VOICE
technology
Success story
A healthier
picking option
A new HQ is delivering improved supply chain
performance for Blackmores, with the help of
Dematic’s PickDirector solution.
ver the past 70 “Bringing our operations back
The hands-free, eyes-free feature of
O
years, natural under the one roof will not only
Dematic Voice Picking is providing both
health supple - provide direct supply chain
productivity and operational health &
ments supplier savings in excess of $1 million
safety benefits over RF picking.
Blackmores per annum, it will also enable
has become one of the most us to significantly streamline which seamlessly interfaces flexibility to ensure efficient
trusted brands in Australia. The our supply chain and enhance with Blackmores’ host computer materials handling, storage and
company supports a customer productivity across the board,” system, JD Edwards’ Enterprise order fulfilment, even if Blackmores
base of more than 5000 health said Blackmores director of One. Blackmores’ chief technology distribution requirements were to
food stores, pharmacies, operations, Liz Burrows. She officer, Lee Richards, commented: change over time. We believed
supermarkets and health continued: “We have taken the “A key driver when we planned this was necessary because the
practitioners throughout the opportunity to install an additional the IT strategy for the Blackmores company’s SKU (stock keeping
country. It has also established production line in the new Campus was to identify and unit) profile has changed
strong export markets in the manufacturing facility, giving the eliminate potential points of considerably in recent years as
Australasian and SE Asian business a 20 per cent increase failure within our IT systems. a result of market growth and
regions over the past 20 years. in production capacity to support The broad-ranging functionality maturity. The trend towards
Fundamental to this growth has future growth, and Dematic has of Dematic’s PickDirector order larger pack sizes in high volume
been its commitment to good designed our new distribution management and control product categories such as fish
manufacturing practice and centre (DC) as a flow-through software has enabled us to do oil capsules, together with strong
supply chain innovation. facility. Raw materials feed so in the DC. With PickDirector growth in supermarket sales and
The company has recently through to production, and providing the interface for all of export markets, means that
consolidated its head office, finished goods back through to our DC technologies, we were Blackmores now processes a
manufacturing and distribution storage and distribution. Materials able to decommission a number much higher volume of full case
operations into a new campus at handling is optimised at all of servers, systems and interfaces, orders than it did just a few years
Warriewood in Sydney’s northern stages, and the DC has been which has allowed us to simplify ago. That’s why our DC design
beaches. The Blackmores equipped with the latest generation the DC’s IT systems architecture, provides a range of efficient
Campus brings the company’s of order picking technologies enhancing operational reliability strategies and technologies for
operations under one roof for the including smart conveyors, Voice and reducing our IT systems handling increasing quantities
first time in over 15 years. Strong Picking, RF and Pick-to-Light management requirements.” of full case goods, including the
growth had made it necessary systems. We have also been introduction of Voice Picking.”
for Blackmores to split its able to rationalise our distribution Dematic’s key account manager,
manufacturing and distribution IT systems with Dematic’s Soeren Schauki, added: “Our Split-case picking
operations across a number of PickDirector software.” integrated logistics solution gives
separate facilities. Bringing these Blackmores a set of tools with Blackmores typically processes
services together at the Seamless interface which it can handle, store, pick up to 500 customer orders per
Warriewood site, together with and despatch goods faster and day. All split-case products are
technology enhancements, will Dematic has integrated Blackmores’ more accurately now, and for picked from a pick module
result in new efficiencies and put-away and replenishment many years to come. Our DC comprising two aisles of carton
cost savings to the business. functions within PickDirector, systems incorporate a lot of live storage (CLS) and a small >>
52
MANUFACTURING
&LOGISTICSIT October 2009
www.logisticsit.com
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