Six locations combined

The Osnabrück-based family business Koch International has six logistics locations of its own within Germany as well as several rented properties. It currently stores around 7,000 stocked items from around 50 different goods owners in 70,000 storage spaces. Koch International's demands on itself as well as its broad range of services place requirements on warehouse management software - particularly in terms of flexibility and scaling.

Independence and more throughput

In March 2016, Koch International therefore commissioned Log5Group Engineers GmbH as general planner for the warehouse management software project. "The main objectives for the introduction of the new warehouse management system were simple expandability with regard to new goods owners and locations, increasing process reliability through increasing automation, shortening throughput times to increase throughput and increasing process transparency," says Detlef Kuhlmann from Log5Group Engineers. The choice therefore fell on the Prolag-World solution from CIM GmbH.

Independence for faster throughput

Cross-logistics center administration makes a significant contribution to the simplification and acceleration of warehouse processes and thus to the achievement of objectives. Only very few WMS providers can map this type of administration. "With the cross-location management of master data, for example the article or replenishment master of incoming and outgoing goods, we ensure significantly faster deliveries," explains Alexander Müller.

Koch International's various logistics locations are combined into a "virtual warehouse" in the system from the customer's perspective. If an item is not available at the main location, it will be sent directly to the customer from another location with immediate system support. In addition, a transparent overview of all warehouses is possible.

"Thanks to the professional collaboration and dynamic project management, we were able to achieve all of the stated goals."

Detlef Kuhlmann, Log5Group Engineers

Another challenge in the implementation of the project was the so-called display construction. Among other things, Koch International supplies complete displays with fruit juices. The displays are assembled on site in Osnabrück. "Previously, we picked all individual parts and articles to order by hand, outsourced them and shipped them. Prolag-World now simplifies this," says Philipp Brengelmann, Project Manager Contract Logistics and Sales at Koch International.

This is because the displays are defined as so-called sets, which employees prepare on site using a fixed set list. All items are picked to the production site based on the stored set list and assembled there. The assembled displays are stored again as newly produced, ready-to-ship goods. The entire display assembly process - with the exception of picking and restocking - takes place without scanning. This significantly increases picking quality and speed.

The result of the collaboration

"Thanks to the professional collaboration and dynamic project management, we were able to achieve all of the above goals," summarizes Detlef Kuhlmann. Thanks to the modular structure of Prolag-World, Koch International can now also make extensive adjustments to the system independently. "For example, we commissioned a new customer completely on our own. And we were able to achieve delivery reliability almost without any start-up time and earlier than planned," says Philipp Brengelmann. This is exactly in line with the CIM philosophy: "We want to guarantee our customers flexibility through the introduction of the software," concludes Fritz Mayr, Managing Director of CIM GmbH.

www.cim.dewww.koch-international.de