DROP S.A.

Implementation of ibcsDragon system for registry of production and warehouse operations on the spot

DROP Inc is one of the biggest and most modern companies in poultry industry in Poland. The company is one of the leaders among companies that produce healthy and safe food of highest quality. Due to dynamic development, the company faced a challenge connected with fast and efficient warehouse management and production planning. A solution was proposed by IBCS Poland that offered an IT platform, ibcsDragon.

State before implementation of auto identification system

DROP owns a production line and warehouse areas, and the main production process comprises of three areas: abattoir and production of ready-made goods, warehousing and transport to consumer.

Due to fast development of our company, we started to face logistic problems. The existing solutions based on paperwork caused difficulties in planning production and sales. The current tracking system noticeably prolonged the time needed for release and stocktaking, which became time-consuming and didn’t eliminate errors .

claims Renata Michalczyk, the Manager of Poultry Processing Plant from DROP Inc

Lack of consistent IT system also caused difficulties in settling tasks with workers and charged them with entering data from paperwork to production and warehouse management system.

A solution – ibcsDragon

The analysis of needs showed that a proper solution will be to introduce a system that enables registration of production and warehouse operations on the spot. The process of data registration was also to be simplified through maximum automation.

We decided to use a system based on IT platform ibcsDragon to realize these tasks.

says Michał Wasilewski, Key Account Manager in IBCS Poland, customer service consultant of DROP Inc. in IBCS Poland

ibcsDragon is software created by IBCS Poland that enables mobile implementation of processes managed by external systems (ERP, MES, etc.). Business logic remains in the external system, and the task of ibcsDragon is to implement this logic using mobile terminals and automatic data identification technology (barcodes, RFID, etc). ibcsDragon can be used as a mobile client of aforementioned systems of enterprise management. ibcsDragon application can be used in production and distribution warehouses that have so far been managed with paperwork. The system can also be used on production for mobile registration of chosen production operations.

In case of DROP Inc., two modules were used: ‘Labels’ and ‘Documents’, which enable easy data integration between production and warehouse, thanks to working on the same platform.

Labels and documents

It was already on the stage of pilot implementation of ibcsVoice  that Alma Alpinex, while analyzing rates, observed noticeable increase of efficiency in order picking process. The system does not only provide full service of dispatch in the season peaks period during summer, but also led to increase of productivity, keeping the error level on minimum at the same time. Additionally, it increases workers’ safety through order picking device that lets hands free, does not distract attention and lowers operational costs connected with use of paper and decreasing systems’ failure frequency.

Apart from these functional modules, an administration module is also available in ibcsDragon platform. It allows to configure the system, manage reference books (assortment, users, etc.) and to generate reports from performed operations (the data registered in the system is archived in a local database).

External software that the solution was implemented with are mainly Radwag and Espera scales and Espera label applicators.

The interface for these appliances was one of the most difficult elements of the project, as proper documentation was not available for all of them. Thanks to tests carried out in a specially prepared laboratory, as well as support from our suppliers and service technicians of weighing systems we managed to stabilize proper data flow between the system and scales and applicators.

claims Jacek Liber from IBCS Poland

Thanks to this, all measurements are automatically registered in the system, and on the basis of them and previously defined information on produced foods, labels for unit packs and multipacks are printed. The implementation of system solution also required close cooperation with the supplier of financial and booking SoftLab system with which ibcsDragon exchanges data on warehouse and production operations.

Difficult work conditions

Because of specific work conditions that are met in meat processing plants (at the end of each day the production area is cleaned with chemicals), special hardware solutions were used, and the application operating on panel computer was optimized in such a way so that the workers could easily touch icons in gloves. All appliances were operated with WLAN installed in the whole production and warehouse area. The implementation of the project, together with conceptual works connected with starting data flow with Espera scales lasted 10 months.

Additional benefits gained by DROP Inc. after the implementation of ibcsDragon

Apart from solving basic problems of the company connected with production planning, inventory balance review and facilitating the work of employees, DROP Inc. also gained a number of additional benefits. They include:

• Significant increase of production history read and generating detailed report
• More effective production planning and shorter time of order processing
• The possibility of precise production settlement through weighing and registering each package
• Lowering the cost of maintenance of production line, thanks to proper sealing and protection of the equipment