The flexibility of Infor SCM Warehouse Management gives QVC better performance and lower costs

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QVC chooses Infor SCM Warehouse Management because of its sophisticated capabilities and user-friendly interface.
 
A commanding 59 percent market share makes QVC (Quality, Value, Convenience) one of Germany's leading teleshopping companies. QVC markets a wide range of high quality, branded products in the household, fashion, jewellery, and cosmetics categories. The network sells its full range of products through live telecasts, 24 hours a day, originating from its Rhein Studios in Dsseldorf. More that 37 million households in the German speaking world have access to QVC via cable and satellite. QVC established its own online e-commerce site in 2002 at www.qvc.de broadening its reach even further.
 
To effectively fulfil orders from a product line containing more than 18,000 line items, QVC Germany created one of the most modern distribution centres in Europe on a 120,000 square meter site in 2002. In the spring of 2006, QVC announced an additional expansion of its logistic base at Hckelhoven, which now employs more than 1,000 people. Every day QVC offers a different article at a special price. This generates peaks in demand at short notice, which creates a new inventory management challenge every day. For effective and efficient order picking with as little movement as possible, QVC needs maximum flexibility in the way it assigns storage bins.
 
To manage the distribution centre, QVC chose Infor SCM Warehouse Management because of its sophisticated capabilities and user-friendly interface. The solution processes warehouse orders and coordinates order picking and fulfilment. It also supports inventory reassignments and adjustments, product tracking by means of manifests, the generation of master loading lists and barcode labels, physical stock taking, and inventory balance checking. The systems shipping functions include automatic shipping order generation, order scheduling and rescheduling, as well as multiple orders. Due to its flexibility, the solution can process unforeseen or exceptional activities on the loading ramp with no loss of time or data. Infor SCM Warehouse
 
Management went live with an Oracle database running on UNIX when the QVC distribution centre opened. The solution integrates seamlessly with the company's host system and with existing systems from other providers. The automatic warehouse management system currently handles as many as 68,500 pallets. Eighteen automatic aisle stackers run between the rack walls. The system takes care of stock placement and removal at speeds of up to 35 kilometres per hour. In small parts storage, ten cranes serve 28 levels with 66,000 trays and 20 rows of racks per level.
 
All inbound goods at QVC Germany receive a barcode. Most articles move in pallet or box loads to the automated storage retrieval system, however some require special storage procedures and processing. Mobile radio frequency data transmission units control storage and order picking. After scanning article barcodes, Infor SCM Warehouse Management automatically calculates the optimum storage bin distribution and organizes transportation to the corresponding areas via carousel conveyor belts.The system controls the conveyor belts by generating transport jobs and automatically relaying those jobs to the material flow system. The conveyor belts also transfer articles from storage following a "goods to man" order picking pattern that makes paper forms unnecessary. In another warehouse area, items are picked from 30,000 storage bins under the control of radio frequency data transmission.
 
Frequently requested articles are retrieved from pallets and flow-through racks in the modular "pickby- light" system. The retrieved articles then travel via the conveyor belt to the packaging stations where they are packed in one or more parcels. As a result of installing Infor SCM Warehouse Management, QVC fills orders fasterwith significant improvements in inventory performance, higher order accuracy and lower warehousing costs. This adaptable system manages all warehouse related processes in a way that increases efficiency, optimizes the use of available space, reduces errors, and improves order reliability. The systems flexibility allows QVC to adjust quickly to changing requirements. The robust architecture of Infor SCM Warehouse Management will be an important factor in the company's continued growth.
 
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