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Using the Cloud to keep up with growth
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
- Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Applicable Industries
- Consumer Goods
- Retail
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Warehouse & Inventory Management
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Supply Chain Visibility
- Warehouse Automation
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
Operating distribution out of a 36,000 sq. ft. conventional warehouse, Hollywood Feed filled orders for 30-50 lbs. bags of pet food using a paper-based picking process. With a small workforce devoted to product selection, the existing picking process did not allow workers to reach maximum levels of productivity or efficiency and left room for inaccuracies in product selection. Knowing their warehouse processes and operations were not optimized to support fast-paced growth - and to accommodate an impending increase in warehouse size to 77,000 sq. ft - Hollywood Feed turned to voice technology to increase productivity, efficiency, and accuracy. “We began investigating voice because it offered a hands-free solution that would best meet our needs. However, we quickly found that few suppliers wanted to talk to us unless we were spending $250,000 or more,” said McGhee.
About The Customer
Memphis-based Hollywood Feed can trace their roots back to the 1950’s, but as recently as 2007, it had only three locations. Since then, Shawn McGhee purchased the company and took control as President, aiming to grow Hollywood Feed so that it becomes the “Whole Foods of the pet industry,” offering unique brands of unprocessed food for canine and feline pets, as well as ancillary services such as grooming, training and proper pet nutrition. Today, Hollywood Feed has expanded to 20 stores at 50% yearly growth with plans to build 12 new stores in the next year. In order to support these growth initiatives, McGhee knew that improving the efficiency and accuracy of their warehouse operations was paramount.
The Solution
Hollywood Feed decided to deploy Voxware’s high-end cloud-based voice software solution, Cloud Voice Management Suite (Cloud VMS). They had the solution up and running in just 11 days without the help of dedicated IT resources, with 50% of the workforce up and running in two days on-site. Well versed in the often painful software implementation process, McGhee was surprised by how easy it was to install and use Cloud VMS. “Quite frankly, this is the single easiest technology I have ever implemented,” McGhee said. “I’ve had Windows implementations that took longer than this did.” Hollywood Feed has realized many positive results including decreased worker training time, worker efficiency improved by a third, increased accurate order selection, and achieved a return on investment in less than 60 days. With continued growth in their sights, Hollywood Feed plans to scale Cloud VMS to accommodate more workers, increased order demands, and to ensure their customer base remains loyal and satisfied.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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