Expansion food for thought from WMS productivity upsurge

Specialist temperature-controlled 3PL provider, Moran Logistics, has seen its production output ramp-up eight-fold after switching to the cloud-based SnapFulfil WMS, which was one of hundreds of products on display at IntraLogisteX over the past two days.

Moran’s 100,000ft2 Castle Donington HQ in Derbyshire is central to its nine-site multi-drop and trunking network and required a WMS solution that could maximise operational proficiency and traceability in what is a health and safety- and security-driven sector.

With one of Moran’s key customers being a leading short shelf-life product manufacturer, supplying the majority share of branded and own label FMCG goods to the major supermarket chains, the solution also needed to be flexible and configurable and able to factor in the likes of retailer-specific EDI, as well as picking in rotation, re-pack solutions and reverse logistics.

A large replica database is also facilitating much greater efficiency in terms of picking performance and reporting, while historic productivity data has proved vital in managing ongoing labour and resource shortages.

What’s more, the rapid implementation process of just three weeks was aided by specific modifications around labels and printers, workflows and processes, while a bespoke JavaScript converts data with minimal import work for the client. Immediately stock from previous warehouses utilised by the key customer moved seamlessly into Moran Logistics, via RF guns, to begin tracking the likes of expiry dates, shelf life, putaways and targeted ordering.

“The SnapFulfil team did a fantastic and proactive job, especially because of the rush we put on this and the short notice on go live.  We relied heavily on their knowledge and experience to make it all come together,” said Mark Burrell, Managing Diretcor, Moran Logistics.

“SnapFulfil WMS is highly configurable and able to handle and automate the many parameters and anomalies of our fast-moving environment, such as varied SKU and product dating, no split pallets and dynamic pick slots to replace out-of-date items with fresh product, which removes risk.

“The system is constantly evolving, so we’re learning more about SnapFulfil’s functionality every day, and that in turn makes us more efficient and able to bring extra benefits to the best quality and market leading service we offer.

SnapFulfil’s capacity to scale with Moran Logistics and be extremely flexible to meet all of the ongoing and future demands of the business, lends itself to a quick succession of multiple site facility rollouts. The 60,000ft2 Leeds DC is primed to go live, with Heywood in Manchester (70,000ft2) to follow – and up to three new locations in the next few years, all powered by SnapFulfil WMS.

Moran Logistics will also be taking advantage of the multiple billing functionality for 3PLs and bespoke enhanced portal visibility, plus further integration of WMS and TMS software, so that haulier activity and loading is also automated via SnapFulfil.