Miebach Consulting is supporting the s.Oliver Group in this strategic project and is responsible for the detailed planning and implementation of the logistics center, including construction controlling of the building construction, tenant fit-out, intralogistics, IT (WMS and WCS implementation) and start-up management. Miebach Consulting uses state-of-the-art simulation and emulation techniques during implementation, which significantly reduces the effort and duration of the test phases, among other things. "Well-organized logistics is a key success factor in order to satisfy our customers in the best possible way and gain further market share. This requires short distances, efficient processes and the latest technologies in order to be fit for the future. With the new concept, we are meeting these requirements and at the same time setting the course for further growth as part of our internationalization and e-commerce strategy," - says Oliver Hein, Chief Operating Officer of the s.Oliver Group.

Flexible logistics solution meets omnichannel requirements

The s.Oliver Service Center is being created with an omnichannel objective" - says Ole Grasedyck, Principal, Miebach Consulting and PMO in the Service Center project. "The digital transformation, changing customer requirements and, last but not least, the acceleration of e-commerce due to the coronavirus pandemic require high-performance and extremely agile logistics in order to be able to process changing demand volumes and order sizes quickly and efficiently across all channels. The logistics center was designed accordingly."

The Logistics Service Center covers the entire logistics handling of the B2C business, including delivery to e-commerce customers, VAS activities and subsequent returns processing. For the B2B area, the entire reorder process and the delivery of self-managed areas, including floor-ready merchandise, is integrated into the Service Center.

As part of the concept planning, the optimum level for s.Oliver was selected from various automation levels. Manual storage for hanging and flat-packed goods is linked to the upstream and downstream processes via automated transports. An automatic buffer for returns enables prompt availability for the resale of goods and a pocket sorter system consolidates the orders according to customer specifications and supplies the packaging workstations evenly.

As a result of the planned concept, not only is the ability to deliver ensured, but an increased delivery service level is realized through same-day shipping for orders placed by 3 pm.

Comprehensive project and change management as essential building blocks for success

Dennis Prandl, Overall Project Manager and Director Global Logistics Service Center s.Oliver Group, says: "The relevance of the project for the company's success and the tight timeline for implementation require a strong large-scale project organization with a large number of internal and external participants and interface partners. The holistic consulting service from planning to implementation as well as the extensive experience in intralogistics projects convinced us to choose Miebach Consulting as our consulting partner." Miebach supports the s.Oliver Group accordingly with its supply chain engineering expertise at all levels, with extensive experience in comparable large-scale projects in the fashion industry and a holistic project management approach with PMO and change management organization.