The right dose of future readiness: EWM S/4HANA implementation at DocMorris.

Efficient material flow does not require a prescription – A first class greenfield approach.

Hundreds of thousands of storage locations and tens of thousands of containers and pallets will bring outdated databases to their knees sooner rather than later. When several warehouse systems covering 20,000 sqm must be connected at the same time as the introduction of EWM S/4HANA, things become particularly complex. All without a ramp-up phase, during ongoing operations and - as always - within the SAP standard.

Project

  • Introduction of an EWM S/4HANA

  • Integration of several external storage systems (with MFS)

  • Development of individual Fiori apps for the different workstations

Industry

Pharmaceutical distribution, e-commerce

Time span

May 2020 – July 2022

Achievements

  • Parcel capacity increased by 125% per year

  • Integration of A-frames, shuttles, pick-by-light & pick-to-tote solutions, radio data transmission devices and 5 km of conveyor technology in over 20,000 sqm of warehouse space

  • 70 innovative packaging stations with 100% inspection using LEDs and light barriers

A market leader doubles down.

DocMorris is Europe's largest online pharmacy and employs more than 2000 people. The heart of the leading player is the distribution center in Heerlen in the Netherlands. Another distribution center with a higher level of automation was to be built at this location to meet the increased demand resulting from the introduction of e-prescriptions in Germany. Double stocks also mean double the load on systems, databases, and users. It was therefore necessary to find a comprehensive warehouse management software that could cope with the mass of data and was also future-proof. A case for EWM in S/4HANA and therefore a case for SSI Schäfer and status C.

Greenfield approach on a 20,000 sqm meadow.

Lots of materials require lots of storage spaces. Lots of storage spaces require lots of external systems. At least if you want to make processes as efficient as possible. After an intense consultation and planning phase, SSI Cuby shuttles, SSI SMC, semi-automatic narrow-aisle trucks from Toyota for the high-rack warehouse, put-to-light systems and A-frames were integrated into the hardware infrastructure of both distribution centers. In addition, picking processes were to be made more intuitive using handheld devices. This initial situation resulted in completely new automation options and work processes, which first had to be defined, then tested and finally implemented. A greenfield approach that was challenging for both DocMorris stakeholders and status C. Especially because the new distribution center was still under construction at the start of the project and all process simulations and mass tests had to be meticulously prepared and tested "live on site" in distribution center 1. The collaboration in agile sprints and the sometimes months-long continuous deployments of the status C experts on site made this massive task possible in the first place.

Let there be light (-barrier).
 

At the heart of an optimal material flow is storage and retrieval - in the case of DocMorris with the help of over 5 km of conveyor technology, amongst other things. After redefining the processes, order totes can now be filled more efficiently using pick-by-light and hand-scanner order pickers or directly from the A-Frame with several orders at the same time or optionally skip stations before they finally reach their destination - the packing stations. Here, the containers are then deconsolidated and prepared for dispatch. Each workstation in the warehouse also has customer-specific Fiori apps. For example, all 70 packing and control stations are equipped with intuitive user interfaces for incoming and outgoing materials, which were developed individually with the warehouse employees. While employees are instructed accordingly via the large warehouse monitor at the workstations, light barriers in the picking bays verify not only the packaging material but also the goods inside. This always ensures a 100% control and therefore a crucial safeguard for DocMorris in the material flow. 

  • David Voß

    TechLead SAP Logistics, DocMorris

    "status C demonstrated outstanding expertise in the field of logistics and intralogistics and found a solution to every one of our problems. The team's expertise made a significant contribution to increasing efficiency and optimizing operational processes, resulting in sustainable project success."

  • Achim Neufang

    Product Owner SAP Logistics, DocMorris

    "status C has always impressed us with their fresh ideas and pragmatic solutions. They have demonstrated in-depth knowledge of SAP EWM, UI5 and MFS. I was particularly fascinated by their approach of always starting from the root cause and wanting to solve problems sustainably. Thanks to this methodology, we can now process high order volumes in a stable and intelligent way."

  • David Krüger

    Consulting Logistics SAP, status C AG

    "Everyone was prepared to go the extra mile. The entire project benefited considerably from this mindset. Both the collaboration with DocMorris and with our partner SSI Schäfer was very productive and competent. Thanks to this commitment, we were able to achieve a good system integration together."

  • Frédéric Mauss

    Consulting & development SAP, status C AG

    "DocMorris has an incredibly compact set-up, quickly brings the key decision-makers together and thus made the processes much easier for us. This project was great fun."

After the Go Live is before the evaluation - and the results are impressive.

Thanks to the introduction of S/4HANA, DocMorris was able to increase the number of parcels sent daily by 125%, with over one million shipments leaving the distribution center in Heerlen in the first two months after Go Live alone. Thanks to the high level of automation and the intelligent restocking strategies developed by status C, all items are always in stock. There are now 116 SSI Cuby shuttles on 29 levels, managing 46,000 storage locations. In addition, there are 115,000 static storage locations, 5,700 pallets, thousands of order containers and over 400,000 different products in incoming goods. The automation of both distribution centers increased from 50% to 70%. With this changeover, DocMorris has taken a major step towards a digital warehouse and will continue to benefit from innovations and updated functionalities thanks to the ongoing development of the HANA platform.
 

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