Industry Case Studies

Logistics

Overview

Wignall distribute stock to newsagents within the North West. Having already built a strong reputation with a significant number of clients,the directors now needed to implement more efficient working practicesto strengthen their position in the market.

Problem

Each day, Wignall sales staff would leave the office and visit up to 50 newsagents, armed with a pad and pen, to record in excess of 30 orders a day per salesperson.

On their return, the sheets would be filed for warehouse pickers to locate the stock. However, this paper based system created a number of inconsistencies and discrepancies attributed to handwriting, in accurate stock level information and staff being unable to locate the products easily in the warehouse - often resulting in time-consuming phone calls and much relational stress. From here, the original sales list would be amended by the warehouse staff according to stock availability, and then sent to admin to re-type into the company's finance system thereby raising a sales invoice.

In short, the system was extremely cumbersome and time consuming,allowed inconsistent working practices, and relied heavily on the experience of employees.

Our solution

Two aspects of the business were perceived to be in need of renovation– the internal management of stock, and the collection of information away from the base.

The application was developed through 2 integrated strands. The desktop application was created to track and locate all stock in the warehouse,creating a facility to search for products, warehouse location, price,order history, as well as reports for low stock and sales.

The Pocket PC application allows for mobile working. The device contains the entire product and client information necessary for the sales force to record orders, has a touch-screen facility to speed up and formalise the process, and can be synchronised with the desktop application. Once the orders have been recorded, simply docking the device updates the new orders onto the desktop system. This procedure raises the manager's awareness of items that are out of stock so that clients can be offered alternative replacements. Warehouse staff can also process the order immediately - knowing where the stock is located from their on-screen display.

Results & benefits

The solution has made Wignall Distribution Ltd more efficient byrevolutionising their working practices to monitor stock, enable clear communication, and most importantly save time for staff, sales and admin.

These benefits have had a significant effect on the company's operating costs; by reducing their costs, more time is created to secure new business, as well as improve the quality of life for all members of the work force. Importantly, their customers also benefit from the improved service as orders can be fulfilled quicker and with a full knowledge ofthe availability of stock.

It's absolutely superb! I'm always showing people what it can do and how simple it is to use - they're always so impressed. Even a technophobe like me can see the value added benefits of having joined up IT.

Brian Wignall, Managing Directorr