by Noelle Abarelli | Oct 12, 2022 | Uncategorized
Supply chain professionals like us spend most of our year meeting deadlines, solving problems, and looking for ways to improve our processes, it’s exhausting and rewarding work. And while making sure our clients get the help they need, when they need it is our top priority, we also pride ourselves in being active members of our community. That’s why this was our 5th year in a row participating in Gigi’s Playhouse’s annual golf fundraiser!
About Gigi’s Playhouse
Gigi’s Playhouse works to support individuals with Down Syndrome and their families from initial diagnosis on. They make a lifetime commitment to remain by their side, offering therapeutic-based programs, educational opportunities, career development, and more. The organization is 100% donation-run and all programs are offered free of charge. You can learn more and make a donation here.
Why Gigi’s Playhouse?
Down Syndrome is the most common chromosomal disability in the US, and yet it’s the most underfunded. That’s not ok with us, and we’ve dedicated ourselves to not only helping them but to spread the word too. We find multiple ways to volunteer and support Gigi’s every year, and one of our favorite activities is their annual golf fundraiser which took place on October 10, 2022.
This was our fifth year playing in the tournament hosted at Wynstone Private Golf Club in Barrington, OH. Many thanks to our customers and partners who joined us for this amazing event:
Alex O’Donnell (CTL)
Andrew Mironov (Ecentria)
Bob Moran (First Logistics)
Brandon Novak (CSI)
Dan Wasilowski (CSI)
Eric Topa (Bed Bath & Beyond)
Karen Galena (First Logistics)
Rich Road (Leica Bio Systems)
Rob Saper (Dexter)
Scott Lee (CSI)
Steve Baker (SAP)
Stu Gallup (Mark Andy)
Tim Engstrom (Essendant)
As always, the event was not only fun but incredibly rewarding. Spending a day out with good people on the green is a gift in itself, but knowing that we’re raising funds to help those who need it most? As MastercardⓇ would say, that’s priceless. To learn more or to make a donation, visit Gigi’s website.
by Noelle Abarelli | Sep 14, 2022 | Blog, Warehouse Management System
If there’s one thing we know for certain it’s that when we make a considerable investment in technology, we want to see that investment pay off. We want to know that our time, effort, money, and resources were not wasted. So, when HJI Supply Chain Solutions implemented the Körber WMS, they expected to maximize space, improve efficiencies and increase productivity across their entire business. Unfortunately, without a dedicated resource to grow and support application use, the Körber implementation stalled and failed to yield the desired results. In fact, HJI had an underutilized WMS and was considering starting all over again with an entirely new WMS system.
Before completely scrapping what had already been done, HJI reached out to Alpine for insight. As Körber WMS experts, Alpine had the skills to determine a solution for HJI to get back on track. Alpine re-engaged with Körber and led the execution of client-side responsibilities, giving HJI the time to focus on running their operations without interruption. Alpine took on:
- Developing a full acceptance test plan to assist with the execution and documentation of the user acceptance testing process.
- Documenting work instructions and standard operating procedures.
- Serving as the communication conduit between Körber WMS, ERP providers, and the HJI team.
And much more! In the end, The implementation was a success and, in the process, HJI was able to broaden and deepen its solution knowledge base. HJI has since successfully rolled the Körber solution out to a larger facility in Louisville and two additional facilities in Memphis. They are securely under Körber’s support wing and are now working to fully link all clients and all warehouses on the application.
This August, Alpine Supply Chain Solutions was named to this year’s SupplyChainBrain list of 100 Great Supply Chain Partners. As part of their coverage, SupplyChainBrain documented the entire project between HJI and Alpine, you can view that article here.
And, If you’re struggling with a WMS implementation, don’t give up! Engage with experts who can provide a second opinion to ensure you’re not missing out on opportunities to make use of the investment you’ve made. If you’d like help with your project, don’t hesitate to give us a ring.
by Noelle Abarelli | Aug 10, 2022 | Alpine News Blog, Supply Chain News
This spring, we attended a record MODEX event. Over 37,047 visitors connected with over 857 exhibitors across 405,000 square feet of exhibit space. We were lucky to have two of our amazing customers, Matt Warner (Monat Global COO) and Mark Zabloudil (MJ Holding COO) join us at the show. During the event, they sat down with Kevin Lawton, CLTD of The New Warehouse Podcast to talk about their engagements with Alpine Supply Chain Solutions. You can listen to the podcast here, or read on for our summary.
Monat Global
Monat Global is a direct-to-consumer distributor of beauty and wellness products servicing customers both internationally and in the US, through eight different countries, and all around the US. As their popularity skyrocketed during the pandemic, they needed help keeping up with demand to keep their customers satisfied. They were looking for the most efficient method to achieve their growth plans while leveraging the skilled labor on-site without the need to increase their employee base.
Monat Global hired Alpine Supply Chain Solutions to help them make sense of their data and develop a strategic master plan. They needed a solution that would support them through their next five years of projected growth.
