SOLAR DENMARK

December 30, 2019

Full control of packages in the central warehouse at Solar Danmark

Solar in Vejen has a 45,000 m2 automated central warehouse with an advanced distribution system and high delivery reliability. An efficient flow in the warehouse is crucial for the daily handling of the huge amounts of goods that pass through the system. That’s why Solar has introduced a barcode solution that allows for digital documentation and full control over the flow of packages.

The central warehouse in Vejen is the focal point for the delivery of electrical, plumbing and ventilation products to Solar’s customers and own branches in Denmark. More than 215,000 article numbers are part of the assortment at the central warehouse to cover the many different customer needs. In addition to shipping goods, Solar has also established a dispatch center at the central warehouse where installers can come and pick up pre-ordered goods themselves. In this way, Solar can offer its customers a faster and more efficient delivery of goods.

DOCUMENTATION OF SHIPMENT FLOW

An important element in the parcel flow is the documentation of when a parcel leaves the warehouse. When a customer comes to pick up a parcel, there is a need to document that the delivery has actually taken place. If you’re wondering where a package has gone, you also need to be able to search back in the history. That’s why Solar investigated the possibilities of creating digital documentation, which is much faster and more efficient during the daily handling of parcels.

– When an installer comes to pick up a package, they need to sign for the delivery. This process can be handled with a signature on a piece of paper. However, we are very digital in many of our processes as we need to be as efficient as possible. Therefore, it was natural to implement a digital barcode solution for documenting package deliveries,” says Kristian Duch, Director – Group Supply Chain / Group Transport at Solar A/S.

"We are very digital in many of our processes as we need to be as efficient as possible. Therefore, it was also natural to implement a digital barcode solution for documenting parcel deliveries."

Kristian Duch, Director - Group Supply Chain / Group Transportation

BARCODE SOLUTION PROVIDES THE RIGHT DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION

Kristian Duch has helped drive a wide range of digital projects with a focus on efficiency at Solar. In several of the projects, barcode solutions are an essential tool and a great help in the overall solution. Based on an existing collaboration on barcode and scanner solutions, the choice fell on Delfi Technologies when Solar had to choose a supplier and find the right solution for Proof of Delivery (PoD).

Solar chose to implement a solution with mobile PDAs that, with a built-in barcode scanner and an online app installed, allow for digital documentation when packages are delivered. In this way, Solar gets the necessary overview that a package is out of the system and can quickly and easily go back to see the specific status of the individual packages.

– The moment an installer receives a package, the barcode on the package is scanned and the delivery is signed for. It could also be a case of delivering a parcel to a courier who is simply booked to pick it up. In any case, the barcode solution allows us to register the delivery of parcels digitally, which gives us the opportunity to document the entire process,” explains Kristian Duch.

POSSIBILITY TO IMPLEMENT THE SOLUTION IN OTHER AREAS

The digital documentation adds value in the central warehouse, where more efficient processes are one of the benefits. In Solar’s own branches, it is also possible for a customer to pick up goods in the store if it has not been possible to make a delivery – or if it just makes more sense for the customer to pick up directly in one of the stores. Here it could be obvious to take the solution from the central warehouse and implement it in the stores,” explains Kristian Duch:

– The barcode solution allows us to handle the necessary digital documentation in our central warehouse. We are constantly looking at new areas where we can digitize processes to help our customers work even more efficiently. For example, this could be in our own branches, where a customer can also come and pick up a parcel when they may be working on the road and it doesn’t make sense to have the parcel delivered at home or at the company.

For Solar, it was crucial that Delfi Technologies could offer an online solution with Android-based PDAs that are both robust and fast. This way, Solar can access a browser directly from the devices.

– With the Android solution, we can be online all the time and make registrations directly in our system. It’s a solution that prepares us for the future. At the same time, price and quality go hand in hand – of course, that doesn’t matter either,” concludes Kristian Duch.

ABOUT SOLAR DENMARK

Solar Danmark A/S is part of the Solar Group, which is one of Europe’s leading sourcing and service companies. Solar Danmark A/S offers a wide range of products within electricity, plumbing and ventilation and is one of Denmark’s leading and most modern companies in its field. Solar Danmark has its head office and central warehouse of 45,000 m2 located in Vejen, as well as 4 competence centers and 7 service centers centrally located in Denmark.