FEATURE WAREHOUSING, HANDLING & STORAGE
Indigo WMS toasts success with new Loch Lomond Whiskies project
Loch Lomond Group, the company behind some of Scotland’s most highly regarded artisan whisky brands, has appointed Indigo Software to implement Indigo WMS warehouse management software and to more efficiently manage put away, picking and sales order processing within five of its bonded warehouses
F
ounded in 1814, Loch Lomond Whiskies can trace its roots back to
the Littlemill distillery, which was establised in 1772 and is thought to be one of the oldest in the world. Its current malt and grain distilleries, in Alexandria Dunbartonshire on the banks of Loch Lomond, were built in the 1960s and are among only a few in the industry to maintain an onsite cooperage. The malt distillery at Alexandria also feaures a unique combination of traditional swan neck and distinctive straight-necked pot stills, enabling it to produce a diverse range of flavour profiles. After experiencing a phase of sustained business growth and investment, following the company’s acquisition in 2014 by private equity group Exponent, Loch Lomond has transformed the scale of its business. The recent partnership with The Open Golf Championship means the distiller’s exciting range of single malts will become ‘The Spirit of The Open’ raising the profile of it’s innovative business on the international stage. Over the past few years the product
range has quadrupled in size and the company now stocks over 850 different SKUs of product varieties, which were shipped globally. This represents a huge shift from its commercial position just a few years earlier. Export markets have now grown tenfold and over 250 pallets of finished goods leave the Ayrshire site each day, for onwards distribution to customers. Loch Lomond Group’s investment in
Indigo WMS is seen as an essential part of the company’s transition to become a leading global whiskey producer. Implementing a warehouse management system will allow the company to
24 JUNE 2018 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT
automate the management of incoming raw materials and finished goods, plus improve sales order processing. Tony Brewerton, plant director at Loch
Lomond Group, says: “Our growth means we have effectively outgrown the original processes that served us so well for many years. It’s a good problem to have because it demonstrates how we have progressed our brand visibility and volume. Implementing Indigo WMS will allow us to make finished goods put away much more efficient and ensure we are achieving a higher proportion of ‘on time in full’ (OTIF) shipped pallets, which is critical for customer satisfaction.”
MAINTAINING RECORDS Traceability is another important consideration for Loch Lomond, to maintain accurate product records and guard against counterfeited goods. Each bottle produced has a unique lot code identifier denoting the line, date and time of production. Indigo WMS is supporting this process by capturing lot code information at the goods inwards stage and tracing it right through to the end customer. This enables Loch Lomond to verify the product authenticity and demonstrate that the duty has been paid. Due to the distribution of Loch
Lomond’s warehousing facilities across multiple warehouses, implementing a Wi-Fi network to support real-time warehouse management was deemed to be cost prohibitive. Instead, Indigo has specified mobile devices capable of using the GSM cellular network to enable the company to gain all all the benefits of mobile working, at a reduced cost. Once implemented Indigo WMS will also be
Above: The Loch Lomond whisky range
integrated with Loch Lomond’s JD Edwards ERP solution. Eric Carter, solutions architect at
Indigo Software says: “We frequently encounter situations where an artisan food and drinks manufacturer is migrating from paper based systems and introducing a WMS as their first level of automation. In these cases, adding wi-fi into a legacy site can be very expensive and it’s not always a necessity as this project demonstrates.”
Below: Loch Lomond
Indigo
www.indigo.co.uk T: 0191 375 6700
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