Record-breaking retrofit at LANDI Switzerland
SSI SCHAEFER skips not one but two software generations thanks to successful big bang adoption
The WAMAS® warehouse management system by SSI SCHAEFER has been proving its worth at LANDI Schweiz AG's central warehouse in Dotzigen since 2003. At the end of November 2020, the latest high-performance generation of WAMAS went live, marking the completion of a top-class retrofit. The 'big bang' involved all manual and automatic processes being switched over in parallel on the very same day, skipping two software generations at once.
Quality at a fair price and a strong base in rural regions have made LANDI a brand name in German-speaking and western Switzerland. As a purchasing, logistics, and marketing organization, LANDI Schweiz AG supplies around 270 stores with a range of approximately 8,000 items in the areas of home and garden as well as agriculture and food (primarily beverages). Around 4,000 employees serve 80,000 customers daily, generating an annual turnover of over 1.4 billion francs.
Time-saving big bang instead of multi-stage changeover
Supply reliability is primarily ensured via LANDI's 35,000 m² central warehouse in Dotzigen. This houses a compact, highly sophisticated logistics infrastructure, installed and continuously expanded by SSI SCHAEFER, for the storage, picking, and dispatch of goods. Since the successful release update in November 2020, which involved a reliable and simultaneous switchover of all systems and processes, LANDI has benefited from state-of-the-art standard software with the latest control and visualization applications. Thanks to its integrated intelligence, warehouse logistics can now be organized even more efficiently and flexibly adapted in parallel to ever more challenging market conditions.
Longstanding partnership allows for an atypical approach
The complexity of the manual and automatic processes as well as the need to keep operations running perfectly during the release upgrade posed just as much a challenge as the big bang migration itself. Meticulous planning and intensive preparations for the go-live in the operational environment were required. The decision to carry out a big bang migration rather than an iterative one was also supported by LANDI's trust in the stability and process reliability of partner SSI SCHAEFER's proprietary logistics software, which had seen the company through around two decades of growth.
Clearly structured quality assurance measures
Highly professional project management coupled with communication as partners was also a key factor in the successful migration to the new warehouse management system (WMS). During the two-year lead time, specialist members were added to the established project team as required. The main task was to thoroughly integrate the new WMS into the existing IT landscape. Thanks to the open system architecture, it was possible to directly link to LANDI's ERP and transport system. All processes were carefully evaluated so that all customer-specific requirements could be taken into account. Detailed simulations and tests on the test system verified the stability of WAMAS and paved the way for a smooth big bang release upgrade. As of the appointed date, the regular order volume was able to be processed in 2.5 shift operation without any significant compromises. Personnel were trained in any new processes and dialogs in advance.
WAMAS at LANDI: Quick, reliable, and uninterrupted
The new WAMAS with integrated material flow system and WAMAS Lighthouse provides LANDI in Dotzigen with a future-proof standard software which efficiently controls and continually optimizes highly-complex processes which require excellent coordination, and also completely fulfills changing market requirements. The established project team also played a key role in the direct changeover to WAMAS 5.8, which involved skipping not one but two software generations. Karoline Poderschnig, Project Manager IT, SSI SCHAEFER says: "A big bang, which involves switching over both manual and automatic processes as well as a variety of technology at a highly complex location like Dotzigen, all at the same time, is extremely exciting. Thanks to our excellent collaboration with LANDI, this has been a complete success." Supply to LANDI stores was not compromised at any point. "There were no interruptions to operations or any significant backlog as a result of the switchover," confirms Stefan Eggli, Head of Conveying Systems / IT Logistics, LANDI Switzerland.