On 9 October 2009, toy manufacturer BERG Toys in Ede internally launched a new warehouse management system. Thanks to Astro WMS by Consafe Logistics, the Ede-based company now has full control of its logistics process and a much better grip on its stocks.

The roots of BERG Toys are in Wekerom, a village in the Veluwe region of the Netherlands. That is where, 25 years ago, Henk van den Berg started building go-karts. When the company started bursting at the seams and the stocks ended up being stored in fourteen different locations, BERG Toys decided to build a new warehouse in Ede. As the existing ERP system offered insufficient functionality, the outdoor toys manufacturer went looking for a warehouse management system. They opted for Astro WMS by Consafe Logistics. The deciding factor in addition to the abundant functionality: they clicked with the WMS supplier staff.

Easier
The implementation did not go off entirely without a hitch. As the construction of the warehouse was delayed and there was some difficulty with the communication with the main server in Wekerom, the launch had to be postponed by some nine months, until after the high season. The system was finally launched on 9 October 2009. The work at the warehouse has since become much easier. The staff no longer receive their instructions on paper, but from a large truck terminal located on the warehouse trucks. "Everyone can now step into a truck and collect orders. The people that you would expect to get on with this the least are actually the happiest about it", according to operational manager Marino Sonnemans.

Real-time
Astro WMS manages all processes in the warehouse, including the somewhat less evident ones like double storage and quality control. BERG Toys works much more efficiently now than they did before implementation of the WMS. Thanks to barcode scanning, the number of picking errors has been reduced to such an extent that the additional check at shipping has been cancelled. An added benefit is the fact that stock reliability has improved considerably. As the system works on a real-time basis, the company is always exactly aware of what is, and what is not, in stock. This is only reinforced by processes like cycle counting. Annemiek Boogaarts, finance and IT manager: "We are still growing, but the stocks are going down." And the service level is still as good as ever.