A mail item picked, packed and labeled ready for dispatch in 30 seconds? In the beginning, we thought this was utopian! Since 2012, we have been processing orders in such a way that invoices and shipping labels were printed separately from the warehouse and goods were then collected using this paperwork. The employees then assigned the collected goods to the orders and started packing them. Then we switched to JTL-WMS and for our small parts shipping, which usually only consists of 1 – 2 small parts, to rolling order preparation and a special pick cart with 48 shipping boxes. That was already a big step forward.
But with the mobile packing table (now: Pick&Pack) from JTL, the process is now much more convenient and twice as fast! Deliverable shipments arrive at Pick&Pack immediately, are scanned, picked, packed and printed individually directly at the shelf. On the second day, one of our employees had already completed over 160 consignments in just 2 ½ hours. All without any preparatory work in the office or having to pick and scan again in advance.
Growing with JTL
First of all, a little about our development with JTL: Since 2011, our young company has grown strongly with the trade of smartphone accessories, batteries and home electronics. Our JTL-Wawi hosted by JTL (with a few workstations) has already helped us a lot. When we moved to a new shipping warehouse at the beginning of the year, it was clear to us that we also wanted to use JTL-WMS. A call to JTL, in which we described our situation, confirmed our decision to have this step supported by a service partner with a lot of WMS experience. During the introductory consultation, all our processes were discussed, storage zones were defined according to the type of items we had, the ideal structure and location of our packing stations were planned and the picking processes were defined. This then resulted in plans for how we should rearrange and reorganize the warehouse, how the carpenter should set up the packing stations and, above all, what we should change in our items for the WMS warehouses. Parallel to our tasks, OBME prepared all the hardware, starting with the WLAN network, the complete packing stations and the mobile units.
Like the big players with JTL-WMS
After our accompanied changeover to JTL-WMS (still with version 0.9.9.923, where the service partner took over the helm for two days, set up the hardware and kept our staff busy with labeling the storage locations and assisted with the inventory), we were able to start shipping with JTL-WMS on the third day and save ourselves all the time-consuming steps in advance. All logisticians were integrated, the labels all came out of the printers as they should and our pick trolleys were retrofitted with tablet holders and tablets with scanners. After the changeover, our small parts were picked quickly and safely from an optimized storage area using rolling order preparation with a special pick cart with 48 boxes. The first shipping day was also accompanied in order to provide the employees with assistance where necessary and to refine the system for the routes and pick lists.
Hot for JTL-Wawi 1.0
Three weeks ago, we received the listing to introduce the mobile packing table (now: Pick&Pack) to our company. Our service partner had already carried out update tests in his cloud with a backup of our Wawi data in advance, so we could expect a smooth transition to version 62 of the beta.
The update to version 0.9.9.962 was carried out and regular operations with the new Wawi could be resumed after just two hours. In a subsequent two-hour training session, in which all employees at the various locations took part via TeamViewer, the changes relevant to us were explained to us. Minor problems that arose due to the beta during this time were quickly localized and eliminated. There are already a few very useful new things in 1.0, which we are using in turn. The new warehouse areas in JTL-WMS were adapted by the service partner to our warehouse, which was already set up for this purpose, thus improving putaway and picking once again.
Since we trade a lot on Amazon and eBay and JTL-Wawi 1.0 includes functions such as pausing listings on eBay or the Amazon Lister, we were already on pins and needles with regard to the update. Another goal of OBME was to be able to pack the items directly at the storage location and thus skip a process step. This should be feasible due to our items and shipping method. At a preliminary meeting in April, OBME presented us with a prototype of the mobile packing table as an additional picking process for our very small parts that we send by post. We knew from preliminary discussions with our service partner that JTL was working on its own module for this type of mobile packing table in parallel with the development of the prototypes, but it was not yet clear which version of the Wawi this would come with. With the changeover to the new Wawi, our mobile packing table (now: Pick&Pack) was set up.
The mobile packing table (now: Pick&Pack)
A console on which all the technology is mounted was screwed onto one of our old pick trolleys and integrated into the system in just 10 minutes. We then created a pick list template with the zone and the restrictions for which it is to be used, and the whole thing was ready. The employee was trained in 5 minutes and had already reached a very high speed after a few shipments. The pick list was created so that Pick&Pack picks all the relevant consignments from the storage zone, which is just 10 meters long. It is therefore moved very little. We are now improving the whole thing a little with unwinding devices for stickers and are looking forward to the next visit from our service partner. Then the new Internetmarke (Internet postage) will be printed on the label at the same time. Then I can’t get the grin off my face.
30 to 50 seconds for a shipment of a parts list/item – that’s pretty crazy, as you can see in the video that was filmed on the day of the launch:
1.3 cents / parcel for almost double the frequency
I won’t give up my mobile packing table (now: Pick&Pack), even if the purchase price of around €2,500 isn’t exactly a bargain. But if I do the math on the basis of an estimated hardware service life of 2 years in warehouse use, I have invested just 1.3 cents per package to double the frequency of our small parts that an employee can pack in the same time. Compared to the hourly wage, that’s a real bargain and we Swabians like that.
Hardware for Pick&Pack
The mobile printers, with which we can also very easily and quickly switch from address labels to the large shipping labels (Liporellos), and the tablets and handheld scanners are not cheap to buy. The printer can be replaced immediately in an emergency without a long plug’n’play delivery time, the Windows tablet must have a long service life and at least an 11.8 inch display and the console on which everything is variably attached with ball-and-socket joints. The box in which all charging cables are housed with a main cable to be connected is also designed for storage operation and is correspondingly stable.
Workflow with Pick&Pack for small parts
During operation, we achieve delivery times of less than an hour after receipt of the order – without order backlogs – e.g. at Amazon, as the order is immediately sent to the packing table and the JTL-Worker immediately reports the outcome of the delivery to Amazon by pressing the “Send” button.
Roughly speaking, this investment pays off for us after just 4 months due to the savings in working time and the short response time.
We also use this mobile WMS station, which can do everything a normal WMS can do, to create new items in the incoming goods department, where we can not only scan, but also print the necessary labels directly on site.
Pick&Pack for direct shipping of large parts
We can also use the same console without conversion when expanding our listing for larger items by simply attaching the console to a DHL/DPD packing trolley and printing the labels directly from the storage location or pallet, for example, and picking and sending them to the shipping trolleys without having to go via the packing table.
Conclusion
All in all, with the supervised introduction of JTL-WMS and the mobile packing table (now: Pick&Pack), we have not only more than tripled our frequency, but we also no longer have any significant missing shipments and much less work in the office. We can now concentrate on purchasing new products and sales via the platforms and customer communication. The rest runs itself. If something goes wrong with the hardware, it is corrected via remote maintenance or, as in the case of a scanner, simply replaced quickly.
Many thanks to the JTL and OBME team for their support during the introduction of JTL-WMS, the conversion to JTL-Wawi 1.0 and, above all, the mobile packing table (now: Pick&Pack) as a very useful addition.
Sasa Petrovic
Managing Director DE Company
