~ 40,000 officers suited and booted thanks to H. Essers ~
H. Essers offers federal police fully integrated solution
Managing all police uniforms is an example of innovating complex logistics. Thanks to an integrated management platform, the persons in charge of logistics at the police can make sure that 40,000 officers of the local and federal police are issued with their standard kit. That does not just include shirts, trousers and skirts, but also headgear, shoes, personalised name badges, ceremonial outfits and tailor-made uniforms.
H. Essers has succeeded in delivering a fully integrated modular system that is easily accessible to all the different stakeholders. In addition to warehouse management, stock management, ordering and payment applications, the system also offers the easy-to-use Business Intelligence tracing and reporting module.
The project had his start-up begin 2011 and so it’s 1 year operational. Hessenatie Logistics was taken over by H. Essers in April 2011. This has enabled the group to raise its profile as provider of fully integrated logistics solutions. In 2003, Hessenatie Logistics, now H. Essers, decided to move from being a standard warehouse manager to an extended supply chain partner.
Challenging project
In 2009, the federal police issued a public tender. The key challenge was a fully integrated system. Orders are either placed via an online web shop, or from a store in Brussels. After all, the latter enables officers to try on the clothes at the store and pass on their order. Everyone at the federal police has virtual money for ordering sufficient amounts of clothing. Due to the systems being integrated, the credit balance is automatically updated in real time when an order is placed. The entire ordering process takes place via the same platform: picking and packing, order consolidation, distribution, return shipments, tailor-made orders to suppliers, shipment of materials for tailor-made orders, etc. All stock management and forecasting also runs via this platform. The complexity of this collaborative project is being illustrated by:
• Coordinating the different goods flows. In total, more than 40 different flows are supported. They each have their own specific processes.
• The different delivery locations: to individual officers on the one hand, and twice a week to the Brussels store on the other.
• The various payment methods: via the points system to the individual customer, through invoices to the police districts of the local police and, in exceptional cases, via direct debit card.
• The partnership: both the administration of the federal police and the employees of the logistics provider operate simultaneously on the same platform.
To give this plan the best technological support, Microsoft Dynamics AX was being selected as platform. The result is a fully integrated system with ERP, WMS (Warehouse Management System) and TMS (Transport Management System) functionalities enabling quick and modular switches between the different services offered.
In practice
The management system has been operational for a year now, and is the ultimate proof of how to manage a logistics chain these days, with a maximum focus on transparency and integration. Integration of the different processes in the logistics chain,
integration in the sense of real time data management,
and integration as a partnership between service provider and client.
'Since February 2011, the persons in charge of logistics at the federal police have been able to place orders for 40,000 officers via a simple online web shop module. To learn all about the ins and outs of the system, they have been given an e-learning module as well as a classic manual. If there are any problems, they can always get in touch with the Contact Centre of H. Essers,' says Leen Houpeline, Account Manager at H. Essers.
The module contains both standard sizes and clothing in exceptional sizes for the different pieces of uniform. For the latter, a tailor made size registration document, which can simply be linked to the order. It follows the entire order process and can ultimately be kept for future use.
The store in Brussels also offers a quick service, thanks to an integrated cash register module in the ERP system. The cash register is easy to operate by means of touch screens and a small number of menus. Intensive stock planning is possible thanks to the system being directly connected to the ERP platform.
Results Realised
The platform supports a wide range of logistical and warehouse processes, and the logistic flows can be optimised across various customers.
The integration of the federal police's logistical processes in this platform will in first instance provide a good service to the officers. The consolidation process keeps a lid on transport costs, traceability of orders is optimal, return shipments and lump sums of the officers, and more than 10,000 pieces of clothing in outside measurements and name badges can be individually cross-docked through scanning.
‘So what did convince the federal police ? First, the fact that we set out to realise the entire project within that short period of 14 months. And we did it! The second important reason is that our integrated logistics management platform has already proven to seamlessly manage similar complex processes. For the federal police, together we succeeded in seamlessly integrating 40 individual logistics flows and the tailor-made development of certain new functionalities,' says Leen Houpeline, Account Manager at H. Essers.
