Sideshore AG – Digital intralogistics in just six months

From paper to digital intralogistics in just six months

Sideshore AG is a young, dynamic company in Wolfhausen (Canton of Zurich), which has been successfully active in sports wholesale since 2006. As an exclusive Swiss importer and retailer, Sideshore sells trendy sports equipment and apparel from numerous manufacturers and brands.

At the Wolfhausen site, approximately 14 employees store up to 10,000 different articles and process an average of 40 to 50 customer orders per day.

Looking back at the time without a digital warehouse management

Since the company was founded, the company and the variety of articles have grown considerably. Before digitization with the LOGIS MOVE warehouse management software, the warehouse extended over two parts of the building, each with two levels, where the ordered items were picked according to customer specifications. The employees had to travel long distances and were only supported to a limited extent by the ERP system. This led to inefficiencies and errors within the logistics processes, as no warehouse management software and no MDE devices were in use until then.

Criteria which were important to Sideshore AG for the commissioning of a digital intralogistics system – including consideration of the strategic goals with regard to growth and space requirements:

• Increasing productivity and efficiency along the entire process chain by examining possible digitization solutions in warehouse management and logistics process handling
• Reduction of errors through testing of new technologies such as MDE devices
• Simplification of logistics and flow of goods
• Optimization of storage space through the use of automated tote storage (Kardex) and mobile high-bay warehouses (Jungheinrich)

As a result, Sideshore AG reviewed the entire logistics processes and implemented a new innovative logistics concept with Dataphone AG in 2021.

Solutions for digital intralogistics

Dataphone obtained an initial picture of the current processes in order to present the new warehouse processes based on these impressions and with the support of the warehouse and project management:

1. electronic warehouse processes

All warehouse processes are now mapped paperlessly. The data is processed continuously and electronically from goods receipt to goods issue and loading. All process steps are validated electronically (e.g. by scanning). This ensures end-to-end data consistency, reduces sources of error, and makes all information about warehouse data and movements available online and in real time.

2. online data stock, work stock for highest availability.

LOGIS MOVE is coupled with the Blue Office ERP system via the standard interface from the Business Connector. Due to the permanent data exchange, recorded goods receipts are directly assigned to open orders and the inventory is updated online. Duplicate data entry is eliminated, and inventory levels can be accessed transparently and in real time in logistics and administration. Purchasing, sales and administration have up-to-date inventory data at their disposal at all times.

3. process management/process safety

All process steps are specified by LOGIS MOVE. The performed activities are to be confirmed by scanning. This ensures complete process reliability and reduces sources of error to an absolute minimum. The process management is kept simple so that new employees can work productively with the system within a very short time.

4. efficiency increase and cost optimization

In order to sustainably increase efficiency and significantly reduce costs, all process steps are specified in the LOGIS MOVE warehouse management software and thus also made measurable. The following goals can be achieved with the available information:

1. More efficient operation reduces personnel costs/efforts
2. Training times for new employees are significantly shortened
3. Complaints and returns due to incorrect deliveries are minimized
4. Any errors that occur are traceable and can therefore be reduced
5. The existing storage areas can be used optimally
6. Transparent and timely information of the stock levels allows a reduction of material stockpiling

5. avoidance of replenishment backlogs through proactive system decisions.

The effort involved in replenishment is high. Pick bins could run empty before a replenishment has been executed. Thanks to maintained logistics master data and current order data, replenishment orders are requested in a system-guided manner. A good overview with prioritization prevents a ballooning of replenishment orders and allows a fluid and resource-saving mode of operation.

6. efficient picking through hands-free process handling

The use of the modern Zebra TC52 computers in combination with proGlove back of hand scanners enables hands-free and ergonomic work, because the scanner attached to a glove is worn on the back of the hand.

Commissioning of digital intralogistics after six months

After a short test phase, Sideshore AG was able to start using the warehouse management software LOGIS MOVE incl. Kardex connection to be successfully implemented.

Thanks to LOGIS MOVE from Dataphone AG, efficiency in the warehouse has been increased and the error rate during picking reduced.

Conclusion of Sideshore AG

Since the introduction of LOGIS MOVE and the partial automation of our logistics processes, the daily work routine at Sideshore AG has changed fundamentally. A large part of the logistics work can now be carried out by just one logistics specialist, with the exception of seasonal peaks, and our inside sales team has correspondingly more capacity for customer-related activities such as consulting and support. Errors in customer deliveries and inventory discrepancies have also been noticeably reduced, if not minimized. The systematic control of goods deliveries also gives us the opportunity to clarify delivery discrepancies with suppliers quickly and without complications.

Despite an extremely short project duration and a sporty schedule, we were able to switch operations to automated logistics in the spring of 2021, not least thanks to the energetic support of all parties, and without any major interruptions in the support and service of our customers.

There are always situations in which our team remembers the time-consuming and manual processes and workflows before the introduction of LOGIS MOVE and we are all of the same opinion: “Everything was definitely not better in the past!

Are you also interested in digital intralogistics?

The proLogistik Group is an expert in the development and commissioning of sustainable supply chain systems. With the specially developed warehouse management software, areas such as goods receiving, goods receipt, putaway, stock transfer, replenishment, goods issue, single customer order, multiple customer order, key date inventory, spontaneous inventory and many other processes in the warehouse can be efficiently controlled, monitored and handled.

Our supply chain experts will be happy to advise you!