Eliminate human errors arising from the complexity of the movements of goods

Located in La Pobla de Claramunt (Barcelona), Sofamel is one of the leading companies in the manufacturing and marketing of electrical connection, security and electrical protection products and components. Currently, it offers one of the ranges broader of articles available on the market that sells through an extensive commercial network covering nationwide.

In 2005, the company decided to implement a solution to automate the management of its stores in order to streamline logistics processes, increase your quality of service by increasing the level of customer satisfaction and ensure the traceability of the products of the firm.

With this approach Sofamel opted for the introduction of the system automatic management of warehouses of AS Software, a solution which since then has allowed it to manage in real time and is on-line all the information flows from their logistics operations and integrate them into its system of business management (ERP) through the use of terminals of radio frequency.

One of the main objectives of the project was to ensure the correct traceability of the product in service to the client. Minimize human errors arising from the complexity that entailed the mobilization of large quantities of different products with similar appearance codes, was one of the main needs of the company.

Until that time, Sofamel did not have an automated system to ensure traceability, something vital to the firm that managed it manually what caused that store users committing typical human and usual in this type of process errors.

Also available in a chaotic stock of locations. On the contrary, its logistics based on a system of fixed location, at which the product was located in a just place, requiring that the article was always in the same location, not being this the most optimal system as regards the possibility of utilization of the capacity of the store.

Thanks to the implementation of the automatic system of management of warehouses, Sofamel managed to control the traceability, increasing the level of reliability in the delivery of correct products to maximize customer and obtained higher productivity in all processes of issuing orders. Precisely, on this last point, Sofamel also achieved through the implementation of the GHS a reduction of time of service of the expeditions.

To do this through the automatic warehouse management system and integration with their ERP got streamline collection routes minimizing times through the computerization of all the processes involving the storage and use of radio frequency terminals. These, are today used by Sofamel in all the processes covered between the phase of reception and dispatch of products thus speeding the routes and collections. In addition, also has been the reduction of time of service, in large part, to integrate into the system, and completely transparently to the user, an automatic warehouse of trays (MegaLift). This system of storage in height, compact and fully automatic has allowed Sofamel expedite shipments as well as optimizing its storage capacity.

One of the successes of implementation lay in responding to the need to Sofamel to replenish the automatic warehouse of expeditions by ensuring there is always material available to issue the requested goods

This is possible thanks to the interior of the automatic warehouse platform, computer controlled, leading to the user quickly and accurately the necessary goods for the expedition. To this end, the expedition needs grouped by product is sent to that store from the ERP. Thus, if several requests share the same product is a single search, optimizing the circuit.

Another success of the deployment was in response to the need to Sofamel to replenish the automatic warehouse of expeditions by ensuring there is always material available to issue the requested goods. And it is that the automatic store feeds material from an external store product where pallets.

Get optimize the process of filling in the automatic warehouse (replacement) was one of the great achievements of the project. This sought to the level of optimal stock which Sofamel has managed to make it profitable to get automatic store merchandise. Thus, if the client requested a full pallet does a revival in the store automatic issuing from it, but that it issued directly by from the pallet warehouse. In this way, the expeditions are prepared from two different sources (pallet store) and automatic warehouse and are integrated with the final expedition into a single waybill.

The logistical circuit starts with the receptions of purchasing or production where all recepcionados products are labeled. Subsequently carried out replacement products. In this process the RF terminal indicates the user if the product should go to the Megalift store or warehouse shipments depending on the needs of each. Once moved the material, it can be transferred to the production store or send to an external workshop for its treatment.

With regard to the process of expeditions, commercial enters an order which is automatically redirected to store for his treatment. The request can be treated in two stages according to find the requested material: closed box or loose drives. The expedition of closed box or loose units affects the fact where is going the operator to find the material. The Megalift store works with loose units and a main warehouse with closed boxes. Depending on the units that have order system sends a preparation of materials to a store or another or both if you ask both boxes and loose units. These preparations the deal with two different operators at the end together both preparations generating a unique packing slip with your labels of expeditions.

The order can be treated in two stages according to find the requested material: closed box or loose drives

Finally the circuit of expeditions closes thanks to the link of the GHS with the implementation of the transportation agency. Thanks to this possibility, Sofamel is able to issue with the specific format of the transport agency labels of dispatch of the goods coming out of their stores, confirm the collection by the carrier, as well as generate the file with the expeditions and issue leaves route automatically to facilitate the management of the carrier. Then you can also enter the number of tracking by the shipping company in order to track the shipment on the website of the carrier.