PARIS, Oct. 27, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global supply chain optimisation provider Manhattan Associates (Nasdaq:MANH) and NYK Logistics, the logistics division of NYK Group, the ninth largest logistics services provider in the world, have successfully completed a joint project to deliver an advanced fulfilment solution to serve the French dealership network of Komatsu, the diversified provider of industrial-use products and services. The new solution has equipped Komatsu with a fully optimised supply chain operation in France, enabling the company to deliver complex orders on a next-day, pre-8 a.m., delivery basis to all of its 75 French dealers.
The joint project has involved the implementation of Manhattan Associates' Warehouse Management solution (WMS) to run a Komatsu-dedicated section of a large NYK distribution hub in South-West France. The facility is part of NYK Logistics' Parc des Chenes site in Saint Quentin Fallavier, near Lyon, which boasts more than 100,000 square metres of storage space. NYK Logistics' solution was chosen in the wider context of a transformation project Komatsu is undertaking to optimise its entire European distribution operation. The broader European initiative will replace Komatsu's incumbent centralised distribution model that revolves around a single European DC located in Belgium.
Specifically within France, Komatsu wanted to find a location that would allow it to optimise the level of service it provides to its network of 75 French dealers. Jean-Marc Leblond, sales director and project manager at Komatsu, underlines, "We needed an advanced supply chain solution to support the rapid development of Komatsu's business in France as well as the rest of Europe. Equally important was our need for a solution that could handle the demanding nature of our dealers' orders which rely on us having complete visibility of inventory and our operational processes."
Jean-Marc Leblond continued, "We deployed the NYK Logistics/Manhattan Associates solution because their combined offering not only allowed us to meet these primary objectives but it also allowed us to streamline our entire supply chain operation through the introduction of new techniques like flow management that have improved the speed at which we can ship goods to our dealers. Within the first few weeks of go-live, we saw immediate benefits. Whilst the order-to-delivery cycle time previously required several days, we are now able to guarantee to our dealers that any order sent before 5 p.m. will be delivered next day before 8 a.m."
"Because dealer orders can consist of a large number of diverse goods with very different product characteristics, and because Komatsu was looking for a much tighter order cycle timeframe, Komatsu's supply chain needed a well-oiled and high-precision fulfilment solution," commented Marc Richard, support director at NYK Logistics France. "Komatsu sought a solution that was oriented around optimised information processes, rather than meeting just the volume objectives of a classic fulfilment operation. Additionally, Komatsu wanted us to work with a warehouse management solution provider that would allow us to easily and rapidly replicate the new supply chain model in other regions of Europe. This first project has been a great success and we look forward to continuing to work alongside Manhattan Associates to support Komatsu in France as well as other countries across Europe."
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