Bründl Sports - A High-Performance Central Warehouse
The Bründl Sports Group has worked with Xvise to implement a sports project: The regional warehouse in Kaprun was converted into an efficient central warehouse in record time. Perfect conditions for a top-quality service and further growth.
"With Xvise we developed new central logistics as a project with a challenging time-scale and were very impressed by the outside-the-box approach of the Consulting team."
Logistics at its best
The Bründl Sports Group has worked with Xvise to implement a sports project: The regional warehouse in Kaprun was converted into an efficient central warehouse in record time. Perfect conditions for a top-quality service and further growth.
The Hans Bründl success story started off with handcrafted sledges and skis in Kaprun in the fifties, before Kaprun became a ski resort. Nowadays, the Salzburg family enterprise has 23 branches at seven locations and employs over 365 employees. Growth still remains top of the agenda for the sports equipment retailer. With this in mind, Bründl decided to work with Xvise to convert the current regional warehouse at the company headquarters in Kaprun into an efficient central warehouse for all locations. This should also involve the development of an appropriate delivery concept for the branches.
From regional warehousing to central warehousing
Our logistics consultants collected all the relevant data for this, highlighted the processes and recorded the current structural and organisational circumstances. This was then followed by designing the central warehouse. We had to determine how much space was required, find suitable warehouse technology and equipment, and design the processes for the future stock handling. This covered every stage, starting from the receipt, labelling and securing of the goods, through to the storage and order picking and then the packaging and distribution to the shops. The consultants’ duties even included planning resources for the employees and providing support in the warehouse organisation. We worked closely with the architect to specify the structural adaptations, such as openings or the creation of docking gates for trucks, that would be required for future operations.
When the central warehouse had taken shape on paper, our logistics specialists took over the preparation of the tender documents for the racking technology which included pallet shelving and a multilevel shelving and racking platform installation, the lift system, various industrial trucks and the warehouse equipment, among other items. We also conducted supplier negotiations and advised the client with regards to awarding the tender.
The distribution of goods and the warehouse logistics were still on the Xvise to-do list. These involved creating the conditions for the ideal flow of goods so the branches can be supplied promptly and cost-effectively, as well as finding the right partner for the logistics services following a call for tenders.
With guidance and resources for commissioning
Our consultants assisted the client as well as the contractors and the IT section during the implementation phase. Direct communication meant it was possible to quickly find pragmatic solutions when the need arose. When the warehouse team had received training for the new processes, the new central warehouse covering an overall logistics area of about 4,500 m² including offices, a pallet warehouse and a three-storey shelved racking system with approximately 10,000 storage spaces was able to start operating in January 2017.
Timescale with a focus on sport – dynamic collaboration
Thomas Bale spoke about the “timescale with a high focus on sport” that had been set for this project: “The project started in the spring of 2016 and was to be completed by the end of the year or the start of the following year.” Seasonal fluctuations and seasonal trade also presented additional challenges in this respect. Mr Bale ultimately felt that the “dynamic collaboration” with Bründl meant that it was possible to keep to the schedule.
An opinion shared by the client: “Structured and targeted workshops, swift developmental work and perfect support during implementation were particular features of the collaboration,” explained Petra Kitzberger, member of the Management Board and authorised representative responsible for Finances, Logistics and IT. “We also found the ‘out-of-the-box’ working methods used by Xvise particularly impressive.” Conditions are now ideal for Bründl to achieve “the desired operating excellence in all processes.”
