By choosing Boltrics, Frigo Group is also ready for the future in the field of automation
In terms of automation, the future has already begun for the Frigo Group. By opting for the software solutions that Boltrics has developed specifically for logistics service providers, all business processes in both Nieuw-Vennep and Geldermalsen have been standardised, integrated and, above all, automated wherever possible. For freight forwarding agent Danny Bartels, too, it took some getting used to at first, but he now notices every day that the new software on his on-board computer makes his work a lot easier and more efficient.
The Boltrics Warehouse Management System (WMS) chosen by the Frigo Group makes it possible to ‘streamline warehouse operations from A to Z: from goods receipt and putaway to goods issue, customs clearance, storage, cross-docking, Value Added Logistics, RF scanning, order picking and invoicing’.
Whilst Frigo Nieuw-Vennep and Frigo Group Logistics (FGL) specialise in the storage and distribution of chilled and frozen foodstuffs, FGT Warehousing in Geldermalsen focuses on general cargo storage and dry storage. Also based in Geldermalsen, Frigo Group Transport (FGT) has grown into a specialist in the transport of general cargo, dry goods and machinery. “Focused on their own specialism, all Frigo Group companies now work with WMS software from Boltrics,” explains Joost van Elderen of the Frigo Group. “Frigo Group Transport and Frigo Group Logistics also switched to a new Transport Management System (TMS) last year, which was also supplied by Boltrics. As a result, all Frigo Group companies now use the same software, which is considered the standard within the logistics sector.”
Not an end in itself
The Boltrics solutions chosen by the Frigo Group are Microsoft-based and, thanks to EDI technology and API connections, are highly capable of exchanging data with other systems. Van Elderen: “For us, automation is not an end in itself; for both customers and staff, it is a means of making our business processes even more streamlined, efficient and transparent. That said, it can take some getting used to – for customers, our office staff, our forklift drivers and our lorry drivers. Customers, for example, need to get used to the new customer portal, whilst our forklift and lorry drivers need to get used to the new app and the new on-board computer respectively, which are designed to make their work more efficient and easier. We are supporting them in this as best we can.”
Always up to date
Almost a year and a half after the implementation of the Boltrics software began, Van Elderen is very pleased with where the Frigo Group stands today. “This step was necessary to ensure that, as a logistics service provider, we could keep up with the times. The coming year will be focused on optimising the integrated systems, but despite this, I would go so far as to say that we are now fully prepared for the future in terms of automation as well. What I personally find particularly impressive is that the WMS and TMS we use are updated every six weeks. This is done remotely, so we don’t have to worry about it, but it’s reassuring to know that the software streamlining our business processes is always up to date.”
Teething problems resolved
For dispatch assistant Danny Bartels (30), the switch to the new WMS mainly involved installing new Boltrics software on the on-board computer of his forklift truck. “Of course, it took some getting used to at first and there were the usual teething problems,” he recalls. “But now that those have been resolved, I, like my colleagues, benefit daily from the possibilities offered by the new software. Stocking and picking, splitting pallets, creating demo boxes… It’s all much easier and more efficient now than before.”
Bartels cites, for example, the major advantage of being able to view stock levels on the on-board computer and lock and unlock pallets. “With the old software, that wasn’t possible and you had to pop into the office every five minutes. That took a lot of time and paper, as the stock list had to be printed out. That, too, is now a thing of the past.”
User-friendly
Bartels has now been with the Frigo Group for over two and a half years and spends most of his time dealing with Chaupain’s frozen bread and pastry products. “Because the stock-in and stock-out orders are also in the system, I know what’s in store for me every day, I can plan my work better and I know when I have time to help out colleagues. And vice versa, they can also see when ‘we at Chaupain’ could do with some help.”
Bartels also praises the user-friendliness of the Boltrics software. “As a forklift driver, you can fully customise the on-board computer screen to suit your own preferences, to how you prefer to work. And if I come across something that I think could be improved or made more efficient, I pass it on and often see the changes reflected immediately on the on-board computer.”
For warehouse operator Danny Bartels, the switch to the new WMS mainly meant that the on-board computer on his forklift truck was fitted with new Boltrics software. “Everything is now much easier and more efficient than before.”