Download PDF
WRS Group Case Study
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP)
- Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)
Applicable Industries
- Healthcare & Hospitals
Applicable Functions
- Logistics & Transportation
- Sales & Marketing
Use Cases
- Inventory Management
- Supply Chain Visibility
Services
- Software Design & Engineering Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
WRS Group, a manufacturer of 3D models, print products, and promotional materials for health education and health professionals, was facing challenges with shipping rating accuracy and timely quotes due to a lack of automation in its fulfillment process. The company relied on a rate table that was several decades old to determine freight rates based on the dollar value of each order for its customers. The quoting process was completed manually, order by order, sometimes taking up to two days. This resulted in a poor customer experience and loss of business. WRS achieved a slight improvement by using NetSuite’s native real-time dimensional weights feature, but as freight was still negatively impacting profits, it began looking for a complete solution. Additionally, the company was facing a workforce transition with long-term employees retiring and a tight talent pool. The company needed a shipping solution that would help it fulfill a higher volume of orders accurately without requiring more workers.
About The Customer
WRS Group is a company based in Waco, Texas, that specializes in the manufacture of 3D models, print products, and promotional materials for health education and health professionals. The company operates under three divisions; Health Edco, Childbirth Graphics, and Health Impressions. It also recently acquired a fourth division that specializes in vinyl. Along with its manufacturing and distribution hub in Waco, it also has a distribution center in the UK that ships its products throughout Europe. The company's products are made to order, with each piece of a product being hand-painted and sewn together once an order is placed.
The Solution
WRS Group implemented ShipHawk, a solution that allowed the company to achieve a more than 75% improvement in shipping accuracy. ShipHawk's Smart PackingTM and custom rules functionality enabled WRS' customer service and sales staff to instantly do freight quotes on large orders, which previously could take up to two days. The Smart Packing cartonization algorithm automatically determined the correct box based on product dimensions and weights, eliminating the need for the team to figure out which box would fit each custom order. The visibility provided by ShipHawk also allowed WRS to combine orders and cut down on unnecessary shipping costs. Despite hiring remaining a challenge due to labor shortages, the team was able to process orders faster and more efficiently using fewer people.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
Related Case Studies.
Case Study
Hospital Inventory Management
The hospital supply chain team is responsible for ensuring that the right medical supplies are readily available to clinicians when and where needed, and to do so in the most efficient manner possible. However, many of the systems and processes in use at the cancer center for supply chain management were not best suited to support these goals. Barcoding technology, a commonly used method for inventory management of medical supplies, is labor intensive, time consuming, does not provide real-time visibility into inventory levels and can be prone to error. Consequently, the lack of accurate and real-time visibility into inventory levels across multiple supply rooms in multiple hospital facilities creates additional inefficiency in the system causing over-ordering, hoarding, and wasted supplies. Other sources of waste and cost were also identified as candidates for improvement. Existing systems and processes did not provide adequate security for high-cost inventory within the hospital, which was another driver of cost. A lack of visibility into expiration dates for supplies resulted in supplies being wasted due to past expiry dates. Storage of supplies was also a key consideration given the location of the cancer center’s facilities in a dense urban setting, where space is always at a premium. In order to address the challenges outlined above, the hospital sought a solution that would provide real-time inventory information with high levels of accuracy, reduce the level of manual effort required and enable data driven decision making to ensure that the right supplies were readily available to clinicians in the right location at the right time.
Case Study
Gas Pipeline Monitoring System for Hospitals
This system integrator focuses on providing centralized gas pipeline monitoring systems for hospitals. The service they provide makes it possible for hospitals to reduce both maintenance and labor costs. Since hospitals may not have an existing network suitable for this type of system, GPRS communication provides an easy and ready-to-use solution for remote, distributed monitoring systems System Requirements - GPRS communication - Seamless connection with SCADA software - Simple, front-end control capability - Expandable I/O channels - Combine AI, DI, and DO channels
Case Study
Driving Digital Transformations for Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices
Diagnostic devices play a vital role in helping to improve healthcare delivery. In fact, an estimated 60 percent of the world’s medical decisions are made with support from in vitrodiagnostics (IVD) solutions, such as those provided by Roche Diagnostics, an industry leader. As the demand for medical diagnostic services grows rapidly in hospitals and clinics across China, so does the market for IVD solutions. In addition, the typically high cost of these diagnostic devices means that comprehensive post-sales services are needed. Wanteed to improve three portions of thr IVD:1. Remotely monitor and manage IVD devices as fixed assets.2. Optimizing device availability with predictive maintenance.3. Recommending the best IVD solution for a customer’s needs.
Case Study
HaemoCloud Global Blood Management System
1) Deliver a connected digital product system to protect and increase the differentiated value of Haemonetics blood and plasma solutions. 2) Improve patient outcomes by increasing the efficiency of blood supply flows. 3) Navigate and satisfy a complex web of global regulatory compliance requirements. 4) Reduce costly and labor-intensive maintenance procedures.
Case Study
Harnessing real-time data to give a holistic picture of patient health
Every day, vast quantities of data are collected about patients as they pass through health service organizations—from operational data such as treatment history and medications to physiological data captured by medical devices. The insights hidden within this treasure trove of data can be used to support more personalized treatments, more accurate diagnosis and more advanced preparative care. But since the information is generated faster than most organizations can consume it, unlocking the power of this big data can be a struggle. This type of predictive approach not only improves patient care—it also helps to reduce costs, because in the healthcare industry, prevention is almost always more cost-effective than treatment. However, collecting, analyzing and presenting these data-streams in a way that clinicians can easily understand can pose a significant technical challenge.
