Overview
A leading American beverage firm faced operational challenges in their warehouse, from limited space and manpower to complexities in managing higher volumes of order processing. They decided to make a strategic shift to robotics and process automation to address these challenges.
They selected HCLTech as a strategic partner for their operations management and supplier relations objectives to address the above-mentioned challenges. The partnership resulted in an optimized logistics process and significant cost efficiencies, and it provided them with a competitive edge to enhance customer relations. Our solution helped them achieve significant milestones:
Pallet movements per hour
Outbound trucks per day
Pallets per hour – tram inbound
Pallet rack
The Challenge
Overcoming barriers to efficient distribution
The company faced significant challenges in making its distribution efficient and error-free. The process was hindered by:
- Limitations in handling larger volumes during the expansion of new manufacturing lines
- Errors in pallet handling due to human errors
- Challenges in labor availability
- High attrition leading to gaps in productivity
The Objective
Reduce dependence on human labor
Our client was looking for a trusted partner with domain expertise in robotics and knowledge about their IT environment to automate a significant portion of their warehouse operations. The business needed to streamline logistics and speed up the lifting and moving of pallets from manufacturing to distribution. The other requirements were to address challenges related to human availability (including union challenges) and the fragile climate conditions on the east coast during winter.
The Solution
Automation of warehouse operations
HCLTech implemented our solution in three areas: IT, engineering and infrastructure. The advanced solution enhanced our client’s warehouse operations through:
- Extended inbound and outbound processes in SAP EWM and ECC to integrate with the Electric80 solution, enabling LGVs and automated conveyors to perform picking and put away tasks without manual intervention
- Established communication between EWM and LGV through Mulesoft for real-time updates on operations
- Incorporated custom dashboards that provided complete visibility into the document flow of every activity
- Implemented ten layers of testing to ensure minimal business interruption
- New APs installed and surveys conducted to ensure wireless network coverage for the new areas/li>
The Impact
Optimized logistics and cost efficiency
HCLTech developed and implemented a best-in-class solution combining multiple efforts that elevated production efficiency and optimized shipping and receiving operations for our client. The automated system not only made manufacturing capacity and inbounds flexible but also enhanced safety, scalability, speed and precision.
By implementing the latest technology, HCLTech made the operations error-proof and helped our client gain a competitive edge in addressing existing customers and acquiring new ones.
By strategically leveraging our industry knowledge and technology experience, we transformed their operational bottlenecks into opportunities for cost efficiency, accuracy and quality improvement. HCLTech's demonstrated experience in tailoring such solutions presents a compelling pathway for other businesses to achieve their topline and bottom-line growth objectives, as we can replicate this implementation model to align with any specific industry needs and operational challenges.
