With more than 30,000 B2B customers and a product range comprising around 60,000 items, the Falk & Ross Group is one of the leading wholesalers of promotional textiles such as T-shirts, jackets, bags, caps, scarves and gloves as well as workwear and sportswear. It represents 50 well-known brands, including Fruit of the Loom, Russell, Gildan and B&C.

The availability of goods and short delivery times are ensured by logistics infrastructures in Germany (Sembach), Spain (Celrà), the UK (Wednesbury) and Poland (Krakow). Around one million orders are processed annually via these four central distribution hubs and are usually delivered within 24 hours.

Focus on further improving delivery quality
Falk & Ross primarily supplies customers from the B2B sector based in Spain, France and Italy via the logistics center in Celrà, Catalonia, which has been in use since 2015. The building complex comprises several halls in addition to incoming and outgoing goods. Three are equipped with shelving racks and two others are designed as high-bay warehouses with a total of around 70,000 storage spaces. In the high-bay warehouses, the so-called "sky area", order picking is carried out with the support of narrow-aisle forklift trucks. The system is completed by so-called reserve halls in which pallet goods are stored.

With the aim of making order processing more efficient across the board and taking new market requirements into account, the company converted its outdated CTL-based (CTL = Clover Transformation Language) warehouse management solution pL-Store to a new version of the software in August 2018.

"This jointly mastered migration project is practically another milestone in our long-standing partnership with Falk & Ross," reports Jörg Sänger, Managing Director of the Dortmund-based intralogistics system house proLogistik. "The warehouse management system has proven itself, but in view of the increased requirements in mail order logistics, an update to a new Java-based version of pL-Store was necessary"

Software as a core element of a cross-location strategy
The changeover was also part of an internal Group strategy to roll out the current application, which was first introduced at the subsidiary BTC Activewear Limited at the Wednesbury site in 2015, to the other sites in Europe. "Comprehensively standardized software for warehouse management and material flow control prevents system disruptions, creates transparency and enables a reliable flow of information," explains Tobias Brügmann, Head of Logistic Systems at the Falk & Ross Group. "The particular advantage of pL-Store, however, is that the software already includes a large number of relevant functions for mail order logistics as standard." This also saves valuable time, as only the required, company-specific WMS modules need to be integrated.

Mapping complex processes and mastering them operationally
Following the award of the contract at the beginning of 2018, the proLogistik development team adapted the standard software accordingly in close project coordination with Falk & Ross within just under five months. In addition to a multi-level organized goods receipt based on an ABC classification and an equally multi-level transport process, the requirements profile of multiple picking processes, both in the sky area and in the manually operated shelf and reserve warehouses as well as in the clarification area, also had to be taken into account. Special consideration was also given to "fast movers" and returns management. Optimized truck unloading and needs-based setup and order-related preparation of picking trolleys were also implemented. In addition, proLogistik has designed the WMS to be multilingual. As a result, the system can be operated by English, German, Spanish and Polish-speaking employees. In addition, systematic consolidation of customer orders is now also possible.

The hardware already in use did not require any further modifications, although the number of devices was increased. The employees are supported by barcode readers, which can be used to record all data relevant to order processing in real time on the move. Recording data on the spot increases flexibility and eliminates the need for subsequent stock reconciliation. In addition, devices from the "pro-V-pad Classic" series from proLogistik are used. These are on-board computers designed for use in harsh industrial and logistics environments. The terminals can also be used flexibly and have an impact-resistant plastic housing as well as a hardened and wear-free capacitive touch surface. In addition, the pro-V-pad has laminated safety glass.

Milestone in the context of many years of collaboration
"The replacement of the legacy system, which has been continuously expanded over the years and is therefore complex, offers many advantages at both an operational and strategic level," emphasizes Tobias Brügmann. "Order processing has been further accelerated and delivery quality has been further improved so that the goods reach the recipient even faster, as desired. This enables us to meet the demands of increasingly discerning customers in the B2B sector." A further rollout of the pL-Store-LVS from proLogistik is planned for 2019/2020 at the Falk & Ross headquarters in Sembach, Rhineland-Palatinate.