Aviko implements SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) in its warehouses. The potato processor wants to move towards a single software system with which it manages all goods movements and stocks.
Aviko, which processes 1.8 million tonnes of potatoes every year, says it has a complex supply chain, partly due to its continuous production process, scale and the large quantities it processes.
Management burden
The inbound and storage of production also takes place in around 30 warehouses, some of which belong to Aviko itself and some to partners. The external locations use different automation systems, and the suppliers of those systems have their own warehouse management software. These different software packages create a considerable management burden, according to the potato processor, including in terms of maintenance and interfacing with Aviko's central ERP system.
Unambiguous control
Aviko therefore chose to implement SAP EWM, which will enable it to control its own warehouses unambiguously and link up with the warehouses of external parties. The software platform was first tested in Aviko's two 'manual' cold-storage warehouses in Steenderen where it works with RF scanners, followed by implementation in Aviko's new and automated cold-storage warehouse in Steenderen, which can accommodate more than 40,700 pallets. This connection required the implementation of the SAP Material Flow System (MFS). This EWM component lets warehouse management 'talk' to process automation. "In the new cold store we were actually dealing with two implementations with SAP EWM and SAP MFS which made this project extra complex," explains Janssen Reinen, Supply Chain Director at Aviko.
Best practice
The next step is to implement the platform in a new warehouse to be built by Aviko in Belgium. "Once we have our processes set up in SAP EWM, we have a best practice that we can easily roll out to other locations," says Reinen.
According to Aviko, the management burden has been reduced since the introduction of the system. The number of screens employees work in has been reduced to a few essential dashboards. Here, employees can start, track and influence processes.
With ERP EWM, the potato processor thinks it will be better prepared for future innovations. Reinen: "Thanks to the solution and the underlying technology, we can, for example, measure how processes run and set up automatic learning processes, so that we make even better use of the capacity of our warehouses. But also think of the automated guided vehicle that will drive over a magnetic track between the factory and the new cold store in Steenderen. We can control that too with SAP EWM."
