Success Stories

For years, distributors have been fighting a war in their warehouses. Struggling with the daily task of knowing what's in stock, what's dedicated to which order, what's on its way in, and what's on its way out, distributors needed a solution that would add control to these processes and improve operational efficiencies, while automating the manual, paper-intensive warehouse activities.

A fully integrated offering developed specifically for Activant Prophet 21™, the Wireless Warehouse Management Solution (WWMS) is their answer. An extensive warehouse management solution, the WWMS uses wireless hand-held devices to streamline all of your warehousing functions, including receiving, picking, put-away, cycle counting, and inventory operations and adjustments.

For evidence, look no further than NorthWest Electrical Supply. A family-owned business based in Mt. Prospect, IL, NorthWest Electrical has served the lighting and electrical needs of the greater Chicago area for over 50 years.

To keep things running smoothly for the next half-century, NorthWest Electrical enlisted the help of the WWMS. "We chose the WWMS because it could help us control our growing inventory and reduce the need to use paperwork as our primary accounting record, which led to improved customer service and the elimination of some of our manual filing systems," says Lynn Carlson, NorthWest Electrical's CFO.

Simplifying the Routine

Thomas C. Reindl, NorthWest Electrical's implementation manager, illustrates the impact the WWMS has made at NorthWest Electrical by examining the role the solution plays in the inventory control process. With its ability to communicate stock levels to Prophet 21, the WWMS allows the staff at NorthWest Electrical to stay on top of what's moving in and out, the rate at which stock is consumed, and react accordingly.

"The WWMS keeps us on top of our inventory counts, so our sales force and purchasing agents can better rely on the system's inventory levels," explains Reindl. "Having real time inventory updates to our database has also helped us increase the turnover on manufacturer returns and defective items."

Because the WWMS simplifies daily warehouse tasks, NorthWest Electrical has made their warehouse a more efficient place and added a sense of continuity to their operations. "The solution has allowed us to streamline our warehouse operations beyond simple picking and inventory counting," says Reindl. "It standardizes tasks like order processing, transfers, receipts, RMA's, and cancellations, so we've been able to streamline many of our warehouse operations.

"Keeping these operations standardized has allowed us to greatly improve the effectiveness of our warehouse employees," he adds. "Because of the WWMS, any warehouse inaccuracies due to lack of knowledge have been reduced, allowing us to remain productive as new employees learn the ropes."

With functionality designed to make life in the warehouse a bit easier, the WWMS increases the accuracy, control, precision, and monitoring capability for each order processed, while reducing the time and costs associated with traditional warehouse management. And, with more than 60 users currently running the solution, and more going live each month, the time has never been better to experience the benefits of the WWMS firsthand.

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