In 2021, Quality Engineer Tobias Hovaldt has been in charge of a major project: the restructuring of JKF's entire warehouse.
The reason for the restructuring is that JKF is implementing a so-called WMS system (Warehouse Management System) from January until the summer, as there has been a desire to streamline and make the warehouse more efficient. The WMS system improves location management in the warehouse, so that all products are shelved and thus removed from the floor to create more workspace.
"The implementation of the upcoming WMS system has required a major change in our warehouse layout, which has resulted in approximately 450 more locations, freeing up more space to provide a larger packing area," Tobias Hovaldt explains.
The restructuring was split into two phases due to busyness, with the first part completed in September and the second part completed shortly before Christmas. And although it was originally supposed to be done in one go, Tobias Hovaldt looks back on a process that, under the circumstances, was executed very efficiently.
"In 2021, we were very busy in all parts of the house, so it was simply not possible to do it all at once. However, we have had two good and efficient rounds, where the staff involved have made a really big effort to ensure that we could make the change as smooth as possible, which is otherwise not an easy task with such a large-scale change. So a huge thank you to everyone involved!" Tobias Hovaldt says.
Focus on digitalisation and automation
With the upcoming WMS system, JKF is automating a process that has previously been very manual, and it will revolutionise the way we run the warehouse today. In the future, all manual tasks in the warehouse, such as making packing lists, ordering trucks for transport or handing out picking slips, will be handled in the system. By automating as many tasks in the warehouse as possible, more time will be freed up for each warehouse employee, allowing for a greater focus on each order, reducing errors and also ensuring that the working environment for employees is improved. This will improve satisfaction as there will be more time to focus on the core tasks of the packing process. The WMS system will therefore not only benefit JKF, but also to a large extent our customers.
The WMS system is expected to be fully implemented in June 2022.
