A.S. Watson, known in the Netherlands for its "Kruidvat," "Trekpleister" and other retail chains, has been working with the mobile computer Memor™ by Datalogic Mobile since 2007 to carry out stock checks in its shops. Significant factors that influenced this choice were not only the price/performance ratio but also the fact that Datalogic Mobile is a world player in the mobile computing market, giving A.S. Watson the freedom to anticipate matters quickly at a local level. The company has recently extended its installation of Memor's™ with several hundred new Memor's™, "further confirming how satisfied its workers are with this compact, yet rugged, mobile computer.
With more than 9,500 stores and approximately 98,000 employees, AS Watson is the world's largest health and beauty retailer. The Automation Division is located in Hong Kong, where decisions are made about systems, software and suppliers. The watchword is integration and standardization. The national structures are responsible for implementation and ongoing administration. Local support and backup for the Kruidvat shops are therefore provided by the Dutch head office in Renswoude.
An entirely independent stock inventory managment system is used in the Kruidvat and Trekpleister stores. On average, stock is checked three times a year. A hand-held mobile computer is preferred to other devices because it is easy to handle, light and fast, allowing the job to get done quickly and efficiently with little operator fatigue. The Memor™, in this case, was the obvious choice. In fact, now virtually all the existing hand-held terminals used in stock-taking operations have been replaced with the Memor™.
The Memor™ is linked to the back office in each store. Each store is divided into "locations" (shelf meters) that are provided with location stickers. In this manner, all the stock doesn't need to be counted at the same time. Everything is included: drawers, bins, cradles, stock rooms, etc. Depending on the item group, the items are either counted or scanned. During inventory management operations, the inventory system of the particular store cannot be accessed. Therefore, the workers are practically counting blind and there is no tally of the data. However, with the Memor™ during the stock-taking stage, the "counter" receives signals if something does not tally. For instance, if an item is counted twice, if there is a particular location that has been overlooked, if the pallet has not yet been processed in the stock room, etc, the workers at the counter are informed. At the end of the process, the data is sent to the head office online, where the value per store is calculated. If there are any discrepancies that look odd, action can be taken quickly with regard to the store in question. It is a method of stock-taking that is quick, efficient and reliable. Datalogic's Memor™ makes the inventory managment system work flawlessly and A.S. Watson is truly satisfied with the results.
Customer: AS Watson
Industry: Retail
Application: Inventory
Country: The Netherlands
Datalogic Mobile Solution: Retail In-Store
Datalogic Mobile Product: Memor™
Datalogic Mobile Partner: Zetes BV
