Dexterity WMS allows a Lancashire business to expand.

Since implementing Dexterity WMS from Barcode-IT, GFW Limited, a furniture distributor based in Lancashire, have been able to increase stock within their warehouse, improve accuracy and win new business with major customers. This is as a result of their ability to accurately and quickly ship goods to end users, made possible by Dexterity WMS using mobile barcode scanners and printers.

GFW began to see the benefits of the warehouse management system almost immediately and after six months, they were able to increase warehouse capacity by 45-50% and daily order throughput increased by 15%, without picking or shipping errors.

When GFW moved premises to a much larger facility, it became obvious that their existing system and bespoke development in Sage software, wouldn't be sufficient to help them grow their business and keep up with demand. On making the decision to upgrade to Sage 200, Jon Ponsonby, Director at GFW, began searching for a solution to fulfill their current and future business needs and he found Dexterity WMS from Barcode-IT.

"This month has been our busiest month on record! This is something that just wouldn't have been possible without the Dexterity WMS solution, and to be honest I don't think we've seen the biggest benefits the system will bring yet, so I'm confident about the future!"

- Jon Ponsonby, Director at GFW Limited.

Growing their business would mean supplying into large online furniture retailers, as well as high street shops and GFW Limited would need to be able to deal with multiple sales and distribution channels when processing orders on a day to day basis. This meant that finding a stock management solution that could handle complex dispatch rules, as well as providing full accuracy and efficiency benefits.

Every business has different needs within the warehouse and although all installations of Dexterity WMS contain the same basic WMS processes, the way each process is undertaken varies slightly from project to project. A major selling point for GFW is the requirement to print a carrier labels and delivery notes at the point of picking. This ensures that the delivery label is affixed to the box when picked, so there can be no mix up at point of dispatch.  Also Dexterity books the consignment directly with the carrier, removing another task when shipping.  This is increasingly becoming a much sought after feature in Dexterity, especially for On-Line suppliers who may be using multiple carriers to ship hundreds of orders per day, many requiring a specific carrier and delivery service.

At GFW, Zebra QLn mobile printers are used to allow warehouse operatives to print carrier labels and dispatch notes at the point of picking. This eliminates labelling errors and reduces the overall time taken to dispatch an order, by removing the need to take the items back to a fixed position printer or pre-print the labels and match up them to the correct item. 

For more information on how Dexterity WMS could provide a solution for your business, contact Jim Southern on 01200 441977 or email sales@barcode-it.co.uk