News
German Beverage Logistics optimises warehouse management with LFS and LYDIA Voice
27.06.2023
When the temperatures rise, so does the thirst for refreshing beverages - and thus the demand for the products that are stored, picked and moved in large quantities at the logistics locations of Deutsche Getränke Logistik (DGL).
Under the joint umbrella, the DGL group of companies pools its strengths to create holistic 360-degree solution concepts for all aspects of full and empty container logistics at currently 19 of its own locations with a regional focus on Berlin/Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Schleswig-Holstein. DGL's business segments include trade, gastronomy, beverage wholesale as well as forwarding and logistics services. Only with a well-established logistical organisation is it possible for the logistics service provider to guarantee smooth processes and a constant and reliable supply of beverages in returnable bottles. For this reason, DGL has been relying on the LFS warehouse management system from EPG (Ehrhardt Partner Group) at its various locations for several years; this is also the case at the group's location in Bad Oeynhausen, Westphalia, which will only go into operation in April 2022. The latest version of LFS is in use there. Picking is done via the pick-by-voice solution LYDIA Voice.
Efficient picking of returnable carriers
DGL is a joint venture of the Radeberger Gruppe KG and the brewery C. & A. Veltins GmbH & Co. KG. At the new Bad Oeynhausen site, metre-high stacks of crates containing a wide variety of beers, waters, spritzers, juices and lemonades are stored in the 13,000 square metre warehouse. On average, around 45,000 returnable carriers leave the warehouse every day, which is divided into different areas such as block storage, transit rack storage as well as picking and replenishment storage. Every day, DGL supplies a large number of different customer outlets of the food trade in East Westphalia from the Bad Oeynhausen site with around 30 of its own trucks. The warehouse in Bad Oeynhausen is the first DGL location to work with the latest LFS version. Within the DGL Group, the warehouse management system has already been ensuring optimal processes at individual locations for several years. "Last year, with the commissioning of the Bad Oeynhausen site, we also opted for LFS in order to successively standardise the logistical processes within the DGL Group and to make the processes more transparent," says Andrea Wipprecht, Head of Process Management and Warehouse Management Systems at DGL. The supply chain specialists at EPG succeeded in implementing LFS at the site, modernising warehouse management and integrating pick-by-voice technology in just a few months. This ensures an increase in efficiency and a reduced error rate.
LFS serves all industry-specific peculiarities
LFS has all the necessary specifications for the beverage trade with an industry-specific software module. In addition to the simple handling of beverage crates and pallets, the respective location can very well map the empties acceptance, returns management and value added service in the beverage sector with LFS. For example, the market leader in modern beverage logistics must be able to handle seasonal peaks at any time. What is particularly appreciated about LFS is that it is so flexible and transparent, easy to control and makes intuitive use possible.
LYDIA Voice increases picking efficiency
LYDIA Voice also works without language training and lengthy courses. The pick-by-voice solution is speaker-independent, so that the employees in order picking can immediately work efficiently. Currently, the Bad Oeynhausen site only uses German as the language for picking, but other languages will be added to the system in the future. Picking in Bad Oeynhausen is done with so-called long trucks, on which two pallets with full crates of beverages fit. LYDIA Voice is a clear advantage for the employees: Picking the beverage crates is physically demanding, and the additional handling of lists or mobile data collection devices would make the entire process more complicated and significantly slower. With LYDIA Voice, employees benefit from excellent ergonomics. The pickers have their hands free and are guided to the next pallet or storage location by voice command.
Seamless connection to modules from the EPG suite easily possible
For the technical equipment of DGL's locations, additional products from the EPG ONE Suite, such as LYDIA Voice, are a central point for being able to expand and standardise warehouse management. EPG ONE covers all areas of the supply chain, so that other products - such as the transport control system (TLS) - can be connected at any time. With the help of intelligent forklift management, the TLS makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of empty runs and to further optimise the processes in the warehouse, thus avoiding unnecessary routes and cost-intensive waiting and downtimes.
International Shipping System for warehousing specialist
The DGL Group also includes the regional company Borchers Warehousing Solutions, the group's specialist in warehousing. Compared to DGL's logistics location in Bad Oeynhausen, this company serves completely different needs of its customers. For example, Borchers Warehousing Solutions organises the complete contract logistics for an online retailer that provides catering businesses with an extensive range of high-quality catering equipment via an online shop. Together with Borchers Warehousing Solutions, this retailer uses EPG's International Shipping System (ISS) for shipping logistics. The ISS is EPG's multi-carrier shipping software. The solution ensures, for example, that Borchers Warehousing Solutions always works with the current and compliant shipping labels of the CEP and shipping service providers.