optimize

Berendsen, one of Europe's leading textile service companies with service in 13 countries, plans to optimize its distribution with supply chain planning solutions from Ortec.

"The customer oriented service delivery of Berendsen relies heavily on a professional planning of the distribution process for its success," says Ralf Richters, project manager at Berendsen. The company hopes to improve and enhance its service levels by implementing the planning software.

Sanimax, a provider of BioReturn services, is utilizing mobile sales and delivery applications from HighJump Software to execute its collection routes to reclaim materials such as animal by-products and used cooking oils. Sanimax renews or transforms the collected material at its North American facilities into high-demand goods such as tallow, glycerin, proteins, leather and biofuels. Sanimax is utilizing HighJump Route Administrator, HighJump Route Assistant and Usable GPS.

Rehau, a supplier of plastic parts for the automotive industry, has implemented radio frequency identification (RFID) into its operations to optimize production quality and logistics.

Using RFID technology, Rehau is able to manufacture individually defined parts for customers instead of using uniform mass production. Rehau began to utilize RFID in early 2009. The company relies on UPM Raflatac ShortDipole RFID tags, as well as Simatic RF600 readers and transponders from Siemens.

Norfolk Southern Corp., one of the largest railroads in North America, has saved more than 100 customers millions of dollars a year in fuel and transport costs using a supply chain management solution. The software, SCM Network Design from Infor, has been in use at the company for ten years. It provides Norfolk Southern the ability to model its customers' supply chains to determine where to make, buy, store and move product through the supply chain network and by the optimal mode of transportation.

Fortna is assisting Tech Data Corp., a distributor of technology products, as it continues to implement new systems and processes to further strengthen its supply chain operations in the United States. Fortna has retrofitted three of Tech Data's U.S. logistics centers with FortnaWCS, helping to increase visibility into daily order volume and create new efficiencies by enhancing the capabilities of existing warehouse management systems and automation capabilities.

Whirlpool Corp., a manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, provides a good example of how the value of an optimized supply chain network is never more apparent than following a major acquisition and/or reorganization. After Whirlpool acquired Maytag in 2006, its supply chain encompassed more than 40 manufacturing facilities sourced from approximately 7,000 different suppliers in every region of the world. Those facilities not only import, but also export products to separate regions where they are then delivered to more than 30,000 retailers worldwide, while also delivering products to builders as well as consumers' homes within 48 to 72 hours. Whirlpool has, at any given time, 2.2 to 2.5 million units in inventory.

Acculogix Distribution Services, a Canadian-based third party logistics (3PL) distributor of magazines and books, is using a transportation management system (TMS) to streamline its distribution throughout Western Canada.

Acculogix services 4,000 retailers in Western Canada and operates 13 satellite depots/cross-dock centers where magazine shipments are processed for delivery to local markets via express package carriers. To streamline the process of labeling shipments being handled by its package carrier service providers, Acculogix selected Descartes' Transportation Management, Pick, Pack and Ship solution.

ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, a private spirits retailer, is using a warehouse management system to optimize distribution of its more than 15,000 SKUs. ABC has nearly 150 locations, 1400 employees, a private delivery fleet, a 200,000 square foot distribution center and an Internet fulfillment center.

Recently, the retailer undertook an initiative to highlight an expanded wine selection and to raise the level of the shopping experience it provides. This included larger format stores, ranging from 8,000-10,000 square feet, filled with a wider variety of products, including gourmet foods, gift baskets, hand-rolled cigars, high-end spirits and rentable wine vaults.

Soft drink giant Coca-Cola's Greek operations, Coca-Cola Hellenic, has optimized its logistics processes, including route optimization, route planning and loadbuilding. Based in Athens and with subsidiaries in 28 European countries, the beverage maker's logistics optimization project has been supported by software solutions from ORTEC.

Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCH), one of the largest bottlers of non-alcoholic beverages in Europe, has already implemented at several locations the ORTEC beverage solutions for route planning and dispatching, pallet and loadbuilding as well as for warehouse control and picking.