Lean
Warehousing Solutions
Facing intense global competition and rising customer
expectations, companies in the transportation sector are
looking for innovative ways to eliminate all waste from
their supply chains. Since our company was founded more
than 20 years ago, Catalyst has been a trusted partner
to industry-leading OEMs and after-market service parts
distribution companies in the motor vehicle, heavy equipment
and aircraft industries. Today, our full suite of supply
chain execution (SCE) products and services are enabling
our transportation customers worldwide to meet the demands
of “lean warehousing” in the most complex, high-volume
parts distribution operations. |
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| The principle of Lean Warehousing
is the total elimination of non value-added processes
including: |
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Non-sequenced material flow |
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Waiting and delays |
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Excess conveyance and handling |
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Inappropriate use of automation |
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Excess stock |
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Unnecessary motion and poor ergonomics |
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Excess exception handling |
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| Lean practices enable organizations
to improve service levels while reducing costs. In the
transportation after market parts sector, these objectives
are sometimes difficult to achieve because of: |
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Wide variance in the size, weight,
shape, and handling characteristics of parts |
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Bulk storage and branding requirements |
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Small and diversified nature of
order lines |
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High volume piece picking |
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High customer expectations for accuracy
and on-time delivery across large geographies |
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SKU proliferation over short time
periods based on new model introduction |
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Regulations that limit obsolescence
of parts |
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Lack of retail inventories limit
demand planning and shorten windows for emergency (VOR)
orders |
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High inventory carrying, labor and
transportation costs |
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Supporting
Capabilities
Catalyst solutions provide flexible, industry-leading functionality for all
types of distribution models. We understand how to integrate WMS solutions
into our customers’ operations so they can handle highly complicated supply
networks and varied replenishment requirements. In fact, we’ve done more
interfaces with SAP R/3 in this sector than all our competitors combined.
Most important, we realize that out-of-stock is not an option, and continually
help our customers minimize these risks throughout all phases of the project
lifecycle.
Catalyst products and services are designed to add value
to the supply chain by delivering reliable, results-driven
performance focused on customers’ specific business
goals. Key product functionality to support lean processes in the
transportation sector includes: |
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Optimized
Labor Management
CatalystComplete™ supports a variety of picking technologies
from paper and RF to voice systems, allowing the right
tool to be selected for the right job. AIAG compliance
labeling minimizes the risk of rework through mishandled
items. Order consolidation maximizes picking efficiency
for multiple orders with the same destination. |
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Increased
Part Handling Efficiency
Catalyst tools
utilize optimized slotting techniques, customized processing
strategies, flexible picking options and efficient cycle
counting techniques to keep a warehouse running at peak
efficiency. |
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Scalability
To handle the large numbers of SKUs and high processing
volumes common in this sector, Catalyst products are specifically
designed to scale up with cyclical demand while remaining
easy to configure for specialty low volume runs. |
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Standardized Work Assignment
Ensure that all assignments take equal time in specific zones. Set labor management expectations
for standard work to improve time management, productivity and morale.
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Appropriate Automation Selection
Supporting a wide-range of systems such as RF, Voice, ASRS, Carousels, and
Pick-to-Light provide the flexibility to match automation capabilities to lean
process requirements.
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Facility Organization
The capability to group like commodities together improves handling efficiencies
and ensures that facility layout, inventory, and equipment are organized to support
lean operations.
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| To further ensure consistent
performance, Catalyst also offers a wide range of services
that enable our transportation customers to optimize the
lifetime value of their technology investments. Our Performance
Improvement Consultants work closely with our customers
to ensure that efficient processes and critical underpinnings
to support a lean enterprise are in place. Our Integration
Services group uses a proven methodology to implement
and integrate lean processes and lean systems on-time
and on-budget. Finally, our customers can rely on Catalyst’s
Maintenance
and IT Support Services to help manage their IT infrastructure
while standing by 24 x 7 x 365 to keep their supply chain
ready for the next challenge. |
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| Results |
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Enabled client to trace inventory
to meet FAA regulations, which was critical to its qualifying
for ISO 9002 certification (Aviall) |
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Provided a custom-application to
support a first-in, first-out picking strategy and to
accommodate an extra 125 assembly orders/week to 13 production
departments without extra warehouse personnel (Boeing) |
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Helped control 90,000 part numbers
in each of 15 parts distribution centers (Daimler-Chrysler) |
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