Clover streamlines logistics with Progress-based StarTrak system

Clover has implemented a warehouse management system developed by Progress independent software vendor StarTrak Systems. The dairy giant needed to install the application at its Cape Town warehouse to assist with receiving and dispatching stock accurately and speedily.

"Clover needs to pick stock quickly and have it ready for dispatch within a 14-hour window," says Debra Baleta, warehouse manager at Clover`s Cape Coastal division. "Because our products have short-term expiry dates, if stock is not ready for collection well before its sell-by date, it will be wasted."

Baleta says the implementation of the warehouse management system was initially tough. "Training our employees and getting them to change their way of thinking was a lot more difficult than we anticipated. However, after seven months following the `go live` date, everyone had adapted to the system and the depot is reaping benefits from the installation."

StarTrak has enabled significant improvements to Clover`s warehouse and distribution departments, streamlining processes such as primary receiving and route planning, by eliminating the duplication of work on both systems.

This has yielded several benefits for the company, one of which is a radical reduction in overtime costs. In addition, the system has empowered staff and therefore decreased the need for constant supervision.

"Staff are acting independently within the framework of the warehouse management system; this goes a long way in getting the job done on time and in full as required by our line of business demands," says Baleta.

Because our warehouse management system has been developed in the Progress environment, Clover is assured of a solution that is built on highly flexible, open technology," says Sheleen Long, joint owner of StarTrak Systems. "As a Progress partner, StarTrak is committed to customer-focused solutions that deliver competitive advantage and healthy ROI."

StarTrak`s warehouse management system, which interfaces with Clover`s account application, Bpix/IDS - a custom-built in-house application, enables Clover`s users to perform warehouse stock takes and to make adjustments to locations as required. This integration allows data to pass between the systems, so that the inventory (accounting) system and the physical (warehouse) system appear seamless to the user.

Using handheld terminals, users can count a list of locations at stocktaking time, based on selected criteria. Once the stocktaking has taken place, the warehouse management system will compare the collected data with that in the database and produce a list of discrepancies. This takes place as the stock transfers are performed, and a history of locations can be kept and queried by both location and product. The application gives Clover a full history of the stock that comes in and who handled it. Management uses the system to monitor people productivity and stock control.

"When we received a request for a warehouse management system from our Bellville operation, the appeal was for a solid basic system that worked, a foundation on which to build a robust solution," Baleta says. "We investigated a number of options and found that StarTrak`s was the right one for us, as it was both affordable and completely customisable to our requirements."

Baleta says the thinking was that once the basics were installed, the bells and whistles, such as productivity reports, and FEFO/LELO (first-expiry, first out, last-expiry last out) picking, could be added later. "The StarTrak implementation achieved all this, and we have incorporated both the receiving and agent picking functions to the system," she adds.

The system is user-friendly and modular, with both GUI and character user interfaces. Floor staff at the warehouse are using handheld terminals with a character interface, while managers have a GUI front-end to enable them to deal with queries and produce reports and graphs.

StarTrak has met Clover`s expectations, says Baleta. "It has proved to be flexible and has been modified to suit our ever-changing requirements. Picking and loading functions have settled in nicely, and although we do not have 100% proof of load, our reported truck shortages have dropped drastically. Cape Town`s credit note lines, as a percentage of invoice lines, is one of the lowest of all Clover branches nationally. StarTrak has made a tangible difference to our logistics operation and I believe we have yet to fully develop the potential of the system."

StarTrak`s Long says the Progress database provides the maximum protection against database or disk corruption. "Daily backups of the database file and the Progress after-image file allow recovery of the database up to the last committed transaction, depending on the nature of the failure."

"Because StarTrak is a local software developer, Clover`s access to support and maintenance is guaranteed and far more cost-effective than if the product had been developed overseas," says Rick Parry, MD of Progress Software SA. "This is a major benefit for any local company seeking to implement quality software built on a robust backbone at South African prices."