A beastly good connection
Decision makers and staff at the pet food company Fressnapf Tiernahrungs GmbH are positive about the Nordic ID RF series: after a test phase started in autumn 2003 during which an initial number of 25 stores were equipped with Nordic ID mobile data recording devices, today more than 1 200 RF series Nordic ID units are used in 1 000 specialized stores, optimising the ERP system Dewas.
Whether pet supplies or food for dogs, cats, mice or horses – Fressnapf Tiernahrungs GmbH offers a wide range with more than 10 000 articles including products such as food big bags, frozen food and food that can be mixed at the buyer's discretion. Within 13 years after its foundation, the company has developed into Europe's largest chain of specialised stores for pet supplies.
Decision makers at the Krefeld-based company resolved to reorganize the complete store information technology to simplify operating procedures and make them more effective, and to be able to guarantee an even better customer service. In the context of the corresponding project "TOPFIT“, the cash points, ERP system and back offices in the stores and in the head office have been interconnected by means of improved services and systems. When it came to selecting a suitable mobile data recording device, the Nordic RF series has had an edge on competing devices on account of its flexibility and compact design. The Hamburg-based system house Superdata has programmed an interface specifically for this installation to connect the mobile computers to the ERP software Dewas. With this background, the system is exactly tailored to every individual requirement of Fressnapf.
INNOVATIVE IT SOLUTIONS
After the Fressnapf group had undergone a growth process and reached more than 2 000 employees in 2003 as well as built up a staff force of about 200 persons at the Krefeld-based systems head office, the company's decision makers became convinced that an innovative IT solution enabling faster and improved processes needed to be developed. On individual store level it was above all important to integrate the internal logistics and cash points into a new system. Up to that time, many activities, like inventory checks, could for the most part only be performed at the host computer in the back office area. During this time, staff was not available for customer enquiries. By using flexible mobile computers, many of these activities could be transferred to the salesroom: the barcodes on the products are now imported with the scanner and the data are automatically transmitted to the host system in real time. There is no more need for additional manual entries. For instance, if a staff member notices that there are no more Whiskas cans with "poultry" on the shelf, he is no longer obliged to re-order the product via the host computer but can simply send an order using his mobile data recording device. Nordic ID RF600/601 transmits the order to the ERP programme "Dewas“ which, in turn, forwards the order to the supplier. At the same time, back office users too, have immediate access to all data so that reliable information on the availability of the product range and on the placed orders can be made at any time. Bernd Hilgenberg who is head of the EDP department at Fressnapf says: "Since we have been working with the mobile computers, our workflow and customer service in the 25 test stores have considerably improved. This quickly led us to decide that we wanted to install the system in the other Fressnapf stores, too.“
WIDE AND VARIED RANGE OF APPLICATION
The terminals have also been successful in optimising goods receipt, for the previous workflow relied on printed lists in which each goods received transaction was individually entered, then the data were fed into the host computer in a second step. This not only meant double work but also constituted a likely source of error. With the new mobile computers, the need for this second work step has disappeared: to update all data, it is sufficient to scan the barcodes of the incoming goods and to enter the storage location. And if a staff member sorting the shelves finds a shelve label is dirty or missing, he can easily order a new print using his Nordic ID RF600/601. At Fressnapf Tiernahrungs GmbH, the mobile terminals have proved a worthwhile investment. In those stores equipped with mobile computers by Nordic ID, the devices ensure trouble-free and error-free goods receipt and goods issue transactions, they are used for orders and inventory enquiries and facilitate inventory taking. Bernd Hilgenberg: "What convinced me above all else was that the terminals are as easily operated as a mobile phone, for we wish to avoid complex staff training where possible. The fact that the software exclusively runs on the host system so that the devices no longer need to be individually programmed in case of new installations or system modifications, represents an enormous saving in time and therefore exactly meets our requirements."
TRENDSETTING INSTALLATIONS
The installation of mobile computers in the other Fressnapf stores has again proved to be very uncomplicated which is also due to the easy radio frequency site survey that can be conducted with the devices. The radio base station that can connect several terminals to the host computer provides seven radio channels and can be linked to further base stations. This is why the radio network can be extended at any time by any number of wireless terminals connected to the host system via one or several base stations.
Wolf Heering, Key Account Manager at Superdata remarks: "Our cooperation with Nordic ID has been very efficient and in our opinion we have a good basis to develop this contact further. We have programmed a standard interface that can also be quite easily integrated into other existing systems - this means we can offer a quick and cost-efficient installation of Nordic ID mobile computers both to new and existing customers.“
