Bigben Interactive is the leading designer and distributor of gaming, mobile and audio accessories. Located in France, the Group covers almost a hundred countries and boasts 23 subsidiaries throughout the world. A few months after a new acquisition, Bigben Interactive’s ambition is to become one of the world’s leading companies in each of its markets. To achieve this goal, the Group relies on a strong product offer and powerful logistics, centralized at its 29,000 m2 (312,153 sq. ft.) site in Lauwin-Planque, northern France. The innovative company took the first steps towards automation in 2007 with the support of its partner, SAVOYE, equipping itself with an automated system with 130 meter (426 ft.) linear stations, now 600 meters (1968 ft.) long today, piloted by the LOGYS WMS. Today, to achieve its ambitions, Bigben Interactive has launched a new corporate project to optimize its logistics tool: “Orders now tend to be more fragmented, stock is reduced, and replenishment must happen more quickly, with increased responsiveness. All of these phenomena have been amplified due to the health crisis. We have, therefore, sought a comprehensive logistics solution; able to meet our needs quicker and more efficiently”, explained François Penin, Europe Logistics Manager at Bigben Interactive.
Trust and innovation for optimized logisticsTrust and innovation for optimized logistics
On the left, Fabrice LEMESRE (Managing Director BIGBEN Interactive) and Frédéric ZIELINSKI (Managing Director SAVOYE EMEA) |
Ranging from envelopes to multi-pallets, e-commerce to retail and B2B to B2C, Bigben Interactive’s business activities are particularly diversified and highly seasonal. In order to become more flexible and responsive, Bigben Interactive wanted to optimize the precision of its order picking, extend its offer of product references and anticipate the future needs of its customers. With 12,000 product references in stock, 20 million items shipped per year and with significant capacity to expand, the Lauwin-Planque site was subject to significant discussions, leading to the decision to add a next-generation robotic Goods-to-Person tool to the existing logistics equipment. After launching a call for tenders in 2020, the Group once again put its trust in SAVOYE, selecting the X-PTS® high-speed shuttle system: “SAVOYE offers us quality monitoring, in addition to its ability to supply and install a comprehensive system without bulk breaking. We were won over by the relevance of the studies and visits undertaken as well as their constant commitment”, François Penin reiterated. |
A fully controlled logistics project, built for the futureA fully controlled logistics project, built for the future
The first step was to change the WMS and acquire a TMS. In order to ensure synergy between the future robotic system and its WMS, Bigben Interactive has chosen to integrate SAVOYE’s ODATiO® solution, a cloud-native system, boasting a high level of functional coverage, integrating a WMS and TMS in the same application. In parallel, the existing order picking line will evolve, thanks to the addition of input and output equipment, dedicated to automatic placement, labeling and printing of delivery slips. Thereafter, the X-PTS® robotic Goods-to-Person system will be assembled along with its WCS, with two aisles and three high-speed picking areas. Additional aisles and stations have already been anticipated to support the rapid development of the company: “We need to know how far we can go. The arrival of the new subsidiary and our ability to adapt to customer demand means being able to plan for the future from a process efficiency and technicality point of view”, François Penin pointed out.
The first phase of the project, concerning ODATiO® and the modernization of the existing line has already started. In mid-June 2022, the second phase, to integrate the X-PTS® solution, will be launched. The target: 1st quarter 2023. “For the past year, we have been looking hard for the right solution, which would work best with our existing business infrastructure. We think we have found it, thanks to our partnership with SAVOYE, while retaining our ability to respond to new market potential in the future”, François Penin concluded. “We are proud to have worked alongside Bigben Interactive since 2007. Maintaining a sustainable relationship with a customer is a fantastic asset”, added Frédéric ZIELINSKI, Managing Director of SAVOYE EMEA.