NORENGROS ÅLESUND DOUBLES PICKING EFFICIENCY WITH ASTRO WMS®

Norengros Ålesund, Ødegaard Engros AS has doubled picking efficiency at its new 7,500 sqm warehouse by introducing the Astro WMS® warehouse management system, voice picking, new forklifts, and shelves. 

Ødegaard Engros AS, a leading supplier of consumables to industry and the public sector in central Norway, moved its warehousing facilities from Skarbøvik to Flisnes, about 15 kilometers east of Ålesund. This gave the company better economies of scale, easier expansion, and greater access to freight transport to and from eastern Norway. 

Challenge

Warehouse workers’ salary level is high, so the company wanted to automate as many warehouse functions as possible to survive in a competitive market. Investment in a new warehouse management system was essential. The company needed a WMS supplier who could partner with them to secure project success, not someone who simply delivers a .exe file and then hands over the rest of the development work. 

Solution 

Ødegaard Engros considered three different systems, organizing reference visits and demonstrations. Their final choice was Consafe Logistics, as Astro WMS® is a standard system, and it was easy to customize to the company's exact needs. This way, the customer is not dependent on external consultants to operate and implement internal system improvements. 

The company achieved significant synergies by involving employees in the system selection. Thanks to extensive internal training before implementation, warehouse workers did not become skeptical of system changes, making the transition much easier.  

In early February, Ødegaard Engros moved into the brand-new 7,500 sqm warehouse and administration building in Flisnes Næringspark. Over a weekend, 6,000 product lines were transported to the new warehouse. 20 warehouse employees and 40 temporary staff collaborated to get all goods in place. Ødegaard Engros worked with Consafe Logistics to define storage locations for products in advance. Hiring people without experience was no problem, as Astro WMS® is easy to use.  

Ødegaard Engros now has one of the market’s most future-proof WMS, giving the company a complete overview of all products and their current locations. After testing equipment and learning the basics, full production was possible in the new warehouse after a few hours.  

Top benefits of the new solution:   

• Picking productivity has doubled since February 
• Astro WMS® and the voice-controlled picking system have been praised for ease of use 
• The new WMS will enable the company to save NOK 2.5 million and reduce warehouse staffing levels by four people  
• Both quality and efficiency of warehouse performance have increased