Case Study: Enhancing Warehouse Productivity

Background

The world's largest dealer of Caterpillar (CAT) equipment – serving major industries such as mining, construction, forestry, and power systems across multiple locations – was looking for an efficient warehouse management system with seamless data integration.

Their primary warehouse operations utilized Kardex Vertical Lift Modules (VLMs) and Vertical Buffer Modules (VBMs) managed by the Power Pick software system. It was critical that these records remained perfectly synced with their Infor M3 ERP system. Leveraging ItemPath's API tool was a logical step to integrate these critical systems and support their workforce.  

The Challenge: Unable to Effectively Bridge Systems

The customer faced several challenges in optimizing their warehouse management:

• Data Synchronization & Errors: Ensuring real-time, accurate data flow between Infor M3 and Power Pick was crucial but  complex. Manual processes or less robust integrations risked data discrepancies and operational delays.

• Power Pick Limitations: While effective for storage, Power Pick was limited in advanced analytics, reporting flexibility, and efficient integration with their existing ERP middleware (Boomi). Tasks like calculating order processing duration or efficiently accessing large history logs were cumbersome and slow.

• Need for Automation: The customer sought to automate processes as much as possible, reducing manual intervention and potential errors, particularly in order handling and data transfer.

• Scalability & Reliability: With multiple warehouses (including VLMs and VBMs managed by separate Power Pick instances) and high transaction volumes (e.g., 10,000+ orders/week), they required a scalable and reliable integration solution with robust error handling and support.

The Solution: ItemPath Integration Suite

The customer partnered with ItemPath leveraging specialized software solutions designed to enhance Power Pick’s capabilities.

• ItemPath API: Provided the core mechanism for seamless, secure, two-way communication between Infor M3 (via Boomi middleware) and Power Pick. A key customization involved adding an initialHandlingUnit parameter to the orders endpoint. This seemingly small change eliminated the need for manual scanning at the start of the process, saving time per order and significantly reducing the risk of mis-assignment at the VLM/VBM.
• ItemPath Data Push: This application actively polled Power Pick for new transactions (picks, puts, inventory changes) and automatically pushed the data back to the ERP in the required format. It included data mapping features and logged all attempts for transparency and traceability.
• Custom Reporting & Dashboard: ItemPath's reporting tools offered a significant upgrade over Power Pick's native capabilities, allowing the customer to:
  • Quickly load, filter, and sort large volumes of history records on demand.
  • Create custom reports, such as order duration analysis (calculating time between order start and modification).
  • Develop dashboard widgets for warehouse overviews and productivity tracking.
  • Export data easily to Excel/CSV for further analysis.
  • Report on error logs to diagnose issues quickly.
• On-Premise Deployment & Support: ItemPath was deployed on-premise across the customer's infrastructure (4 warehouses across 2 installations), backed by a Service Level Agreement (SLA), including weekend support, ensuring prompt assistance when needed.

The Results: Crucial Insights Provided and Integrated

The ItemPath integration has become fundamental to the customer's warehouse operations across their locations.