|
By Patrick Avenell
BRISBANE: Crest Electronics, an Australian supplier of Philips and Sony peripherals, has released figures concerning the accuracy of its new warehousing system. The results make for good reading for retailers, as the company’s new pick-to-light delivery system means that a retail outlet will get the products they requested quickly and with 99.7 per cent accuracy.
The new system cost over $2 million to install and became operational in late 2005. At that time, Crest employed 35 full time warehouse staff. The new system has allowed the supplier to cut this figure down to 12, improving the cost-efficiency at a similar rate to the efficiency of delivery.
According to Crest Electronics distribution manager Rainer Globke, the most recent distribution statistics show Crest as a trailblazer in retail efficiency.
“The new pick-pack-dispatch system means that any order received before 2pm will get to stores between Mackay and Sydney on the east coast the next day,” said Globke. “This of course depends on our delivery partner fulfilling their agreement with us”.
Globke continued to say that the Mackay to Sydney bracket represented around 50 per cent of all retail outlets, and that most remaining outlets should receive their orders within two days.
In terms of accuracy, of the 2.6 million units of stock Crest shipped in 2007, sent in 134,000 separate cartons, the supplier achieved 99.7 per cent box accuracy. For Crest, this represents enormous savings in redistribution and reduced unsold stock quantities.
For the retailer, it means that a salesperson can confidently give guarantees to its customers of when requested stock will be available for purchase. Additionally, it virtually eliminates the frustration caused by finding incorrect stock in a box and the unnecessary time wasted organising a second delivery.
|
