The Northeast’s largest mattress and furniture retailer, Raymour & Flanigan has been synonymous with exceptional quality and service for over 70 years. With four main distribution centers (DCs) and 22 forward DCs that ship furniture to customers, warehouse operations play a critical role in their success. That’s why when Raymour & Flanigan set out to revolutionize their warehouse operations, they partnered with Alpine Supply Chain Solutions for help. Learn how they are elevating the customer experience with cutting-edge WMS modernization.
The need
Raymour & Flanigan was working with multiple systems; a legacy best-of-breed WMS was being utilized in seven of its complex facilities, and a legacy ERP was being used in the rest. And while this approach provided high-quality fulfillment services to its customers, it was not always delivered efficiently. One clear example of inefficiency is how sometimes an item would pass through three different DCs before being delivered to a customer. Imagine how much happier the customer would be without all the unnecessary travel. Not to mention that certain putaway procedures were performed without visibility into downstream demand, which could present several challenges:
- Inefficient inventory management
- Poor supply chain coordination
- Inaccurate demand forecasting
- Increased lead times
- Ineffective production planning
- Reactive decision-making
- Customer dissatisfaction
There was a lot of room for improvement.
The process
Selecting a WMS is a large undertaking and one that requires due diligence. With a Best Practice Assessment (BPA) and Storage Type Analysis (STA), Alpine Supply Chain Solutions learned that a highly-adaptable WMS would be able to realize productivity improvements that would support Raymour & Flanigan’s future growth and success. With insight into current and future requirements, space utilization, safety, and flow, Raymour & Flanigan chose Körber Warehouse Advantage (WA) to serve as its new WMS. The system enables system-directed put-away and picking, opportunistic cross-docking, and increased storage capacity through better cube utilization and advanced processes. Another crucial factor in their decision was knowing WAs scalability and the ability to easily replicate the implementation process in multiple sites.
The result
To start, Raymour & Flanigan chose to roll out the Körber WA in one of their less complex warehouses. With this approach, they can better understand the system’s capabilities and features so they can implement exactly what they need when the time is right. The plan is to eventually have all 22 sites on the new system, with expected benefits of:
- Increased storage capacity
- Efficient inbound handling
- Opportunistic cross-docking
- Improved inventory visibility
- Picking efficiencies
- Loading accuracy
Raymour & Flanigan’s investment in Körber WA for WMS implementation aligns perfectly with their goals of enhancing productivity, reducing expenses, and eliminating tracking gaps. By embracing this solution, they are ready to unlock a new era of operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
For more details on their selection process and journey, visit Logistics Viewpoints. If you’re looking for optimal solutions that drive maximum value to get the most out of your supply chain, Alpine Supply Chain Solutions can help. Reach out today!
