SCANNING&WAREHOUSING 23
TRACKING SUPPLY CHAIN SUCCESS
Barcode, scanning and warehouse technologies are essential to supply chain processes that form the foundation of any retail proposition. Olivier Evain, Printronix category
manager for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, told Retail Technology the current challenges in these areas were two-fold: “To make sure that customers receive their products in time and intact and to maintain a real-time view of the changing levels of stock in accordance with supply and demand fl uctuations.” Evain said retailers can track a package from the warehouse, factory or depot, all the way to the customer, using barcoding technologies, as well as radio frequency identifi cation (RFID). “RFID technology also now appears to be selling itself as a unique standard, capable of meeting the
various demands of coordination, traceability, visibility, productivity and profi tability that retailers will need to meet demand,” he commented. “By deploying RFID and barcode labelling, goods can be tracked within the entire logistical chain, regardless of location or sector and can offer real-time product visibility, which can allow retailers to keep on top of supply and demand and make changes to their services where necessary.” In today’s world of multichannel retailing,
consumers now also expect visibility of deliveries, which is driving technological advancements in and beyond warehouse operations, according to Jacquie Boast, Kewill EMEA chief operating offi cer: “For retailers using EDI [electronic data interchange], it’s an all encompassing part of the trading environment, which over the years has
developed in to more advanced tools and web portals as retailers are continually looking to increase their sales channels, from the store to online, incorporating the latest craze of ‘click & collect’ as the online channel continues to fl ourish. “Nowadays, technology requirements are
closely linked with customer convenience, providing shipment visibility for not just the retailer but the consumer, using ‘track & trace’ technology. Wherever a product may reside in the supply chain, the consumer wants to know where it is and the estimated timescales in which it will be delivered. This is a complicated process and track and trace models are highly complicated systems,” added Boast. “Extension of EDI technology into full order management suites are also allowing retailers to expand sales channels and have access to a wider pool of stock.”
the UK Award for Excellence in Materials Handling Equipment and Technology. The award recognised the retailer’s 850,000 square foot, semi-automated national distribution centre (NDC), based in Magma Park, Milton Keynes (pictured) for its use of technology and the resulting operational improvements. The NDC underpins John Lewis’s multichannel strategy. Dino Rocos, John Lewis distribution
director, spoke exclusively to Retail Technology about the NDC development. “We are constantly striving to improve the service we offer to our customers,” he said. “For the
JOHN LEWIS WAREHOUSE WINS AWARD J
ohn Lewis Partnership and LCP Consulting recently won the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in
supply chain, this means improving availability by establishing the right footprint to continue the improvements we have made in providing better service to our shops and customers at a lower cost.” John Lewis selected supply chain and logistics consultancy, LCP Consulting, to work on a strategic review of its network and distribution development options. LCP developed volumetrics and material fl ows, while a number of specialist warehouse management and automation technologies, including Dematic, Vanderlande, Knapp and RedPrairie, were integrated into the design. Since then, Rocos said the NDC investment has increased to meet ever- growing demand from its e-commerce store, as well as new department store openings.
“It has been interesting to see how the
different [channel] solutions have developed to co-exist in Magna Park,” he added. “Our ‘click & collect’ service has increased its volumes 20% in a year. And the learnings are still coming through. We can see performance improve as we’ve changed the way we operate. For example, we know we can offer higher availability online by combining the stock online and in-branch and have been able to drive sales forward online by 10% as a result.”
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY
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