Page 40 - Logistics News - Issue 01 - 2024.indd
P. 40
WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
PEP goes live with Manha�an Associates
WMS and Supply Chain Junction
By Frank van den Broek, WMS Design Lead at Supply Chain Junction
A�er more than three years of extensive collaboration with PEP, Manha�an Warehouse
Management System (WMS) has been successfully implemented in the new PEP
Distribution Centre (DC) in Hammarsdale, KwaZulu-Natal.
he 90,000m² DC is equipped with the
latest technology and will service over
T 2,500 stores across southern Africa.
PEP’s DC leverages three innovative picking
methodologies that enable it to handle one of
the largest volumes in Africa.
The initiation phase involved interactive
training sessions to familiarise stakeholders
with Manhattan terminology, project
methodology and the Supply Chain Junction
(SCJ) solutions team. Solution design was
done fully remotely at the time due to COVID-19 restrictions putaway, waving, put to store, full case picking, cluster picking,
and brought with it both challenges and opportunities. Once the tote picking, WES pack sorter integration, outbound printing,
team got to grips with these newfound challenges, a productive outbound QC, shipping, inventory management, cycle counting,
collaboration emerged as the team worked towards a signed- slot optimisation, labour management, oSCI, reporting and
off solution design that addressed all key Manhattan WMS dashboarding.
functionality required in Hammarsdale DC.
Building the solution
The large size of the DC and extensive operational Upon completion and approval of the design, the SCJ
requirements expedited the inclusion of many different solutions team embarked on building the solution. In close
functionalities: yard management, pre-receiving, receiving, collaboration with the PEP WMS systems analysts, test scripts
inbound printing, inbound QC, dimensioning, cross-dock, were developed throughout the build phase. The build phase
was managed using the Agile project
methodology and resulted in the desired
involvement from the PEP super users
– training them as Manhattan WMS
experts. Several minor and major design
changes were processed while building
the solution, all tracked through formal
change control.
As COVID-19 restrictions slowly
relaxed, the SCJ and PEP teams were
finally able to meet each other in person
38 I S S UE 01 – 2024 www .l o g ist i csn e w s .c o .z a
