When Kimberly-Clark decided to grow their healthcare business, they needed help. Acquiring new companies meant they also acquired new product lines. And those product lines came with distribution operations, not all of which were optimum.

One such operation was the Orthopedics division of a new manufacturing subsidiary in Fort Worth, TX, called Tecnol. This Orthopedics group sold supplies like knee braces and wrist splints to doctor’s offices nationwide. Distribution had been handled internally in a highly manual environment. But Kimberly-Clark wanted a cost-efficient, automated, outsourced operation that could easily fulfill up to a 200 custom orders each day—and deliver total inventory accuracy.

DSC stepped in with the solution. We created a dedicated 40,000 square-foot “each pick” center just to serve the new K-C Ortho Group. In this operation, thousands of SKUs were tightly organized along gravity-fed flow racks. As orders came in, DSC employees moved swiftly down the line, pulling each item; then packed and shipped the orders.

To manage inventory, DSC revamped its Warehouse Management System software for Kimberly-Clark. Our new solution is called the Each Management System. The Each Management System tracks the location of every SKU as well as item quantities down to the “each pick” level.

As orders come in, the system groups the orders into batches for more efficient picking and automatically lines up low product for replenishment. It directs employees to pick product in the most efficient, productive sequence. Then it prints out a shipping label and manifest detailing the item, item number, description and quantity in each box. (Doctors’ offices love these labels, because they save employees the time and effort of opening each box to check contents.)

Kimberly-Clark was so happy with our service and solution for them that they named our facility housing this “each-pick” operation their “Warehouse of the Year” for two years running.  Let us know if we can devise a supply chain solution for you. We really like “picky” customers.