Case Study – Consumer Appliances

About the client

A leading consumer products organization with a strong footprint in household appliances, spanning kitchen appliances, water solutions and air solutions, operates a high-volume warehouse to serve its expanding distribution network.
With rising throughput and a wider product mix, the business required a digitally driven warehouse environment that could support large-scale product serialization, deliver precise inventory control and enable end-to-end traceability from manufacturing to final delivery.

The focus was on improving warehouse utilization, accelerating dispatch readiness and ensuring every unit could be uniquely identified and tracked throughout its lifecycle.

Problem Statement

As operations scaled, the warehouse faced the challenge of introducing a central mechanism for generating unique serial numbers for each product immediately after manufacturing, while ensuring those serials flowed seamlessly through picking, packing and dispatch.

The absence of structured serial tracking limited visibility into product movement and made it difficult to validate warranty authenticity or prevent duplication and forgery. Storage space was also being consumed inefficiently due to non-optimized bin allocation and location management, which affected picking speed and dispatch timelines.

At the same time, procurement and warehouse teams required automated, real-time synchronization between ERP and WMS for purchase order creation, modification and cancellation. Manual coordination between systems led to delays, data mismatches and reduced operational control.

Solution

The implementation was executed in a phased rollout to ensure continuity of daily warehouse activities while introducing new capabilities.

Phase 1 – Core WMS Deployment
The base WMS environment digitized inbound, outbound and inventory processes. Serial numbers were captured through scanning during picking and dispatch, ensuring accurate tracking of each unit within warehouse operations.

Phase 2 – SKU Labelling Module Integration
A SKU labelling module was introduced at the manufacturing stage to generate and print serialized labels directly from the central system. This established a single, consistent product identity across the supply chain.

Phase 3 – API Integration for Purchase Orders

API-based connectivity between ERP and WMS automated the creation, update and cancellation of purchase orders, enabling real-time data flow and eliminating manual intervention.

  • The project also delivered a role-based access structure to support different operational users:
  • Power User License: Supervisor control for master creation, operational monitoring and user access management.
  • Warehouse User License: Access for warehouse teams to manage binning instructions, picklists, dispatch documentation and system-generated reports.
  • HHT User License: Handheld terminal enablement for real-time scanning across inbound, outbound and inventory activities.
  • Supplier User License: Controlled supplier access to generate and print SKU labels directly against purchase orders.

In addition, an integrated Labelling Module supported serialization, while the Purchase Order Management Module within the WMS ensured seamless coordination between procurement and warehouse operations.

Key Outcomes and Benefits

  • Complete traceability of serialized products from manufacturing to customer delivery
  • Elimination of manual errors and prevention of serial number duplication or forgery
  • Improved warehouse space utilization through optimized bin allocation
  • Faster and more accurate picking and dispatch processes
  • Streamlined and compliant supplier labelling workflow
  • Real-time visibility and stronger control over inventory movement and stock accuracy

The WMS implementation at the client’s warehouse successfully addressed critical business needs related to serialization, warehouse optimization and system integration.

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