Once again La Lorraine Bakery Group has chosen to invest in logistical technology developed and supplied by Pcdata. The partnership between the bakery group and Pcdata started decades ago, during which period a majority of the six production sites have seen their Put to Light displays and other components replaced. The outstanding level of cooperation between them has everything to do with the constructive attitude of Pcdata, clarifies Dirk van Ruymbeke, group operations manager at La Lorraine. “Together we look for the best solutions for the retail industry.”
Everyday La Lorraine delivers fresh bread
Everyday Borgesius delivers fresh bread products to 128 Jumbo supermarkets in the northern part of The Netherlands. They deliver bread from their own bakery in Veenoord as well as a large number of other products baked in other Bake Five- Group bakeries. These products are being picked at shop level and delivered to Veenoord. ‘’Cross-docking enables us to combine these products with our own fresh products and deliver them to the stores. Added together we offer a selection of 200 products”, states Willy Boneschansker, location manager at the Dutch bakery.
The nineteen Borgesius trucks leave early in the morning to ensure a 7:30am bread delivery at the store.’’ This gives shop personnel another half hour before the store opens to put the bread on the shelves. We can only meet this tight delivery schedule if our drivers start loading their trucks at 1:30am. By then dispatching should be ready”, states Boneschansker.
More display information
La Lorraine also had its Put to Light displays replaced at other production plants. The old displays had simply reached the end of their lifespans. “The new generation of Put to Light displays offer significantly more information, and their quality and stability has improved even more”, states Van Ruymbeke, adding that their cooperation with Pcdata was never a point of discussion. “The retail distribution system is fully integrated with SAP and performs extremely well. There was no reason whatsoever for us to look for alternative solutions.
The inevitability of continuing with Pcdata is the excellent relationship La Lorraine has always enjoyed with them, an example of which is when Pcdata provided help and support after the group’s plant in Ninove was ravaged by serious fire. “We had to set up a new distribution hall with new Put to Light displays within a very short period of time. We could not have done that without the response and organisation of Pcdata”, Van Ruymbeke recalls.
Immediate upscaling
Van Ruymbeke emphasises the speed of the system and its accuracy. “We deliver fresh products that are produced in daytime, in the evening and at night. As soon as the products are made, we face the challenge of distributing them among our customers. The Pcdata Distrib warehouse management system plays a vital role in this process, in that it enables fully automised distribution management. Even when we unexpectedly come up short in products, the system divides the shortfall on the basis of algorithms and customer parameters.
The system offers the possibility to upscale almost immediately, which is only one of its advantages. “We normally deploy one distributor per distribution line, but the multicolour displays also enable us to deploy several other distributors, each processing a different product. And if we need less distribution locations on quieter days, Distrib calculates which locations are best suitable. This allows us to use our space more efficiently and reduce the distances for our distributors.
Constructive input
In setting up and organising retail distribution processes, Pcdata is always there to think along. “Together we look for the best solutions.” How should the distribution lines be laid out? Where do we instal the work stations and displays? Pcdata has a team of highly experienced professionals capable of providing valuable constructive input”, says Van Ruymbeke.
Together with Pcdata, La Lorraine is investigating ways in which to further improve its distribution processes in the future. “We have already invested in a printer for labelling crates that contain finished products. This helps the drivers to identify the crates during loading and unloading. We are also considering smart glass solutions for specific processes, which might prove to be profitable for us at some point in the future.
