PSIwms deployed at Asmet’s Logistics Centre
29 Jun 2021 - Logistics
Implementation of warehouse automatic control solutions calls for integration with an advanced warehouse control system. The PSIwms warehouse management system deployed at Asmet’s Logistics Centre controls the flow of goods based on optimised warehouse algorithms.
ASMET, a leading producer and supplier of fasteners for plant and machinery in the construction, energy, petrochemical, agriculture and automotive industries, has deployed the PSIwms warehouse management software complete with the automatic material flow control (MFC) module. From now on, all processes at Asmet’s state-of-the-art Logistics Centre equipped with advanced automatic control systems are to be managed by PSIwms.
Asmet offers more than 100 thousand products, including over 50 thousand SKUs in stock, readily available for sale. Asmet is among the very few companies in Poland able to deliver products of the exact quality and type as required by the client, even in very small quantities. The client-oriented approach and Kanban-based just-in-time deliveries call for smart support systems. To that end, the company has for years been streamlining its processes and looking for organisational and technical innovations to enhance order delivery.
Development requires change
Construction of the Moszna-Parcela Logistics Centre is the company’s biggest investment to date. The new warehouse will accommodate over 20 thousand tonnes of products and will include a shuttle facility with the capacity of 60 thousand containers. Initially, the company deployed a WMS module under the ERP system to manage manual processes; however, faced with the complexity of logistics processes and the need for flexible integration of automatic control warehouse processes and manual operations, Asmet’s Management Board decided to give the go-ahead to a new investment – namely, the purchase and deployment of a dedicated WMS system complete with an automatic control module.
Implementation of warehouse automatic control solutions called for deployment of an advanced warehouse control system. One of the key project goals was to reduce order picking times based on automated warehouse processes. System deployment was based on an earlier in-depth analysis of the specific processes in the metal industry. The system was launched in May 2020, following two months of intensive SAT tests. Asmet operators quickly embraced the new system and appreciated PSIwms for its ergonomics and intuitiveness as the key features facilitating the adoption of new work routines.
“Thanks to close cooperation with Asmet at the system programming stage, we presented subsequent system functionalities at several FAT iterations. Strong involvement and dedication of the Asmet project team made it possible to quickly verify the expectations presented at the analytical stage against the live system. Deployment of the PSIwms at the new Logistics Centre coincided with a lockdown period. Initially, we would run SAT tests at the client’s site, but in April and May all deployment tasks were performed remotely. PSI’s agile project management and experience in remote project implementation made it possible to deliver the final product to the client on time, despite these difficult circumstances”, said Grzegorz Binek, Project Manager at PSI Polska.
Flexible system to suit your needs
The PSIwms warehouse management system deployed at Asmet’s Logistics Centre will control the flow of goods based on optimised warehouse algorithms. Combined with the automated warehouse, Asmet’s logistics processes have now become much more efficient. One of the project’s major challenges was the handling of orders based on cross-product units of measure, which comes from the specific nature of the metal industry and Asmet’s client-oriented strategy.
To control the shuttle warehouse, PSI deployed the Material Flow Control module, which will communicate with forklift trucks and conveyors to control automatic warehousing and transport processes. Ever since its launch and migration of the entire warehouse at Moszna-Parcela, the system has been continuously upgraded as per the Client’s needs. KANBAN order processing, integration with the Unifaun shipping system, and automatic control of Crown forklift trucks are soon to be deployed.
“We have opted for PSI as the supplier of WMS and MFC systems, because we wanted to work with a professional team with a solid track record in the deployment of projects of similar scale and nature, not only in Poland but also abroad. We decided to purchase state-of-the-art automatic control systems and we wanted to be sure that our partner is reliable and has the ability to integrate our manual processes and automatic control systems, so that our company can move up to the next level of customer service and tap the potential of automated warehouse processes. Today, looking back at the past several months of system operation, I can definitely conclude that we have achieved that goal. Obviously, system deployment has not ended our work on the project, as we are now entering the process optimisation phase. However, with best-in-class specialists on PSI’s side and our dependable managers at Asmet, I do believe we can successfully complete the optimisation phase as well”, said Janusz Onyszczuk, VP for Organisation and Management Systems at Asmet.