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What is the particular challenge
faced by e-commerce and
omnichannel logistics?
RUBEN
: First of all e-commerce orders
are very different to orders prepared
for shops. E-com orders are much
smaller (few items per order) and the
promise (e.g. next day before 12pm)
needs to be fulfilled as it has a major
impact on customer satisfaction levels.
So the customer is leading and service
is key. Consequently, end consumers
want more choices: in products
(more SKU’s), in touchpoints (result is
omnichannel logistics), and in the last
mile delivery (how and when they want
to be delivered).
KOEN:
The challenge of Omnichannel
is a numbers challenge. For the big
players it is affordable to have the
retail and e-com stock split. So, for one
customer, we created a tailormade
solution: the flow of items through the
warehouse is highly automated and
split into two parts after buffer storage.
Cartons are sent to the various order
picking areas: a ‘fast mover’ area,
where shuttles distribute the cartons
to several thousand flow racks and a
‘slow mover’ area, where the cartons
are manually stored in static racks.
After picking is completed, products
are sent to a number of packing tables,
where they are packed either in plastic
bags or cartons depending on their
volume. These packed products are
directed to a crossbelt sorter, which
sorts the products to a large number of
destinations.
What is the particular need that you
are required to serve, compared to
other sectors?
RUBEN
: The reliability of e-commerce
logistics is more important versus
other sectors as there is no stock
buffer from store stock. In practice, this
means that many small orders from a
large stock (many SKU’s) need to be
delivered at short notice with a high
level of reliability. Also very high peaks
need to be handled at certain times,
such as Black Friday. If customers
handle store as well as e-commerce
The e-com challenge
orders from one DC, an omnichannel
solution is required. This solution
is often more complex as it should
combine retail, retail.com and others,
such as marketplaces, pick up points
and returns. Particularly in the Fashion
industry the handling of return flows
plays a significant role.
What does Vanderlande bring
to the table?
RUBEN
: Vanderlande is a market
leader for e-fulfilment – 12 of the
20 biggest European e-commerce
companies use our solutions – with
a proven track record, including
bricks-and-mortar as well as bricks-
and-click companies. We help these
companies to overcome the market
specific challenges they face: increase
efficiency, enhance flexibility and
combine retail and e-commerce
fulfilment.
What is the process by which you
decide what product a customer needs
and how you are going to build it?
RUBEN
: Vanderlande always works
with market specific and experienced
sales consultants. The recipe is to
listen. Only if we come to the real
needs of the customers can we come
to the best solution.
The advantage of Vanderlande is that
the solutions portfolio is very large.
From more manual but flexible man-
to-goods systems to more automated
concepts with very short lead times.
That means that we do not have to
push solutions we can offer versus
other solutions which might be better.
In the first of our Q and A series, we talk to Vanderlande’s Ruben Jakobs, Channel Director
E-Commerce and Koen Driessen, Market Director Fashion to find out how they see the sector evolving
Ruben Jakobs,
Channel Director, E-Commerce
42
Logistics Business Magazine | February 2016
E-COMMERCE Q & A