Located in Melbourne, Australia, Feel Good Foods supplies high-quality, natural foods and beverages to numerous cafes, independent grocers, and gourmet stores throughout Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. “As the company experienced consistent annual growth, our CEO approached me about implementing a new barcode scanning system in our warehouse to eliminate high volumes of credits and returns due to picking errors,” said Rebecca McBride, Head of Accounts.
As they searched to find the right solution to reduce picking errors, improve inventory accuracy, and eliminate multi-step processes, Feel Good Foods decided to partner with RF-SMART. “I watched a demonstration of RF-SMART’s warehouse management solution and was eager to learn more,” said Rebecca.
Challenges in the Picking Process
Before implementing RF-SMART, Feel Good Foods noticed a decline in customer satisfaction due to an increase in picking errors. “Our primary challenge was incorrect product selections. We have many small items that look and sound alike, yet they are distinct,” said Rebecca.
A closer look into their supply chain management revealed that the primary cause for the rise in picking errors was their product placement and unclear labelling. Items from different shipments were stored closely together with similar labels, making it difficult for workers to distinguish and pick between them accurately.
Feel Good Foods turned to RF-SMART to find a barcode scanning solution tailored to their needs. RF-SMART’s Advanced Distribution WMS significantly improved Feel Good Foods’ picking process. By implementing RF-SMART’s WMS, pickers could now accurately select items and quantities by simply scanning the barcodes. “Warehouse workers were able to utilize their handheld scanners at each step of the picking process, where the audio and visual feedback from the handheld reduced picking errors by 25% in the first 12 months,” said Rebecca.
Multi-Step Manual Picking Processes
Beyond picking errors, Feel Good Foods faced additional challenges prior to implementing RF-SMART. Their picking and packing process was inefficient, requiring numerous workers to complete a large number of steps. The multi-step process with manual data entry hindered their picking and packing operations, resulting in decreased efficiency and labor productivity. “Our picking and packing process had many touchpoints and handoffs. One person would pick the orders, another would verify them, and then manually input the customer details into a computer to generate shipping labels,” said Rebecca.
RF-SMART’s barcode scanning solution has significantly reduced manual data entry and streamlined operations by automating and simplifying Feel Good Foods’ manual processes. With RF-SMART, Feel Good Goods was able to automatically generate advanced barcodes with customer information and product details. “Our new barcodes not only look more professional but have also increased our product packing speed, eliminating the time wasted on manually inputting customer information,” said Rebecca.
The Hidden Cost of Inventory Inaccuracies
Before RF-SMART, Feel Good Foods’ high volume of daily picks and packs, accompanied with an increase in picking errors, led to inventory inaccuracies. “When you’re picking 1,500 items a day and mistakenly pick 6 instead of 5, it results in discrepancies in our records for that product, a common problem we encountered in our warehouse,” said Rebecca.
Unresolved inventory inaccuracies can have lasting effects on a supply chain. These errors can lead to overstocks, stockouts, delayed order fulfillment, and decreased customer satisfaction.
RF-SMART’s Inventory Reporting Tool (IRT) has significantly improved Feel Good Foods’ inventory accuracy, by providing real-time visibility on stock levels and product location. IRT provides a comprehensive suite of reports that allows users to proactively review and analyze their inventory data to identify and address the root causes of any discrepancies leading to inventory inaccuracy. With the IRT, Feel Good Foods has been able to greatly reduce mispicks and incorrect shipments, resulting in fewer credits and returns.
Scaling for Growth
By addressing the key challenges of picking errors, inefficient manual processes, and inventory inaccuracies, RF-SMART has helped Feel Good Foods achieve remarkable improvements across their warehouse operations. Utilizing RF-SMART’s Advanced Distribution WMS, Inventory Reporting Tool, and labeling, Feel Good Foods has experienced an increase in order accuracy, real-time visibility, and overall labor efficiency, while reducing credits and returns.
As Feel Good Foods continues to grow and expand into a larger warehouse, they are well-positioned to further leverage RF-SMART’s capabilities, ensuring scalable, efficient, and accurate supply chain management. “Moving forward, we plan to incorporate RF-SMART in
more places within the business to help make our supply chain easier as we continue to grow,” said Rebecca.