Watch a video of the Cross Dock system.
Since the late 1980s, Dots has been distributing merchandise to its stores from a manual, more conventional facility, three miles from its current location. Although this older facility afforded the retailer many functional years, by 2005, much of the equipment was nearing the end of its life, putting limitations on operational growth and efficiency. So in March 2006, Lisa Akey began the process of selecting a consulting firm that could help Dots design a new distribution system.
After three months of extensive interviews, site visits, and reference checks, Dots decided to partner with California-based SDI Industries, a systems integrator and solutions provider that had extensive experience in the fashion retail industry.
In May 2007, after a lengthy study of the present building and available alternative sites, Dots made the decision to build a completely new office and distribution center in Glenwillow. In February 2008, groundbreaking took place and SDI was selected to install and implement the entire distribution system.
In January 2009, SDI completed the installation of the equipment and immediately started hands-on training. “Because the unit sorters were perhaps the biggest change from the old system, we arranged for Dots to send their people to our other client’s sites to literally work on their unit sorters,” says Steve Haskell, SDI’s vice president and lead implementation manager. From January to April, SDI’s software team was also onsite to train Dots personnel and offer systems support.
Read entire article from Logistics Management Magazine (February 2011 edition)