At the time, they were running two facilities in Florida and Texas and working with a 3PL partner in Utah. All were bursting at the seams. Monat originally had their eye on revamping their Texas operations, but once Alpine analyzed data from peak days of Monat’s 2019 season, it was decided the company would achieve the most rapid benefits by building a new facility near the company’s headquarters in Doral, Florida.
Alpine’s data analysis inspired an efficient design packed with clever storage solutions and automated technology that would enable Monat to distribute more product efficiently. The design included the number of pick locations needed for fulfillment, the amount of storage space needed, and labor required to run the operations. You can learn more about the project here.
MJ Holding
MJ Holding is the largest North American distributor of trading cards, related trading card supplies, collectibles, toys, and hot trend items. With four distribution centers and continued growth, MJ Holding needed help building a new warehouse that would be able to accommodate all on-hand inventory and more.
They contacted Alpine Supply Chain Solutions to help by performing a Storage Type Analysis (STA) to design an ideal layout for their picking operations that could scale. Alpine’s expertise helped determine what kind of racks and sizing would be needed depending on the product profile, as well as what layout would best suit their shipping needs.
With Alpine’s help, MJ Holding was able to consolidate its four distribution centers into one, while increasing floor space and building density. Their storage capabilities became more efficient and were better organized to address the industry’s many peaks and valleys of demand. To hear about their journey, listen to the podcast, or read about in this case study.
The New Warehouse Podcast is your source for insights and ideas from the distribution, transportation, and logistics industry. Be sure to check them out and listen to this episode. For questions on how Alpine Supply Chain Solutions can help you with your supply chain goals, give us a call.
by Noelle Abarelli | Aug 3, 2022 | Warehouse Management System
Finding and implementing a new Warehouse Management System (WMS) is a large undertaking that requires a whole lot of research and diligence. If you’re searching for a new WMS, a great place to start information gathering is by reviewing the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Warehouse Management Systems. The research in the report offers a great way to gain an understanding of the current state of the WMS market. Here’s what you can expect…
Market definition & explanation
The report starts by defining a WMS as “a software application that helps manage and intelligently execute the operations of a warehouse or distribution center (DC).”
It outlines a list of core capabilities offered by WMS applications. This list includes: receiving, put-away, stock locating, inventory management, cycle counting, task interleaving, wave planning, order allocation, order picking, replenishment, packing, shipping, labor management and automated material handling interfaces.
Extended WMS capabilities are also listed. These include: workforce/labor management, slotting, yard management voice picking, parcel manifesting, value-added services such as light manufacturing/kitting, and third-party logistics (3PL) billing.
The 5 Types of WMS Vendors
Gartner breaks WMS vendors into five types of vendors, four of which are covered in report.
“Application mega vendors: Vendors that offer broad portfolios of applications across most application categories (e.g., back-office financials, human capital management, customer relationship management, customer order management, manufacturing, enterprise resource planning [ERP] and supply chain management [SCM]).
SCM suite vendors: Vendors that offer a holistic WMS plus a portfolio of two or more applications focused primarily on SCM, like transportation, global trade, supply chain planning, customer service, etc.
Specialist WMS suite vendors: Independent software vendors (ISVs) that focus primarily, but not exclusively, on holistic WMS suites.
Material handling equipment/automation vendors: Vendors that focus primarily on providing the electromechanical aspects of large-scale, automated warehouses, but may offer some WMS capabilities. This year’s report only included MHE firms that demonstrated they routinely sell packaged WMS applications completely independently from their MHE.
Independent WMS component vendors: Not covered in this report, these vendors specialize in ISVs that focus exclusively on offering stand-alone components that can be used to supplement a WMS; they do not offer a full WMS.”
WMS Market Considerations
The 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Warehouse Management Systems offers insight into market trends. The report indicates that, “Despite being a very mature market, recent disruptions have spurred innovation, and while very challenging for some vendors and regions, the overall market is forecast to grow to over $4 billion by 2026 with a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 13%.” It also outlines buying trends.
The Magic Quadrant
This year’s Magic Quadrant™ for Warehouse Management Systems features 17 vendors. The quadrant applies a graphical treatment and a uniform set of evaluation criteria that can help you quickly ascertain how well technology providers are executing their stated visions and how well they are performing against Gartner’s market view. The report features Leaders, Visionaries, Niche Players, and Challengers and you can use the information provided to determine which vendor best aligns with your specific business goals, needs and priorities.
Strengths and Cautions
The 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Warehouse Management Systems also details each of the 17 vendor’s strengths and cautions to be considered.
In conclusion
This one-of-a-kind report offers a consolidated view and evaluation of the Warehouse Management System software market. If you’re in the market for a new WMS, you won’t find a better (and easier to use) side by side comparison of the 17 top solutions out there, so download your complimentary copy today, compliments of our partner, Made4net.
Disclaimer:
Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems, Simon Tunstall, Dwight Klappich, Rishabh Narang, June 1, 2022.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
