rad Johnson, VP of Operations and Tom Hutchinson, Distribution and Warehouse Manager, were in search of an automated and systematic solution to improve overall operations from production to distribution. Improvements in receiving, put-away, cycle counts, production, improved visibility of orders for picking, packing, and shipping while also maintaining their top-notch customer-focused team with high responsiveness and innovation as their primary goal. The company’s previous inventory platform was paper-based and manual and did not have an intuitive or automated process for receiving, production and pick/pack/ship. There was a lack of support for product labeling and printing automated shipping labels post-pick. According to Hutchinson, “We had zero visibility on our actual inventory levels and needed information to roll into GP faster, and in real-time.” He guided the company towards a streamlined, mobile-friendly system that would position them for growth through savings in time, effort, and scale.
After an extended search in the market, WithoutWire was considered the best option because of its configurability and overall ease of use, which enabled efficient and accurate tracking throughout production and the distribution process. In addition, WithoutWire provides an exceptional web console that allows multiple users to utilize the inventory management platform in different capacities, such as accessing real-time reporting features, printing shipment documentation, reviewing cycle counts, and tracking of product location. With its certified list of iOS and Android smartphones, rugged and semi-rugged device options, using their mobile app platform, it was an easy decision. Hutchinson added that “assigning orders through our previous process took hours for one person, and now through our 4-zone system it’s as simple as reviewing and assigning orders which greatly improves our picking efficiency.”
After a focused, milestone-based implementation with dedicated resources on both sides, Sunless was up and running with WithoutWire realizing immediate returns on their investment. Some of the immediate and short-term benefits allowed Sunless, Inc. to continue helping customers nationwide by offering a new product, MYST-X hand sanitizer, during the pandemic. WithoutWire’s inventory management capabilities provided Sunless with the opportunity to easily train warehouse staff on various devices and to be up and running in a matter of days. The company went from a COVID-19 shutdown to offering a completely new product line that suited the needs of the public. According to Mike Concannon, Marketing Director; “Acting almost like a start-up, the pivot to hand-sanitizer production and distribution to large and small commercial and consumer customers was made easier through the power of WithoutWire’s inventory automation platform”.
Brad Johnson, VP of Operations, stated that “WithoutWire gives the full picture of what’s going on between sales and distribution, with a user-friendly dashboard that provides real-time data for our on-hand inventory.” Sunless, Inc. is now able to garner fulfillment and production KPIs using Microsoft Power BI embedded dashboards from within WithoutWire. The real-time integration with Microsoft Dynamics allowed new products and customers to be automatically imported and synced to WithoutWire. Johnson added that “WithoutWire is dynamic and scalable making it extremely advantageous in positioning us for the growth of our company.”
Operationally what has impacted Sunless, Inc. the most is that paperwork and data entry are now automated and mobilized by WithoutWire, reducing manual labor, and allowing staff time to complete higher value tasks. Hutchinson stated that “the ease-of-use for our warehouse staff cannot be undersold. Our warehouse team was eager to embrace the WithoutWire mobile interface.”
