|
|
NIEUWEGEIN and ATLANTA –
October 23, 2008
Donaldson Company Inc., (NYSE:DCI) the leading global manufacturer of filtration
systems and replacement parts, has implemented the Warehouse Management System
(WMS) of global supply chain optimisation provider Manhattan Associates (NASDAQ:
MANH) to support its new European Distribution Centre (EDC) in Bruges, Belgium.
With a long history of relying on third parties to fulfil customer orders across
Europe, Donaldson decided to in-source its distribution centre operations to
achieve more control over shipments and lead times, manage its operations more
efficiently and improve communications with customers.
Management selected a site in Bruges as the most suitable location for the
company’s new European Distribution Centre (EDC) and so set about the task of
converting a former industrial facility into a modern distribution centre in
just a short period of time, without compromising on lead-times or customer
service levels. The creation of a modern EDC was critically dependent on the
technological infrastructure that would support it, and so Donaldson selected
Manhattan Associates’ WMS.
Donaldson’s project team led the design, configuration and implementation, with
support provided by a project manager and consultant from Manhattan Associates.
This approach made it possible to convert the site into a state of the art EDC
in just seven months.
“Manhattan’s Warehouse Management System was easy to implement and has an easy
to use interface,” says Peter Gobel, DC manager at Donaldson’s Bruges facility.
“These attributes were critical since there was not much time to get the system
up and running.”
|
With the Manhattan WMS, the EDC operates with 25 percent fewer personnel than
was required under the outsourced arrangement, and goods are flowing through the
facility in less than half the time taken previously. Voice-directed picking
facilitated by the integration of Manhattan’s technology with Vocollect Voice®
has streamlined activities on the warehouse floor and made warehouse procedures
much clearer, resulting in fewer errors and improved productivity. After system
go-live, shipment accuracy increased to 99.8 percent.
“The mission of our EDC is to increase customer satisfaction through cost
effective distribution of Donaldson products,” says Jan Peeters, European
logistics manager. “Thanks to Manhattan Associates, we now have a supply chain
technology platform that has really helped us to achieve this objective.”
Steve Smith, senior vice president at Manhattan Associates commented, “We’re
confident our solutions will give Donaldson a clear competitive advantage in
their European fulfilment capability and are delighted to see they’ve already
achieved some impressive results with their new Manhattan-supported operation.
This is a great example of how it’s possible to meet both IT and
logistics-specific objectives while quickly delivering tangible business
benefits. We look forward to developing our relationship with Donaldson as the
company continues to grow.”
|
|
|
WANT TO MAXIMIZE
THE POWER
OF YOUR WORKFORCE?
In these tough times, industrial and logistics environments need to maximize workplace productivity and
safety to contain costs while satisfying customers. Increasingly, warehouse operators are discovering that hands-free devices are an effective solution to accomplish these goals.
|
|
|