Search

ASSOS: SPRINT TOWARDS SUCCESS WITH LEA REPLYTM WMS

When good warehouse management and customer attention embrace product quality and delivery speed.

ASSOS, a leading company in the high quality cycling wear industry, has managed to improve its e-commerce, doubling the preparation and delivery speed, while at the same time maintaining high quality standards. All this, thanks to the LEA ReplyTM WMS, the warehouse management solution that is part of LEA ReplyTM, the latest generation supply chain execution platform.


THE CONTEXT

The collaboration between ASSOS and Logistics Reply began in 2018. ASSOS was planning to adopt Oracle’s new NetSuite ERP. The company therefore needed a warehouse management system capable of effectively integrating with this solution and, at the same time, optimising warehouse operations and collaboration with couriers.

ASSOS decided to rely on Logistics Reply for a WMS (Warehouse Management System) solution designed and customised on e-commerce (B2C) processes, on B2B processes and on transfers between warehouses and points of sale.

THE SOLUTION

LEA ReplyTM Warehouse Management (WMS) enables companies to manage and oversee their warehouse operations, to control stock anywhere and at any time, to optimise the allocation of spaces, to reduce processing timeframes and to make it easier to monitor activities in real time.

LEA ReplyTM WMS was successfully implemented in two ASSOS warehouses in January, 2019. First, the solution was implemented at the ASSOS Switzerland, warehouse, which manages online sales to consumers worldwide and the resale of raw materials in Europe. Subsequently, it was implemented at ASSOS Europe, specialised in B2B orders across the European zone.

In both cases, the complex data migration operation was implemented by means of a single day process. This enabled ASSOS to benefit from operational continuity during the transition between the previous solution and the new one, based on a method that can almost be defined as “plug-and-play”.

The protection of product quality, a key element of the ASSOS mission, played a crucial role in the project, particularly through the management of serials during warehouse operations, fundamental for the classification and control of the products.

MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS

USING THE LEA REPLY SOLUTION




Delivery
speed


Product
quality


Customer
focus

Delivery speed

  • 100% decrease in B2C delivery times: the process was streamlined and accelerated thanks to the introduction of cluster picking, which makes it possible to pick several orders simultaneously, in a single mission through an optimised route and, at the same time, to pack them directly for the end customer based on a method defined as Pick&Pack.
  • Automatic print management: after collecting and packaging, LEA ReplyTM WMS automatically generates the label and the shipping manifest for the supported couriers (such as UPS and GLS). The final label is automatically applied when closing the package.
  • Customisation of B2B orders and raw materials: LEA ReplyTM provides the ability to plan and manage B2B order processes in a "by order" or "cluster" mode, in a free and flexible way. For raw materials, it is possible to choose not only the picking method, but also the packaging, all in real time.
  • Placement suggestions and optimised stock management through warehouse compatibility rules: each pallet is automatically assigned the best location based on the characteristics of the product, with particular attention paid to references regarding the product origin and the target market.
  • Automation of customs warehouse management: LEA ReplyTM WMS is integrated with customs for an automatic communication of goods incoming and outgoing from the customs warehouse, facilitating a faster management.
  • Usability of the mobile application: operators are efficiently guided during all the different phases of their daily activities, from input to sorting, up to the processing of orders.

Product quality

  • Support for the product quality control process: in order to offer the end customer only top quality products, LEA ReplyTM WMS makes it possible to identify and isolate products that do not pass quality control.
  • Second choice management: When an article is downgraded following a quality check, the WMS supports the management of a second choice by eliminating the serial number and changing the item code. This allows the ASSOS brand to guarantee a catalogue of items that is always updated and of high value.

Customer focus

  • Maximum attention to the customer: the close collaboration between ASSOS and Logistics Reply was characterised by a friendly atmosphere and a strong customer focus, with close attention paid to the implementation and support phases during the transition to the LEA ReplyTM warehouse management system.

  • strip-0

    ASSOS

    In 1976, ASSOS of Switzerland was founded by Toni Maier with an unlikely advancement, the first carbon fibre bicycle frame. Then Toni turned his attention to clothing and invented the first Lycra® cycling shorts; this invention led ASSOS shorts to be worn by pro teams during the Tour de France and over the years by more than 350 gold medals athletes at world championships and Olympic games.

    Assos works side by side with suppliers and its internal test team to produce fabrics that offer optimum comfort for the rider and, through substantial investment in R&D, continues to be behind key innovations that have become industry standards in the cycling world. Today ASSOS prides itself on supplying total cycling comfort to the top level within competitive cycling and to passionate and ambitious cyclists in more than 30 countries across the globe, through 1000 independent top bike stores and boutiques and its corporate online stores. www.assos.com

  • LOGISTICS REPLY

    Logistics Reply provides cutting-edge software solutions that enable companies to obtain an efficient and strongly connected digital supply chain, in which the different systems, partners, people and machines interact in harmony, through the use of the latest-generation technologies, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, wearables and the IoT.

    Logistics Reply accompanies its customers along this transformation process, ensuring rapid time-to-value and long-term quality results, thanks to over twenty years of experience and extensive knowledge of supply chain technologies and processes.

    Logistics Reply is a Reply Group company. www.lea-reply.com

    strip-1