Empowerment in the warehouse

Unified Western Grocers, a leading US grocery wholesaler, is rolling out the Retalix Triceps Warehouse Management Solution, as part of the company's aims to achieve Real Time Warehousing.

Triceps was developed by OMI International, a leading supplier of supply chain execution and warehouse management solutions, which Retalix acquired in January 2004. Unified installed Triceps in their Commerce, California distribution center earlier this summer, following the successful installation at the Portland, Oregon facility last year, which enabled Unified to deliver new levels of service to the company's 2,000 independent retailer members throughout their six state service area. Unified says it plans to deploy Triceps at all its other distribution centres.

Greg Vick, Unified's Director of Distribution, said, "Retalix's Triceps is helping us make more efficient use of our space, as well as improving our labour productivity and the quality of selection for our members. With the installation at Commerce, our largest facility, we will be linking Triceps to Retalix's MDS Yard and Dock application, which will ensure timely and more accurate delivery to our stores. The combined efficiencies of these two solutions working together we expect will generate significant cost savings that we can pass along to our independent members."

Currently the solution is installed in over a hundred warehouses and distribution centres, with retail grocery, wholesalers and other large consumer package goods distributors. The solution is said to improve productivity by enabling paperless end-to-end inventory management from the point of receipt until final shipment. This aims at providing a flow of real-time, synchronised information that allows for more accurate tracking of warehouse inventory levels, reduced handling and inventory charges, improved labour productivity and more efficient management of store orders.

Headquartered Dallas, Texas, Retalix provides integrated enterprise-wide software solutions for the global food and fuel retail industries, including supermarkets, convenience stores, fuel stations and restaurants. With installations in more than 30,000 stores and across 44 countries, the Company markets its software solutions through direct sales, distributors, local dealers and its various subsidiaries.