From webshop to e-fulfilment service provider
Gamp ebiz is an e-Fulfilment service provider, started from its own webshop in 2010. Gamp is a synonym for umbrella and the name symbolizes an ‘umbrella of webshops’. The Groenlo-based company started 7 years ago with Kapperskorting.com, after which it developed at a rapid pace. Gradually, a number of new shops were added, which was initially the plan. Since 2016, Gamp ebiz has been marketing itself as an e-Fulfilment party. At the beginning of that year, the WMS of WICS was chosen. Michel Hoffman, director of Gamp ebiz, talks about the process together with Application Manager Faico Migchelbrink and Business Developer Chantal Rensing.
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Facts about Gamp ebiz
- Number of employees: 45
- Number of impacts per month: 1,200
- Number of orders per month: 28,000
- Number of returns per month: 450
Too much DIY
Faico Migchelbrink went looking for a replacement for the logistics part of AFAS. A lot of self-build had been made to provide for certain matters. Because at a certain point self-build became too big a share, Gamp ebiz decided to look for a WMS. The goal was to professionalize the fulfillment services by means of logistics automation. “We made too many mistakes because we were still walking around with paper. In addition, you can work a lot less quickly,” says Hoffman.
The search
The WMS selection included looking at the links with web shops. According to the service provider, other software parties that Gamp ebiz spoke to were mainly focused on traditional warehouses and less on B2C logistics. Migchelbrink: “WICS stood out with its WMS software that had proven itself with various fulfillment parties. We also had another party at the table, but they were less advanced with fulfillment within the WMS. The personal feeling was also better with WICS.”
In addition, Gamp ebiz and WICS met each other a few more times at trade fairs and there was a reference visit to a fulfillment customer of WICS. “At this company we saw how the process with RF scanners worked and we also liked the packing table functionalities. We also visited another customer of WICS with an AFAS ERP system, where the connection was experienced as pleasant.”
The warehouse of Gamp ebiz is characterized by narrow long aisles with small compartments, which allows them to store the often small articles efficiently. In addition, a warehouse for bulk has been set up. Some photos of the warehouse:
Extensive demonstration
Because Gamp ebiz had only seen the software in practice, the service provider wanted a demonstration of the Warehouse Management System written in Progress. After an extensive demonstration of WICS in Groenlo, it was clear that the required functionalities were included in the package: “Then more substantive questions could be asked and it all became more tangible. That way we were eventually able to reach an agreement,” says the Application Manager of Gamp ebiz.
“We expected more resistance”
After 3 months, the first Gamp ebiz customer went live. The biggest change was the introduction of scanning. For the trajectory from paper to full RF scanning, the company from Groenlo noticed that there was a change in the required level of knowledge of products. Hoffman: “You don’t have to think as much yourself, the scanner tells you what to do. We actually expected more resistance during the trajectory, but that was not too bad in the end. We do have some older people who have a bit more trouble, they were also afraid of whether they would succeed. I always say that you have to learn from mistakes. When someone makes a mistake, you shouldn’t get angry about it but see what lesson you can learn from it. Only then will you improve.”
Special office for logistics
Because we no longer work from 8:30 to 6, we have 2 shifts, each with a team leader for the warehouse. They plan the orders and are the point of contact if there are questions at the packing table. Application manager Migchelbrink has trained these team leaders himself. Every now and then he goes with the new key users to see what they are up against. Then they discuss whether it can be solved differently or whether an adjustment is needed in WICS. He says: “9 out of 10 times it comes down to the fact that your data has to be correct. When the data is correct, it runs like a rocket.”
Error rate drastically reduced
Chantal Rensing notices that, partly due to the arrival of WICS, more matters are being framed and Gamp ebiz is working more tightly as a result. She mentions two practical examples: “A new customer wanted to deliver goods here, which we had to repack and send. In order to prevent errors, we insisted that the customer provide EAN codes for the products, in order to at least be able to follow the regular process. The customer agreed to this. “Ultimately, this not only benefits you, but the customer as well”.
For clients who come by to take (their own) stock, a regular stock is made, which keeps the stock level correct. “In the past, mistakes were sometimes made because of this. It was more work, so people skipped the stock, which meant that the stock was no longer correct,” says the Business Developer of Gamp ebiz. The director of Gamp ebiz adds: “If you look at the results, we notice that we now work in a more structured way, which has drastically reduced the error rate. But the error rate needs to be even lower, towards 0.1%. We expect this to be achieved within three months.”
Conversion increasing
Hoffman now explains during sales talks how the automation works and that creates more trust than before. The process is verifiable and controllable. “If you don’t have a WMS, external customers won’t join you quickly. Automation is a must. When we didn’t have a WMS, it didn’t work. And as Gamp ebiz, we want to invest in a customer, to generate more orders together with the customer,” says Hoffman. This is done, among other things, with the carrier module. This module within WICS provides the automatic pre-registration with each carrier and retrieves a track & trace of the shipments. Paazl is one of the parties that specializes in this and is integrated into WICS.
Because Gamp ebiz works with PostNL, DPD and DHL, it saves a lot of time and offers positive opportunities for Gamp ebiz customers. In addition, Paazl offers various possibilities at the front of the webshop. The director states: “For a number of customers, the carrier module in combination with Paazl is worthwhile because of all the checkout features that their own customers did not have. These checkout features are very customer-friendly and therefore work to increase conversion.”
Growing together with WICS
Gamp ebiz wants to grow this year mainly in the hair & beauty and lifestyle sector, a niche market where the service provider is well represented and very strong. Rensing: “We want to simplify the processes even further, so that we can scale up even faster during peak times. In addition, we want to do more with weights and dimensions, so that we can optimize locations better. Ultimately, we want to grow together with WICS and standardize a number of new functionalities, so that the WICS package also grows.”
We would like to thank Michel Hoffman, Faico Migchelbrink and Chantal Rensing from Gamp ebiz for their cooperation on this customer case.
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