Future Supply Chain Solutions Limited, India’s first fully integrated IT enabled end-to-end supply chain solutions, on Saturday inaugurated a state-of-the-art Integrated Apparels / General Merchandise Distribution Centre at Burdwan District, West Bengal.
The new distribution center was inaugurated by the Honorable Minister of Finance & Industries, Commerce and Enterprises, Government of West Bengal, Dr. Amit Mitra; Minister of State, Animal Resources Development, Micro and Small scale Enterprises and Textiles, Land and Land Reforms Sri SwapanDebnath and Group CEO at Future Group, Kishore Biyani.
The Burdwan Distribution Centre has the capacity to serve all Big Bazaar and FBB stores located in West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and North Eastern States. With the latest technology clubbed with expertise of warehousing operations integrated with Express Transportation, Future Supply Chain Solutions will bring in optimum operational efficiency to boost Fill Rates, accuracy, Quality maintenance and timely delivery.
Spread over 2.6 lac square feet, the newly opened Distribution Centre with its standardized distribution processes, full automation and integrated IT solutions will ensure highest level of service to customers across India. Being strategically located at the junction of Old GT road and Kolkata – Delhi Highway, the new distribution center will be serving Big Bazaar and FBB stores located in West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and North Eastern States.
Kishore Biyani said, “The new distribution center at Burdwan will enable us to reduce complexity, increase productivity and offer better services to our customers in the Eastern region. Our aim has always been to come up with better processes and technology that enables us to operate seamlessly.”
Future Supply Chain Solutions Ltd orchestrates the entire task of managing the supply chain so that its customers – from distributors to retail companies – can focus on their core activities instead of fretting over lead times, delivery uncertainties and countless other variables.
Largely invisible to end-consumers, the solutions provided by Future Supply Chains Solutions Ltd nonetheless have a significant bearing on what Indian shoppers can buy when, and in what condition products are when they arrive on the shelf. Its services include storage, retail store replenishment, inventory planning and control, vendor management, quality assurance, bar coding and packaging solutions.
Highlights of the Burdwan DC:
- The DC is spread across an area of 1.45 lac sq. ft Carpet and
- BUILT UP area of 2.61 lac sft. It has a
- Capacityof serving 60 lac pcs per month and 7.2 cr pcs per annum.
- This DCis a 365 days working.
Automation and technology:
Future Supply Chains has implemented a host of integrated software and hardware along with an app to provide online real time visibility across all legs of ‘Store’ and ‘Move’ in the supply chain. Key decision-makers throughout the supply chain network have ready access to the online systems which helps them to quickly understand current situations and determine the right course of action.
Future Supply Chains has implemented a best-in-class Warehouse Management System (WMS) in its DCs. WMS provides complete visibility of inventory in the warehouse and contributes by substantially improving the productivity, order fulfillment and accuracy. WMS enables cross docking facility to bypass traditional receiving, put away, replenishment and pick cycles by moving “received” goods directly from the inbound dock to fulfill outstanding demand, all the while reducing staffing, equipment needs, space requirements, and inventory carrying costs. Wave planning is performed to group orders into waves of one or more orders that are planned and released together to pick more efficiently and meet store requirements.
WMS also helps in slotting to maximize productivity and minimize travel time from location to location by determining the most advantageous arrangement of SKUs within a range of pick slots. It minimizes disruptions that result from demand variability by enabling adjustment of product placement according to seasonality, special promotions, and changes in customer order patterns. This results in complete visibility of inventory and the warehouse processing in system, and leads to improved order fulfillment and accuracy especially the order line fill rate at SKU level.
Complementing WMS is the Put to Light (PTL) Sortation system. PTL is a light directed sortation mechanism which is used once batch picking is done. It enables category specific segregated packaging and therefore is entirely shelf ready. No further sortation is required at the retail end. Using this system,
- Order pick accuracy is almost 100 per cent
- Speed of sortation has increased by more than 40 per cent
- Order processing capacity of distribution centers have dramatically expanded
Future Supply Chains team has integrated WMS processes with ARS (Automatic Replenishment System). ARS ensures generation and availability of correct assortment with correct quantity of all major fast moving items on store shelves all the time. Unlike traditional PUSH system, ARS works on actual demand, considering shelf stock, base stock level and past sales trend. Instead of manual order generation, ARS triggers replenishment orders automatically to nearest DC for stores. Other initiatives like stock aging analysis, increasing use of cross-docking and packaging standardization have further improved inventory turnover, and reduced markdowns and stock-outs.
Secure Guaranteed On-Time in-Full Floor ready (SGOTIFF)’ practice:
Retail is all about fulfilling customers’ needs in the shortest possible time. For the same, Future Supply Chains has implemented a unique ‘secure guaranteed on time in-full floor ready (SGOTIFF)’ practice, which ensures that the store personnel do not have to manage any supply chain at their end. After the goods reach store, the store personnel should not face any complexity in managing the supply chain.
In an ideal scenario, the merchandise should just need to be placed on the designated shelves. In order to attain this level of precision, the merchandise from the DC is sent in such a manner that the store personnel only have to put them on the right shelves rather than sorting out which goods to be kept where. Merchandise is packed section-wise, which gives storekeepers an added advantage of keeping the stocks in the right place and in the quickest possible time.
Roll cages have been deployed, which take the merchandise from the store to the rakes where the goods need to be placed without causing damage to the goods and also avoiding any chance of pilferage during transit.
Trucks are particularly designed to carry such roll cages to stores, as they need additional attachments such as tail lift for loading & unloading roll cages.
Other highlights:
- Outbound Automation: (Weigh check & divert): Ensures store receives products without discrepancy.
- Automated print & Apply system: The shipping labels are automatically applied on the cases making them ready for shipping.
- Automated Shelf life and batch tracking.
- Value added services: Kitting, Bundling, Promotional Packing.
