Case Study

“ We’ve taken our Langley DC to a new level of operational efficiency with the Honeywell mobile devices.”Renato Baldo, General Manager, Julian Tile

PERFECTLY COLORED: JULIAN TILE PROVIDES FAST AND ACCURATE ORDER FULFILLMENT, WITH THE HELP OF HONEYWELL

The Solution: Honeywell Mobile Computers and Cloud-Based SoftwareJulian Tile needed automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) devices

that could survive the drops and spills of its rugged DC environment. The

devices also had to be compatible with the company’s existing enterprise

software.

AM PM Mobile Solutions, a full-service wireless and data collection

solutions provider, delivered Honeywell CK71 ultra-rugged mobile

computers and Honeywell CV61 fixed vehicle-mount computers with

SR61 industrial scanners to digitize and automate the manual processes

in the DC.

Optimized for warehouse and distribution environments, the CK71 mobile

computer offered the perfect balance of ruggedness with next-generation

features and rapid barcode scanning technology. The CV61 forklift-

mounted computers support Julian Tile’s SYSPRO enterprise resource

planning (ERP) tools and feature a touchscreen interface with a rugged,

externally backlit keyboard. These features enable warehouse workers to

easily input data with their gloved hands.

Phoenix Systems, a Canadian and U.S. software and hardware service

provider and reseller, implemented riteSCAN barcoding software, which

fully integrated with Julian Tile’s SYSPRO ERP solution and the Honeywell

devices. All of the software operates on the cloud, which eliminated the

need for Julian Tile to have an onsite server, reducing operating costs and

the need for additional onsite technical support.

The Challenge: Digitizing Manual Processes

In 2012, Julian Tile opened a new 40,000-square-foot distribution center (DC) in Langley, B.C. to process all of its incoming tile orders.

Serving the company’s five locations, the new DC managed the movement and tracked the dye lots of more than 4,000 product skids. (A dye lot is a manufacturer’s code that identifies certain batches of tile.)

Before the new DC opened, all inventory purchase order receipts, sales order picking, multiple bin locations and dye lot numbers were recorded manually using a written and batch data entry process.

This time-consuming workflow process increased the risk of picking errors, which could result in the wrong tile or dye lot being sent to the customer, leading to mismatched tiles – and a negative service experience.

Another challenge: filling customer orders as fast as possible. If a customer wanted to order more tiles, employees had to confirm the original order by searching for paper documents.

Established in 1978, Julian Tile is a leading wholesale-distributor of porcelain tile and natural stone in Western Canada and the Western United States. With more than 80 employees, the company is headquartered in Langley, B.C., and prides itself on the quality of every product in its Julian Collection.

Julian Tile CS - Phoenix | Rev A | 05/16© 2016 Honeywell International Inc.

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Julian Tile was able to automate most of its order fulfillment process with the help of Honeywell technologies. Order pickers can now access real-time information on available inventory including bin location, physical quantity and dye lot numbers.

The Benefits• The AIDC solution was an instant hit with warehouse workers, and Julian

Tile saw an immediate decrease in the amount of time workers spent

finding, documenting and processing orders. Order fulfillment times

decreased 50%, while picking accuracy improved 20%. Customer

satisfaction increased as a result.

• The annual stock inventory count process was reduced significantly:

Each year, workers had to manually find, read, write and confirm product

numbers for every item in the warehouse. The process took three full

days and a number of employees and resulted in countless pages of

handwritten notes. With the automated data capture solution, this

annual event was reduced to a single day with a small team of warehouse

workers.

• Workers are now able to access and update tile inventory in real time.

Locating products has become much easier. Because the connected

devices allow workers to scan rather than manually enter product

information, data accuracy is ensured, and sales order status is updated

as the order is picked. In addition, by scanning bin transfers in real time,

location accuracy of the skids has improved by two days.

For more information

www.phoenixsystems.ca

Phoenix SystemsLarry HackDirector, Western Operationslhack@pho-sys.com604.218.0029