Grupo Servica is a family-owned business that started as a customs agency and, over time, expanded to offer bonded warehouse services, storage and inventory management, as well as maritime, land, air, international, and local transportation. With two main warehouses and several satellite facilities, its operations are centralized in Costa Rica, serving clients throughout Central America. Currently, this 4PL logistics operator serves over 47 clients, providing them with storage and transportation services.
They manage a wide variety of clients, product types, and adaptive logistical processes, handling everything from perishable goods to toys, props, machinery, and fast fashion. They operate a 25,000 m² warehouse standardized to 5-7 height levels and are in the process of expanding and constructing a new 5,000 m² warehouse, including the bonded warehouse and distribution center, fully powered by a solar farm on the roof of the logistics park.
Among their various clients, they manage approximately 40,000 SKUs that can be distributed from full containers down to boxes or individual units for their diverse clients, serving both B2B and B2C sectors (e-commerce operations).
Daily operational challenges and motivations for acquiring a WMS
The logistics operation was managed by a limited system that could not grow at the same pace as the company, becoming obsolete. The system’s stability was very low, with many in-house developments and lacking the necessary updates. Manual tasks, the generation of indicators, reports, and strategic planning consumed the time of those in charge, preventing them from focusing on adding value to the processes.
The additional costs due to constant reprocessing, manual tasks, and operational disruptions were significant, stemming from the lack of a reliable and stable system.
This prompted the company to seek a strategic partner to redesign the logistics model, supported by current trends and capable of supporting the new strategic objectives that had been established.
These were some of the main objectives of this project:
- Achieve stability in system operation with a fully cloud-based environment supported internationally.
- Increase the reliability of the system and the information it provides.
- Enhance efficiency and visibility while maintaining excellent inventory control.
- Reduce the time spent on manual tasks in the warehouses.
¿What WMS solution did they choose and why?
Servica selected Infor’s WMS due to its robustness, modernity, and integration capabilities. Being a cloud-based platform, it offers added value to clients thanks to its multi-tenant architecture, constant updates, and user-friendly graphical reports.
On the other hand, selecting Cerca Technology as the implementation partner ensured a highly trained and committed team. Cerca’s technical expertise and agile approach were key during the implementation process. The collaboration between Servica, Infor, and Cerca was essential for the project’s success.
Daniel Chavarría, Project and Technology Manager at Grupo Servica, stated: “The Cerca team stood out; they are probably the best technical team in the region. The learning curve was not complicated thanks to the user interface, which was able to adapt to the specifications of some clients while meeting all project milestones.”
Daniel also confirmed that after implementing Infor’s WMS, the company has achieved a 9% reduction in administrative expenses, a 50% decrease in billing time, and an 8% reduction in OpEx.
Regarding the benefits and improvements in operations, Walter Espinoza, Distribution Center Manager, confirmed an increase in real-time visibility thanks to the 3D viewer of the warehouse and yard, control of batches and expiration dates, customization by client, reduction of manual tasks and storage times, speed in presenting information to the client, reporting control, intelligent slotting, and automatic replenishment strategies, among others.
Additionally, he mentioned that one of his clients had commented that, ‘sometimes there could be errors related to product allocation; however, now with the Infor WMS, we have found the handling of products to be very satisfactory.’
Servica is well-positioned to continue growing, benefiting from a solid warehouse management system backed by committed partners. With high expectations of attracting new clients, the company offers an excellent level of service and high-value proposals.
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