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St Leger & Viney is the leading distributor of decorative fabrics and wall-coverings to South Africa’s design industry professionals. As demand for their products has grown they began developing their own unique material with mills and weavers from around the world. The large quantities of fabric stock moving through the warehouse requires accurate receiving, dye batch management, tracking and distribution. TransLution™ Software was deployed to address the challenges faced by St Leger & Viney in their production processes.

How TransLution™ works

TransLution™ is a warehouse management tool that uses barcode labels, hand-held radio-frequency scanners and touchscreen terminals to record and track the movement of every product and component in a factory or warehouse environment. Data is captured through simple interface scanners during each step of the workflow process. TransLution™ relays this information to the company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) software in real time – live reporting that allows for immediate changes on the line. Errors are reduced and the company benefits from active monitoring of daily operations.

The implementation

Purchase order receiving

The implementation began at the Purchase Order Receiving process. TransLution™ was set up so that a user enters the purchase order number he is receiving along with the customer invoice number and transporter invoice number. He then selects the product he is receiving along with the quantity. The management of different dye batches is key in textile management. Rolls may be the same product but have a minor variance in colour due to production differences. Because of this, the products are assigned a dye batch number in TransLution™ and a unique roll label with the batch number is printed and assigned to the roll.

Put Away

After rolls are labelled, they are put away into bins into the warehouse. Each roll and location is scanned so that TransLution™ can maintain an accurate stock picture down to the bin-level per roll. This is an important step in enabling the picking process.

Picking

Users on the floor have a view of all visible orders and the lines on the orders. They select which items to pick based on this data. TransLution™ makes it possible to send the pick instruction to either a specific scanner and user or to the first device that becomes available. When picking, it is possible to pick for multiple orders simultaneously – if the same stock code is required for a number of orders, the roll/s required will be picked and cut at the same time.

Cutting

Once picked, the required length of fabric is cut from the roll. After cutting, the user re-measures the roll each time and captures the actual roll length which is posted as an adjustment to SYSPRO so that accurate data is available. This is done with every cut so that any variances are accounted for on an ongoing basis making tracking of variances simpler and more precise. Labels are printed for all the cut lengths of fabric. The user at the cutting table is presented with a daily report showing all the adjustments made and all adjustments that are greater than a defined amount are flagged for discussion.

Checking & Invoicing

After cutting is complete, a document is printed to manage the checking and invoicing process. The user at the checking station scans the picked list barcode and all the item barcodes printed at the cutting table are scanned. Items are packed into parcels which are assigned parcel labels. When the checking process is complete, an invoice is automatically generated in SYSPRO.

Dispatch

At this point, parcel labels are scanned and a parcel destination is selected. This allows St Leger to print a trip sheet per destination. The dispatch station is also where sample books, also referred to as samples, are scanned out against an order. Each sample book is labelled with a unique serial barcode and scanned individually. When samples are returned, they are re-scanned so that the location can be updated. This allows St Leger to use TransLution™ to track all samples both on premise at out at customer sites.

Stock Take & Cycle Counts

TransLution™ is also used complete stock take and cycle counts. By using this system, St Leger has significantly reduced the time and improved the accuracy of stock takes – where it used to take a minimum of three days, it now takes less than one. This has also improved the speed and accuracy of reconciliation.

The benefits

The successful implementation and rollout of TransLution™ at St Leger and Viney as offered numerous benefits to the organisation. Their operational processing is faster and more accurate, and fabric stocks can be tracked at all times. A precise cutting process has reduced wastage and allowed St Leger to track variances on a daily basis. Stock take is faster and more accurate than before.

Additionally, sample books, each of which is valuable, are tracked more accurately and can be located at any given moment. Lastly, an unseen key benefit seen through using TransLution™ is the reduction in operator interaction with SYSPRO. By doing stock transfers, adjustments and sales order processing through TransLution™, none of the warehouse operators need to learn to use SYSPRO.

About

St Leger & Viney is the leading distributor of decorative fabrics and wallcoverings to South Africa’s design industry professionals. Founded in 1989, St Leger’s aim was to bring high-end classic design to the market at competitive prices. They started by sourcing fabrics locally but as demand grew, they began developing their own unique material with the best mills and weavers from around the world. This broadened the ranges they had to offer, while establishing a signature look and reputation internationally.

TransLution™ Software makes managing complex production processes in manufacturing and warehousing companies simple. TransLution™ Software uses barcode scanners, touch-screen computers, direct integration to scales, flow meters, analytical testing equipment and other plant equipment to gather your manufacturing and warehouse information easily and efficiently. TransLution™ Software is implemented, customised and supported by a network of resellers and is available in Africa, the UK and Europe, N. America and Australia.