Warehouse Management Helps Forzani Beat the Competition

Canadian sporting goods retailer Forzani Group Ltd. is using a warehouse management system (WMS) to improve throughput by 38 percent.

The retailer employs nearly 14,000 people and operates more than 300 corporate stores and more than 200 franchises, as well as a wholesale business. As Forzani has expanded its store base, product line and customer service offerings, its warehouse management system was unable to support the higher volumes in its Calgary and Toronto distribution centers (DCs.)

"Forzani serves a wide range of demographic groups with specific product and sports preferences from coast to coast," explains Keith Lambert, Forzani’s vice president of supply chain. "We needed a flexible warehouse management solution that would help us maintain and grow our competitive edge, optimize store sales and provide visibility into our entire supply chain process."

Forzani selected Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management solution, which is designed for optimal collaboration and communication with an extensive network of suppliers and partners.

Using the WMS, Forzani can plan the distribution of products before a shipment arrives, lowering each item's dock-to-stock time. Utilizing cross-docking and put-to-store capabilities, users can move goods from arriving pallets to nearby locations for same-day shipment, or directly to departing trucks to fill immediate orders.

The solution has helped increase supply chain visibility across the Forzani DCs, allowing the company to better utilize labor resources and reduce the time needed to complete picking and other activities. Forzani also uses the WMS to improve product tracking and electronic collaboration with suppliers. Since implementation, the company has seen a 19% increase in units moved per labor dollar, and a 31% decrease in unit cost.

"We were at full productivity within just two days of implementation," says Lambert. "Throughput went up 38%, and inventory accuracy is rising. We move more units in less time and the WMS has opened the doors to many other goals we'd like to achieve."

Source: http://logisticstoday.com/