Dr Oetker : Digitalising supply chain business processes
Dr Oetker is an international food company specialising in the production of desserts.
Our teams were able to work on one of their production plants
Dr. Oetker presented our team with a major logistical problem in their warehouse handling over 6,000 pallets. A large quantity of goods handled by a team of more than twenty people.
Our intervention consisted of developing an application suite that addresses the following business issues:
- Optimise shelving
- Minimise time spent on inventory
- Limit the risk of human error
- To have a tool that allows the visualisation of transfers in real time in order to locate their precise positions
In order to meet all of our client’s goals, we structured the project around two main actions. Two actions carried out with the help of a team of 6 people, during 6 months, and using the Agile methodology.
Implementation of an EWMS solution:
Our teams were able to meet this first need in terms of managing their warehouse. This action responds to one of the main challenges of the overall mission, which is: the real-time location of pallets and the visualisation of transfers.
We had to cover the entire physical perimeter of this location, i.e. the warehouse and the production workshop.
This step was essential to ensure full coverage of the plant and to ensure an accurate response to all status changes (EWM & Quality Control).
Then, to meet this identification need, our technical teams were able to create an Android mobile application developed using React Native technology. An application that meets all the needs of this first objective.
We faced some complex issues in this development. To meet the challenges, we have added the following elements:
- Implementation of an algorithm allowing or not allowing certain movements
- Creation of a scan using a PDA (blind inventory system) for counting pallets
- Solution for export stock reservation
- Implementation of an off-line operation to compensate for network outages
This application consists of 5 different modules:
- Change of location in the whole factory (possibility to scan locations and pallets) and stock transfers
- Physical inventories
- Shipping: adding a barcode to deliveries – many tasks made easier by digitisation
- Quality control: release of blockages and stocks
- Stock allocation
We have been able to cover the entire business process with this application, for complete use by employees so that they no longer have to use different tools, which previously mixed ERP and paper.
A project carried out using agile methodology, in order to digitise all of the company’s activities, with the objectives of “zero paper” and saving time in the logistics chain being achieved.
In a second phase, we were able to support our client Dr. Oetker in a second assignment, on an application improvement topic.
The redesign of a production application:
In order to monitor the production process of its warehouse, Dr Oetker had an application developed in Android to meet this need.
Unfortunately, the latter did not meet the company’s expectations. It had many bugs, was not adapted to the business and additional development processes were stopped.
An application that is therefore little used and unreliable.
Our teams therefore had the objective of redesigning the application in order to deliver a product that was functional, modern and high-performance in order to meet our client’s needs: to have a mobile application that would simplify the management of production within its warehouse in complete autonomy.
To do this, we were able to propose a mobile application with 4 features:
- Pallet declaration through label management
- Consulting the history
- Synchronisation of production orders
- User and profile management
- Printing labels on Zebra printer
Two projects that meet the need to optimise business processes within a warehouse. A global action carried out over 6 months that brought together complementary expertise composed of:
- 2 React Native developers
- 1 functional logistics consultant
- 1 solution architect and project manager
A multi-disciplinary business expertise coupled with a technological device consisting of:
- ERP: Back-end information system
- React Native
- API
- Middleware Loopback
- PDA
- Zebra printing: barcode label design
