What the successful completion of the warehouse insourcing project mainly comes down to for engbers is efficiency and transparency. The xalution team helped the men’s clothing company to better organize its warehousing processes and functions into their own system. These had formerly been managed by a logistics services provider both for the warehouse and the online shop. This guarantees the success of having “the products in the right place at the right time, “especially in times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Everything began with the men’s shirt. Using high-quality materials and inspired by classic lines, engbers began to create timeless fashion whose shape and material endure. The company rapidly turned into the leading brand for male fashion, and today, it can look back at a successful story lasting over 70 years in the textile industry. engbers defines itself according to its vast experience; they know exactly what the needs of today’s modern men are and what they’re looking for. Customers appreciate that, as well as the high quality of their fashion. They trust the reliable customer service and the availability of its products, all of which makes the customer journey–whether online or personally at a store–one to be treasured.
Nowadays internal business processes are becoming increasingly complex at breakneck speed. To offer a reliable and customer oriented service, both through the online shops and at the over 300 stores, the men’s fashion company relied on its own expertise to start the operation of its warehouse at the company’s headquarters in Gronau. The idea was to make the whole value chain more effective and cost-effective, as well as becoming more customer friendly through a faster and more flexible process.
The challenge: mastering the testing stage despite the pandemic-related measures
Testing the new processes during such a challenging restructuring process is essential. The testing stage threatened to go much longer than planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But just during the time when sales plummet due to lockdown measures and the temporary closing of the stores, that’s when online business becomes even more important making an inventory system in good working order essential. “A comprehensive understanding of processes was essential for the implementation. The xalution team helped us quickly and without complications” says Mark Roberts, IT Manager and member of the engbers executive board. “That allowed us to reliably meet our ambitious schedule.”
In spite of the limitations that the Corona-pandemic-related measures imposed, like working remotely and the strict distancing and hygiene measures, the conception, development, and testing stages were completed within six months. This enabled the entirety of warehouse operations to begin on time.
Advantages that especially enrich the customer journey
The high standard set for the men’s shirt 70 years ago has continued to be the guiding force until the present: warehousing processes related primarily to stationary and digital sales channels that need to access the same inventory and the same availability of products are mapped in a reliable and transparent way on the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem. This way, engbers can react to fluctuating demand and, for instance, restock stores effectively. E-commerce orders from the online shop are also updated in real time, which guarantees clear processing and support. This contributes to adapting the customer journey to the needs of the customers in better and more flexible ways.