can work inside the freezing rooms at one time. The warehouse uses order-based picking (without waves) where each order is assembled separately as it arrives in real-time.

Jobs are issued in sequence based on priority: one open tack – one picker – one job – one pick list. The given technology enables to easily switch from one strategy to another (from location to FEFO).

The commissioning process specifics include more than one buffer zone for storing all picked goods using direct order assembly at the loading dock right when the vehicle arrives. This applies to both pallet as well as carton assembly-shipping. Upon system command - »Commissioning to loading dock« function - the pallet is delivered for picking directly to the shipping dock where the vehicle is waiting.

During carton shipping, the cartons are picked from the pallets and the order is loaded onto the truck. Then using the »automatic load push-out« mechanism, the empty pallet reserved for other orders is sent back to the storage zone.

The system also supports additional planned and unplanned operations with goods such as: recounts, additional weighing, repacking, and others. Requests for these operations are submitted by stakeholders using the Solvo.Web web-portal, whose access is directly granted by the 3PL operator.

Evrazia is a multi-level user of SOLVO’s IT solutions that automate the main processes at its warehouse. There is no host system at the warehouse and thus, Solvo.WMS is integrated directly with the 1C accounting system.

Meanwhile, all interactions with stakeholders and request managements are carried out via the Solvo.WEB web-portal. In practice, this is the first such project for SOLVO. The web-portal is designed for remote receiving of requests for shipping from the warehouse (orders), requests for the arrival of goods at the warehouse (RCN), and requests to perform additional operations.

The module includes a built-in system of accounting, which is used by the stakeholder to view which services were provided by 3PL operators, how many, and for which time period.

The Solvo.Billing module is used to calculate the cost of services provided to stakeholders based on existing rates. From the WMS, it receives information about performed operations, for example, receiving of cargo or pallet packing for a specific time period and transforming it to an understandable ‘service.’

Then the system calculates the cost of the service based on a set rate. Next, this data can be presented via the web-portal to the customer of the 3PL-operator or issued to the accounting department (1C) for preparing a specific bill for the services. Depositors can see all information about the service rates and bill using a browser via an encrypted connection.

»As a whole, we are very happy with the results even though this was a big and complex project for both sides. First, the specifics of mobile racking imposed restrictions and required additional configuration from SOLVO. Second, this was an ambitious plan to implement Solvo.WMS as a host system along with fully-featured billing and WEB-portal for customers. We can now say that we made the right decision.« – comments Vyacheslav Patrushyev, IT director at Slavtrans-Service (Evrazia)

The SOLVO project also included delivery of radio equipment:

-Hand-held heavy duty Wi-FI Honeywell Tecton CS data capture terminal, which are designed to work in low temperatures -25-28 °С with an built-in heated motherboard and screen;