From Paper to Mobile Voice, Without Changing WMS
Like most distributors, Eby-Brown’s single largest labor expense is in their picking areas. Prior to working with Lucas, their pickers were selecting orders that were written on paper pick tickets. Not only is paper picking inherently a slow, labor-intensive process, but it is also a relatively inflexible solution that is not easily scaled or adapted. Chris Timmons, Executive Vice President of Operations at Eby-Brown reflects, “We have undergone tremendous growth over the past couple of decades, and we were really reaching beyond our capabilities in our legacy, paper pick environment. We needed to streamline the process.”
As Timmons’ team was evaluating the possibility of using mobile picking applications, Eby-Brown as a whole decided to make a move from a legacy WMS to an SAP ERP, which meant SAP WM for the warehouses. Timmons pushed for the company to implement the Lucas solution, featuring Jennifer, prior to the implementation of the SAP WM, and he is glad that he did. “By the time we started our SAP WM rollout, we had already earned a full payback on the Lucas system,” says Timmons. Not only did they realize the Lucas voice ROI before implementing SAP, but the Lucas solution also rendered the SAP transition invisible to the pickers.
“Far and away, it’s the best decision I ever made and the best product I ever brought in. This thing paid for itself in less than a year.” -Timmons
