Diverse range of assortment? Not a problem. ibcsTiger WMS system in Odra Pak

Odra Pak is the only nationwide Purchasing Group for packaging wholesalers in Poland. It has been operating on the market for over 20 years. It associates several dozen partner wholesalers. Operating throughout almost all of the country, it increases the competitiveness of its partners on the market.

Odra Pak is a recognized distributor of disposable packaging, products and devices used to maintain cleanliness, as well as home appliances, office and decorative items. In addition, this company operates in the field of household and professional chemistry as well as consumer and industrial hygiene. It also has a product line under its own brand Odra Pak – Perfecto.

Odra Pak in numbers:

  • Associates 33 partner wholesalers, and new branches are already planned
  • Cooperates with over 80 suppliers from Poland and abroad
  • Has 10 product groups

Targets and challenges:

  • Designing and automating logistics processes – with particular emphasis on warehouse services
  • Planning organization of newly opened warehouse
  • Automation of data exchange with the ERP system
  • Optimization of warehouse processes
  • Handling full-pallet and retail movements
  • Efficient and effective handling of logistics processes
  • Work ergonomics

The great challenge was diversity of the assortment. Dozens of different products are available to choose from. The fact that the range is wide can be proved by its division into 10 different product groups. Additionally: each of them has from one to nine subcategories. This means that readiness to handle many orders with different quantities and different sizes of assortment is an absolute must.

In this case, from a logistics perspective, it is important to support both small and large entrepreneurs in most of the country. High performance is required throughout the year because the demand for Odra Pak products is not seasonal.

The solutions proposed by the IBCS Poland team of experts helped to meet these expectations. This is ibcsTiger WMS system and Android Honeywell CK65 terminals.

I have to admit that we initially considered as many as 10 suppliers. However, we ultimately trusted IBCS Poland because of the company’s experience combined with a specialization in the field of warehouse logistics. The implementation of solutions proposed by IBCS Poland has brought our com-pany many benefits. It directly influenced the optimization of the entire warehouse. However, it indi-rectly contributed to maintaining our advantage over the competition

says Radosław Naskręt from the company Odra Pak

ibcsTiger WMS in Odra Pak

The implementation of the solutions described here at Odra Pak took a full year. It took place in the newly created warehouse, and analysts and consultants of IBCS Poland actively participated in the design of warehouse processes. The implementation process was divided into three stages:

  • Analysis of Odra Pak’s expectations and creation of a system design,
  • Implementation of activities in accordance with the developed project; this stage was divided into several tasks – mainly they included: installation of the basic version, extension of the software with additional functionalities and implementation of modifications, system configuration, training and assistance during production launch,konfigurację systemu, szkolenia oraz asystę podczas uruchomienia produkcyjnego,
  • maintaining proper system operation and support in the form of service care.

The project was carried out unconventional and flexible, as most of the analytical meetings took place remotely. This required a lot of commitment from both sides. The design team and key users thoroughly tested the system. This translated into a high level of functionality matching to real processes, and also meant that the system – already at the stage of production implementation – was practically ready for use.

Optimization of warehouse work

ibcsTiger communicates with an external ERP system via an online interface, i.e. in real time. Warehouse management is done using mobile terminals and label printers. From the office user level, management is possible through the www panel.

  • Receipt of goods to the warehouse – carried out both in the planned mode (based on orders from the ERP system directed to the supplier) and unplanned (to handle other deliveries).
  • Internal transfers – the system indicates an example of where goods are stored; However, this is only a suggestion, because the warehouseman himself can put it in another available place in the warehouse. The structure of the system allows it, this can be decision-making, prescriptive or mixed.
  • Release – more than one collection can be made for a single picking order (depending on the criteria set related to the zone and / or location of the required goods). Scheduled orders are performed by a warehouseman. Picking is carried out for containers (type: pallets, cartons, etc.) – each of them is marked with a picking ticket containing a unique container number that is assigned to a given order. After picking, the created shipping carriers are marked with SSCC logistic labels. Then, these carriers are returned to the storage location assigned to the given route.
  • Warehouse management – storage is carried out with the division of the warehouse into zones and given commodity groups. For each assortment, the system designates dedicated collection points and complements them according to the set minimum state.

Comprehensive actions

ibcsTiger, as well as the Android Honeywell CK65 terminals enabled Odra Pak to efficiently manage the warehouse in real time. It ensured the optimization of his work, collection and delivery of goods, as well as high quality and comfort of work.

He emphasizes that designing the system was a real challenge. It required excellent communication between IBCS Poland and Odra Pak specialists – both in the analysis and system implementation phases.

Everything was the way we wanted, and now we can enjoy the great results that this solution allows

– adds Mr. Radosław Naskręt from Odra Pak