Our client, the world's largest tool manufacturing company, is an industry leader in engineered fastening systems. With a workforce of 60,000 and over 100 manufacturing facilities across 60+ nations, they generate a staggering $14.5 billion in revenue annually, encompassing tools, outdoor equipment and a highly engineered industrial business segment.
The Challenge
Hurdles in WMS implementation
Faced with the need to modernize and optimize their warehouse operations, our client embarked on a journey to implement and upgrade their WMS. Key challenges included:
- Lack of standardization across operations and system configurations within their extensive network of warehouses
- Optimization of complex planning and warehouse operations, exacerbated by aging WMS versions and legacy platforms
The Objective
Streamlining warehouse operations with Blue Yonder
The primary objective was to transform warehouse operations by implementing the Blue Yonder (BY) WMS platform as the corporate standard. This entailed:
- Standardizing operations, configurations and processes across all warehouses to drive efficiency and scalability
- Optimizing planning and warehouse operations to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving market landscape
- Migration to newer BY WMS versions and integration with existing systems to ensure seamless operations
- Enhancing flexibility and agility to respond to dynamic market conditions and customer needs
The Solution
A tailored strategy for optimized warehouse management
Appointed as the strategic systems integration (SI) partner in 2020, HCLTech spearheaded the transformation of warehouse management. Key elements of the solution included:
- Creation of templates for global standardization, facilitating streamlined implementations
- Migration to newer BY WMS versions, both onsite and offshore, to ensure alignment with corporate standards
- Implementation of the Load Build Service module and go-live support for six distribution centers, including hypercare assistance
- Addressing ecommerce requirements (D2C) raised during the pandemic to adapt to changing market dynamics
- Application maintenance, infrastructure support and seamless data migration from legacy systems to BY WMS
- Development of site-specific enhancements, customizations and integrations to meet unique business requirements
- Integration with host systems, transport systems, parcel integrators and WCS systems using Middleware and BY WMS Integrator capabilities
- End-to-end validation services and establishment of a dedicated ticket service desk for ongoing support and issue resolution
The Impact
Driving efficiency and resilience globally
The collaboration with HCLTech delivered significant business benefits:
- Reduced deployment time and enhanced scalability through a templated approach, accelerating implementation across sites
- Successful management of complex integrations with third-party solutions, ensuring uninterrupted operations and customer satisfaction
- Streamlined validation cycles through standardized test scenarios, resulting in improved efficiency and reduced operational risks
- Faster issue resolution on support tickets, minimizing disruptions and enhancing overall warehouse performance
Our client has tapped into the power of warehouse operation transformation, enabling greater efficiency, standardization and resilience across the global supply chain network.
