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Sole Technology Speeds up Customer Shipments
Action sportswear company taps Tompkins Associates to vertically amp its DC operations
Tomkins Associates
Raleigh, NC — October 2, 2008 — At Sole Technology, action sports footwear and apparel are now flying out of the distribution center (DC) into retail stores. Faster and larger shipments are arriving at outlets, eliminating the retailers' previous hassle of sorting through smaller, incremental shipments.
The shift to faster, superior order fulfillment is a result of recent improvements in Sole Technology's global distribution operations. The action sports footwear and apparel company's newly consolidated DC and advanced equipment are showing a significant return on the company's investment, according to the company.
With a new mezzanine and high-tech, three-level pick module designed and implemented by Tompkins Associates, Sole Technology is utilizing vertical space, and this "vertical change" has doubled the company's capacity while increasing processing volume and lowering labor costs.
In less than a year, Sole Technology and Tompkins also designed and implemented a brand new 315,000 square-foot DC that allowed the action sports footwear and apparel company to outgrow and move out of their three-facility structure. The new facility also provided the company with the opportunity to redesign its picking processes and upgrade its warehouse management system (WMS).
"Tompkins gave us a nudge toward one of our goals for becoming carbon neutral by 2020," said Roger Lamb, Sole Technology's director of distribution. "Since our new pick module and conveyor routes empty corrugated boxes to their own baler, we have a more simplistic, realistic opportunity for recycling."
"Working with Tompkins Associates, we were able to design and implement a brand new distribution center in 12 months," added Theo Song, vice president of supply chain at Sole Technology. "The new facility is helping us support our growth needs, as well as better satisfy our customer requirements. The overall process, or implementation, was actually quite smooth, and the new DC is performing well beyond our expectations."
Dan Avila, a partner at Tompkins Associates, has seen a tremendous change at Sole Technology. "By consolidating operations into one facility and implementing the new layout and redesigned pick module, they can better respond to the rapidly changing customer requirements," Avila said. "Sole Technology, which is already customer-focused, is pleased to see the increased level of customer satisfaction."
The shift to faster, superior order fulfillment is a result of recent improvements in Sole Technology's global distribution operations. The action sports footwear and apparel company's newly consolidated DC and advanced equipment are showing a significant return on the company's investment, according to the company.
With a new mezzanine and high-tech, three-level pick module designed and implemented by Tompkins Associates, Sole Technology is utilizing vertical space, and this "vertical change" has doubled the company's capacity while increasing processing volume and lowering labor costs.
In less than a year, Sole Technology and Tompkins also designed and implemented a brand new 315,000 square-foot DC that allowed the action sports footwear and apparel company to outgrow and move out of their three-facility structure. The new facility also provided the company with the opportunity to redesign its picking processes and upgrade its warehouse management system (WMS).
"Tompkins gave us a nudge toward one of our goals for becoming carbon neutral by 2020," said Roger Lamb, Sole Technology's director of distribution. "Since our new pick module and conveyor routes empty corrugated boxes to their own baler, we have a more simplistic, realistic opportunity for recycling."
"Working with Tompkins Associates, we were able to design and implement a brand new distribution center in 12 months," added Theo Song, vice president of supply chain at Sole Technology. "The new facility is helping us support our growth needs, as well as better satisfy our customer requirements. The overall process, or implementation, was actually quite smooth, and the new DC is performing well beyond our expectations."
Dan Avila, a partner at Tompkins Associates, has seen a tremendous change at Sole Technology. "By consolidating operations into one facility and implementing the new layout and redesigned pick module, they can better respond to the rapidly changing customer requirements," Avila said. "Sole Technology, which is already customer-focused, is pleased to see the increased level of customer satisfaction."
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