As a distributor for car spare parts established in 1922, Doyen Auto chose the a-SIS' LM7® solution to equip its warehouses in Seneffe (Belgium) and Toulouse (France).
Context
Activity and organisation
Doyen Auto is a Belgian company specialized in the sale of car spare parts for repair and maintenance (brakes, suspension, exhaust pipes, etc.) and present in France and in the Benelux countries. With 210 employees it has a turnover of 80 million Euros.
One hundred employees work at the two warehouses: one in Seneffe in Belgium was created in 1998 and ensures distribution for the Benelux countries and Northern France; the other was created 2005 in Toulouse and covers the south of France.
Priority : return on investment
In 2004, Doyen Auto chose to invest in a complete WMS with fast ROI to optimize the warehouse in Seneffe and to equip the new warehouse in Toulouse. This profitability focused on two points: the improvement of mapping to reduce the non-productive operator journey time and to speed up the internal stock movements and the replenishment of the picking area, and the increase of the stock location filling rate.
Choosing LM7®
The management of different storage areas also had to take into account: one area for slow moving parts with more than 7000 references, one area for fast and average moving parts (pallets and cabinets), one area for homogenous pallets and one area for bulk and multi-reference pallets. The WMS should also allow the real time control of picking on the mechanised conveyor at both warehouses.
After an invitation to tender, Doyen Auto chose LM7® as it was perfectly suited to its activity and to the defined objectives.
Significant benefits thanks to LM7®
Flexibility et adaptability
So numerous specific activity constraints could be integrated into the solution: the fast timing of the picking (end of order reception between 5.30 pm and 6 pm for truck departure between 6 pm and 10 pm), the different picking modes, stock control with more than 60000 references, the management of a return rate of 5%.
The implementation of a dynamic picking strategy
LM7®'s wide range of functions ensured high flexibility in the definition of the location models and the configuration of storage profiles depending on the regions and the dimensions of these cells.
LM7® assigned different storage methods depending on the range, the volume and the rotation rate of the product.
This basic reflection about slotting resulted in the creation of fixed picking cells(pallets and cabinets) and dynamic picking (according to several storage profiles). So the parts are not necessarily stored at fixed locations but placed according to the first free location.
Christian Celis, logistic director at the site in Seneffe : « LM® allowed a significant increase in storage capacity: from 47 000 to 63 000 products in 15 months with a minimum investment: just the separators ».
Reorganisation at several levels
The way returns are processed was also modified: after checking, the parts are directly stored in the picking area and picked as a priority.
The integration of voice picking tools in the picking area resulted in a significant improvement in productivity and picking quality.
Other advantages of LM7® : the simplified parameter setup of the product records and a consolidation check of the different elements, bulk and split case boxes which make up the the orders.
Numerous benefits
Since the installation of LM7®, Doyen Auto has observed an increase in storage and picking capacities. The number of errors was divided by 3 and the applied processes ensured a service rate close to 100% for the parts stored in the warehouse. Furthermore, compacting in the reserve area was stopped and the movements to replenishment and storage were reduced.
The return on investment was less than 18 months.
In the field of the distribution of spare parts, Doyen Auto is more than ever a reference for its service quality and its dynamic deliveries. |
