Flostream Ltd has been providing smart logistic and mailing services to a diverse customer base for over 25 years. With many consumers opting to shop online the Berkshire-based Flostream has enjoyed a 20% increase in e-commerce customers last year alone.
Flostream provide 3PL storage and value-added services for many big-name clients choosing LocateIT WMS from Clydebuilt Business Solutions Ltd to provide total warehouse control, from Goods In through pick and pack, and Despatch.
The Earlier Days
Spanning 25 years in the business, Flostream was no stranger to responding to customer demands, always presenting innovative solutions to their logistics clients. When a potential new contract worth £1/2m pounds was on the horizon they decided to replace their in-house system with a more suitable warehouse management system. The company met with 3 vendors, had 3 systems presented to them, and after careful consideration invested in LocateIT WMS from Clydebuilt Business Solutions Ltd.
During the initial meetings it was clear to Flostream that UK-based Clydebuilt had a system that would cater for their new contract requirements, plus more. At the start, four main areas were looking to be addressed and LocateIT ticked all of the boxes.
It was felt that more structure could be added to the put away process, so a scanning solution was the preferred choice. Flostream were looking to eliminate human input and potential errors in the pick to pack and the innovative mobile scanning solution addressed this too. A good reporting facility for their customer's was a must; the ability to automate billing and cut costs internally was also a serious contributing factor.
The Solution
And so it was. Upon securing the new lucrative deal Flostream had to provide a working WMS that would integrate fully with their new customers e-commerce based system. LocateIT Warehouse Management System was implemented within the warehouse, providing a communications application that facilitates the automated electronic communication of Purchase and Sales Orders from the client.
Customers who place orders on the web are notified in real time if the item is in stock, and once the order has been placed a message is automatically sent to LocateIT with a Despatch request. This helps streamline order processing and removes any possibility of administrative delay or error; with all events following the order being places happening automatically. The customer is notified of stock levels periodically via an automated email stock report.
A clever streamlined process that creates all the correct labels for all relevant orders on one simple scan has revolutionised the pick to pack process from Clydebuilt while Dee Kaur and Raj Singh from Flostream worked together to define the exact requirements of the customer. Their existing work flow is matched and enhanced, and the whole e-fulfilment process is fast, efficient and accurate. The new solution also has specific facility available for different courier and label requirements, providing a well-rounded e-commerce service for specific delivery environments.
LocateIT warehouse management system provides excellent warehouse management capabilities, including the ability to effectively monitor and keep track of various criteria such as Lot/Batch, ISBN, BBE date, etc.
User Experiences
Warehouse staff are delighted with the implementation so far. The system has undoubtedly given them better control of stock and they are now able to answer customer queries quickly and easily. Operationally it is estimated that the integration with the company's main client reduces time by over 70% of the time it would otherwise take, and the system has replaced the overheads of two people who were working solely on administration and order entry. Flostream is delighted to be able to deploy staff elsewhere in the business, as this helps productivity flow within the whole business.
Looking Forward
Along with the core database and integration with their main customer, Flostream will also utilise the Order Manager application from Clydebuilt Business Solutions. Order Manager will allow staff to create and work with batches of orders, updating all of the orders within a batch at the same time. This will also have the capability to the possibility to update customers system via a transaction on the FTP site. Another handy addition to the software portfolio is ReportIT, an online portal that is used to give Flostream customers direct access to stock information over the web. The reports are easily customised and are available in easy to read formats.
Summing up the installation, Dee from Flostream says, "By using our new in-house LocateIT software this has not only increased our productivity as a company but helped us as a business tender for new contracts and securing new business offering our customers a total solution from web ordering to despatch"
Almost half of Flostream customers are in the e-commerce industry, and on line shopping in general increased by a whopping 62% last year. This trend doesn't look like it will be bucking any time soon, and Flostream is safe in the knowledge that it has the infrastructure and know-how to deal with varying customer demands.
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