Improving Order Accuracy and Reducing Labor Efforts: A Case Study on Colorado Distribution Group

• Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
• Functional Applications - Warehouse Management Systems (WMS)

• Packaging
• Transportation

• Logistics & Transportation
• Warehouse & Inventory Management

• Intelligent Packaging
• Picking, Sorting & Positioning

• System Integration

Colorado Distribution Group (CDG), a Denver-based company providing small parcel fulfillment services, was facing challenges in improving the accuracy of packing high-volume orders and reducing unnecessary labor efforts for printing labels and shipping documentation. The process of picking and packing orders required at least three warehouse operation staff members per shift. When an order was received, the information was communicated to the floor for picking. After the shipment was picked, it was moved to the packing area for packaging and labeling. The cartons were then packed and verified for order accuracy. Finally, the shipping label and packing list were printed to complete the order. CDG was looking for a solution to improve their packing operations and reduce the labor required.

Colorado Distribution Group is a Denver-based company that provides small parcel fulfillment services for a variety of clients. Their product range includes police and military clothing to snow and ski recreation equipment. The company's main goal is to improve the accuracy of packing high-volume orders and reduce unnecessary labor efforts for printing labels and shipping documentation. They receive orders in several ways including importing orders via CSV file, email, WebLink Order Entry, and manually keying in orders. These orders are then handled using Batch Functions to commit inventory to shipments in order to print picking tickets.

CDG collaborated with Camelot to design the features and process flow for the Easy Scan user interface screen, in addition to the shipping program integration. This allowed for an efficient process to print carrier labels at the packing station. Camelot’s Easy Scan and Small Parcel integration solutions were recommended to CDG. These solutions were designed to handle orders received in several ways including importing orders via CSV file, email, WebLink Order Entry, and manually keying in orders. These orders were then handled using Batch Functions to commit inventory to shipments in order to print picking tickets. The project took three weeks from start to finish, including the customized development of the Easy Scan interface.

• The implementation of Camelot’s Easy Scan and Small Parcel integration solutions significantly improved the operational efficiency of CDG. The system not only improved the order accuracy to 100% but also reduced the labor required per shift, leading to significant annual savings. The integration with small parcel carrier systems also improved the accuracy of the operation by ensuring the correct label was on the right carton. The system produces detailed packing list contents and weight per carton, further reducing potential returns and freight claims for missing items. This not only eliminated extra work at the warehouse but also enhanced the customer experience. CDG was also able to reduce chargebacks from miss-shipments by showing accurate inventory levels through the use of periodic physical counts (cycle counts).

• Improved order accuracy from 99.2% to 100%

• Reduced 1.75 man-hours of labor per shift, representing a labor savings of approximately $41,000 annually

• Saved approximately 45 minutes of labor daily that was spent sending tracking information and freight charges manually