Case history 2011 VitaminCenter srl, a leading company in the field of the distribution of nutritional supplements, adopted an advanced information system for managing logistic and administrative procedures. Kirio, the software house from Bologna, implemented the Mago.net and K-Logistic platforms: product traceability, easy management of batches as well as quick picking and delivery are their main advantages. How Mago.net improved Customer needs In early 2010 Kirio started implementing K-Logistic, the software planned to manage - in a slim and smooth - way the warehouse and the distribution, including Microarea’s ERP Mago.net system. Now the workflow is carried out according to the following modus operandi: the customer purchases the item on the website, the order is automatically downloaded in real-time by the Mago.net management system and on the worker’s PDS, who then proceeds with the picking by using the barcode. This is where K-Logistic is called into action, automatising also the workflow towards the carriers, sending tracks for the shipping stickers and for sealing the packages. Every movement is set up a priori and registered. The shipping is carried out with carriers, after the delivery notes have been generated automatically by Mago.net. Furthermore the set up infrastructure secures a constant connection between the website and the two platforms. An important step was also taken regarding the arrival of the goods. With K-Logistics the suppliers batch numbers are connected to the item’s code, while a label, which associates the item to the batch, is printed by the workers with a wireless printer on their belts. This automation allows the batch to be treated as a whole and on time for the whole cycle, thus guaranteeing a 100% traceability of the items. Furthermore, at the arrival of the goods, the system registers the items’ expiry date to manage a “pre-expiration” with targeted promotions, with the result that the end-user is always supplied with fresh products and a correct turnover is kept at the warehouse. As far as the showroom is concerned an application programme has been developed, able to download the batches on schedule from the system also during the sale period.

Company needs VitaminCenter’s evolution comes along with further needs regarding information technology. “We felt the need of a higher impact of information technology, supporting the development in the different areas. Managing hundreds of shipments every day and a huge warehouse more or less by hand in some areas, such as the picking and the delivery notes, meant that there was the risk that we couldn’t satisfy the clients regarding delivery times and availability of the products.” Case history 2011 Customer Facts The history of the VitaminCenter company is the perfect example of how passion can lead to a company able to conquer an important place in its sector in just a couple of years. In the year 2002 a small shop selling fitness items turned into an online store, distributing nutritional supplements, natural and organic products, beauty items, sportswear and accessories. This was a fortunate step for the company with fast growth, which lead to today’s 50,000 active customers all over Europe, mainly end-consumer and fitness centres, a huge warehouse and the opening of a show room in Zola Predosa, in the province of Bologna. Several crucial characteristics are involved: real-time shipping in 24 hours, the website’s ease of use, high-quality brands, a computerised warehouse with high availability.

Prospect “The steady dialogue between the different systems with our website enables us to show the products’ updated availability online in real-time. The incoming goods are ‘catalogued’ by the management system and automatically available for the end-consumer, as if he or she would see our warehouse online. Therefore the client can’t order items, which are not in stock. This is how we avoid delivery delays,” Gisi explains. Another consequence is the possibility to avoid warehouse overload, to ensure at the same time that the stock corresponds to the average daily orders and to the diversity of the purchased items. “The programme enables us to set up statistics regarding increased consumption and therefore keeping the warehouse perfectly under control.” Case history 2011