Import availability cut from 3.5 to 2.5 days. Dispatch time improved by 36%. Those numbers came from a company that was still running its warehouse on printed packing lists — and managing over 25,000 SKUs that way. Here’s what it took to change that.
Hivimar: five decades of industrial distribution
Hivimar was founded on June 13, 1973, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, as an automotive parts importer. Over the following decades, the business expanded into industrial solutions — pumps, valves, steam systems — serving critical sectors including mining, oil and gas, marine, and manufacturing. Today the company employs more than 300 people, with operations in Guayaquil, Quito, Cuenca, Portoviejo, Manta, and Machala.
«From my position as Logistics Manager, my responsibility has been to guarantee efficient flow from import to final delivery — optimizing transportation and storage costs while preventing stockouts that affect the customer. With a broad portfolio and complex operations, logistics plays a central role in keeping the company competitive.» — Patricio Robalino, Logistics Manager
How the warehouse actually worked before
Before the WMS, the operation was held together by paper. Receiving, putaway, picking, and dispatch all ran on printed lists. The consequences were predictable: products placed in the wrong locations, incorrect registrations, delays in releasing imported goods until each SKU had been manually coded and positioned, and a warehouse that had no flexibility — every SKU had a single fixed location, and dynamic space management wasn’t possible.
During peak seasons, the system simply didn’t scale. Capacity constraints broke delivery commitments. Coordination meant reacting to mistakes rather than preventing them. And critical process knowledge lived in the heads of a few key people, making standardization nearly impossible.
The operation had no real-time order traceability, no visibility into operator performance, and no reliable metrics to drive improvement.
Why a WMS became unavoidable
The decision wasn’t driven by a technology trend. It was driven by a business that had outgrown its tools.
Manual systems couldn’t support a growing SKU portfolio or increasing order complexity. Key capabilities were missing entirely: location-based management, lot and serial number control, barcode scanning integration, voice picking, RF devices. Without those, there was no reliable path to reducing picking errors, shortening preparation times, or improving inventory accuracy.
The objectives were concrete:
- Structured order assignment and automatic task prioritization
- Higher picking productivity
- Elimination of paper from all warehouse processes
- Real-time integration with import arrivals
- Dynamic storage and intelligent location management
- Returns and discrepancy control
- Barcode traceability throughout
- Reliable operational KPIs
Why Infor CloudSuite WMS — and why Cerca Technology
During the evaluation, several alternatives were reviewed, including modules within the existing SAP ERP. Infor CloudSuite WMS stood out for combining advanced inventory management, process automation, analytical reporting, and full SAP integration with capabilities like voice picking, RF devices, and lot/serial control. Its track record in mid-to-large Latin American operations provided the confidence the decision required.
Choosing the right software was only half of it. Cerca Technology brought certified expertise as Infor’s largest Supply Chain partner in the region, with deep experience across planning, warehousing, and distribution. That combination — a platform with the right functionality and a partner who understood the operational reality — was what made the implementation work.
«Real change happens when technology adapts to the process, not the other way around. That was the approach that allowed Hivimar to evolve without stopping its operation.» — Julián Lasso, Professional Services Manager NOLA, Cerca Technology
Results across the operation
The numbers shifted quickly after go-live. Import availability dropped from 3.5 to 2.5 days. Dispatch time improved by 36%. Inventory location reliability increased. And a warehouse that had depended on individual expertise became one where any trained operator could execute any task correctly.
The impact extended beyond the warehouse floor:
- Sales: imported goods became available in the system in real time, reducing stockouts.
- Purchasing / Trade operations: actual rotation data and obsolescence visibility replaced guesswork on reorder levels.
- Finance: fewer losses from picking errors, and full traceability for audits.
There was initial resistance from the team — that’s expected in any operation that has worked a certain way for years. With consistent training and practical support through the transition, that resistance gave way to adoption.
What made it work
The factors that determined the outcome weren’t technical. They were organizational:
A clear roadmap with measurable milestones. Executive sponsorship throughout. Dedicated key users who owned the project. Consistent communication with the operational team. And an implementation approach that treated the cultural shift as seriously as the system configuration.
As the Hivimar Logistics team put it: «Transforming the operation wasn’t about digitizing processes — it was about building a smarter, more predictable logistics function aligned with the business strategy.»
If your warehouse is still running on paper lists and individual expertise, the constraint isn’t your team — it’s the absence of a system that gives them the tools to work differently. That’s the problem Infor CloudSuite WMS was built to solve.
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