Crewpack CEO: “We Were Wasting So Much Time and Money Searching for Inventory in Our Warehouses.”
This blog post was contributed by Juan Manuel Rodriguez, Sales Manager, Grupo Hasar, a Zebra Premier partner.
With only 17 associates among its ranks, Crewpack has been using cutting-edge technology to drive the modernization of its warehouses, increasing its efficiency and operational visibility. That’s because leaders of the Tijuana, Mexico-based company knew that it would struggle to meet demand if it didn’t. Most recently, though, it was struggling to improve control of its inventories and eliminate constraints on its workflows.
“It is difficult, untimely and expensive for our small team to find products and respond to customer storage inventory inquiries,” explained Crewpack CEO Victor Hernandez when we first sat down to discuss the challenges his small business was facing several months ago. “We are wasting time and money because we don’t have a way to track pallets, transporters and goods,” he continued.
So, my team recommended Crewpack leaders look at a combined hardware-software solution that had previously proven to automate inventory counts and provide actionable information on the location and movement of pallets and goods in warehouses. Their recommendation included mobile computers, desktop barcode label printers and other consumables from Zebra, along with Block Inventory, an integrated software platform that enables users to track products from arrival to departure, no matter how long they are in storage.
The Crewpack team agreed to try out the technologies, and it didn’t take long before they proved to be an effective solution. Crewpack completely eliminated manual inventory counts, reducing counting time by 50% and human error by 80%. Plus, customer orders are fulfilled more efficiently, and delivery times have been reduced by up to 86%.
As Hernandez recently explained, “We can now better assess material routes, easily resolve bottlenecks, save costs and optimize our workers’ productivity.”
In addition, both Crewpack associates and customers using the warehouse for storage have real-time access to accurate inventory information. As a result, the Crewpack team can resolve queries faster, which has improved customer satisfaction.
From my perspective, it was a very simple solution to a big problem – one that could have hurt this small business in the long run had they not acted fast to fix it. Yet, too many small businesses are hesitant to accept technology as the answer to their problems because they see change as risky. In my experience, migrating to new technology systems is only risky if you don’t have the right partner advising you through the process. So, if you have questions or hesitations about using new technology tools within your warehouse or small business operation, let’s schedule a call or meeting. You can contact my team at mexico@hasar.com.mx
If you would like to learn more about the Crewpack story, you check out this announcement and this article.
